From: riburr@shentel.net   
      
   Snagging some proven sourdough starter is probably the way to go, but   
   sounds a little like cheating.  I was thinking of grabbing some wild   
   persimmons and tossing them in the blender with some slightly sweet   
   water (and lemon juice for the safety of acidity, and selection of yeast   
   strains that favor an acidic environment), and keeping the mix warm for   
   a couple days.  And, using whatever indigenous yeasts pop up to   
   inoculate the starter.  I'm in the mood to experiment.   
      
   I've been making kimchi in the cellar off and on all summer.  It's   
   pretty much foolproof.  I only make a half gallon at a time in a gallon   
   size glass cookie jar w/glass lid.  Gnats haven't been a problem so far.   
     I'm interested in adding Auricularia auricula to the fermenting   
   cabbage, after the acidity has lowered the pH to a safe level.   
      
   Steve Peek wrote:   
   > IMHO the best sourdough starters are made in late spring. At that time there   
   > is an abundance of wild yeasts in the air. The problem is the quality of   
   > those yeasts. Not all are suited for bread making. Find someone with a   
   > proven starter and beg a "start". The Alaskan prospectors were called   
   > "sourdoughs" because they would carry their starter on a string around their   
   > neck to keep the starter from freezing.   
   >   
   > Most vegetables are brine fermented. I believe brine fermentation is   
   > bacterial and not yeast. The recipes call for thinly sliced vegetables (50   
   > pounds), salt (1 pound) and water if needed. All else that is needed is some   
   > type of weight to keep the veggies submerged and a cloth tied over the top   
   > to keep the bugs out. Don't leave off the cloth and don't use cheese cloth.   
   > I used cheese cloth one year on my sauerkraut and lost the whole 50 pounds   
   > of cabbage to the "sour gnats".   
   >   
   > Post whatever you want, not many folks here any way.   
   > Steve   
    >   
   > "riburr" wrote:   
   >   
   >> I plan to begin making sourdough starter and baking sourdough bread. The   
   >> starter mix is said to be a symbiotic coexistence of yeasts (fungi) and   
   >> lactic-acid bacteria.  The high acidity of the dough is responsible for the   
   >> bread's distinctive taste, and resistance to spoilage organisms. Since   
   >> there is yeast involved, I think this subject is on-topic for the group?   
   >>   
   >> Also, I'm making kimchi, which as far as I know is basically cabbage gone   
   >> through a lactic acid fermentation.  This wouldn't normally be a topic of   
   >> discussion in the group (although I would be surprised if wild yeast   
   >> cultures were not somehow involved), unless I include mushrooms in the   
   >> fermentation, e.g. Auricularia auricula etc.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> --   
   >> Mushroom blog:   
   >> http://ftvmushrooms.blogspot.com   
   >>   
   >> The adpReview blog is being revised.   
   >   
   >   
      
      
   --   
   Mushroom blog:   
   http://ftvmushrooms.blogspot.com   
      
   The adpReview blog is being revised.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)