Guest guest Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 I hope to be getting a lot of fresh local peaches in the next couple of weeks. I love to have frozen peach slices in the freezer for the winter months. However, I'm wondering if there might be anyone who's tried to lacto ferment peaches. I usually use kefir whey, a little salt and depending on the sweetness of the fruit that I'm LFing, I may add a little Rapadura sugar. I've had great success with Montmorency cherries, concord grapes, blueberries and I currently have some blackberries going. On all of these, I'm juicing or put the whole fruit in the food processor (well minus the pit). I did try plums from a neighbor's tree, but wasn't that fond of the end result. When done (approx 3 days) I scoop off the foam to add to fruit smoothies. With the blackberries, I'll need to strain out the seeds. The juice is then put into the fridge for adding to sparkling mineral water which makes a wonderful refreshing *soda* drink. Anyway, getting back to the peaches - would you need to add some lemon juice to help keep the oxidation at bay? Would you process in the food processor or just chop into small pieces? If organic, would you include the skin in the ferment - later to be strained out? Would you use whey or kefir grains? What I'm hoping for is a concentrated peach nectar that I can diluted with the sparkling water. Rhonda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 12, 2005 Report Share Posted August 12, 2005 >Anyway, getting back to the peaches - would you need to add some >lemon juice to help keep the oxidation at bay? Would you process in >the food processor or just chop into small pieces? If organic, would >you include the skin in the ferment - later to be strained out? >Would you use whey or kefir grains? What I'm hoping for is a >concentrated peach nectar that I can diluted with the sparkling >water. > >Rhonda I use fruit juice to make kefir beer, and it's quite nice. I usually use berry juice: I just strain the berries using a jelly bag. If you ferment fruit, it tends to turn either alcoholic or sour, depending on what else you add. Apples added to kimchi, for instance, add flavor, but the apples end up tasting like the rest of the kimchi, more or less. Apples fermented with kefir grains though, end up being apple cider, and if left for awhile, pretty alcohoic apple cider! Peaches can make great wine, but here is how it goes: if you use the whole fruit, as a " real " winemaker would, then the whole thing turns into this awful looking mash which bubbles and boils for a month or six and then separates out, the solids going to the bottom, and a nice clear wine at the top. It's a lot of work, but often very much worth it! The skins and seeds DO add flavor to the final result. For what you are doing, you'd probably be better off pulverizing the whole mass into a " nectar " (as you mention) and adding a kefir grain (and/or, kefir-beer dregs which might work faster) and letting it sit just a day or two. It'll still be sweet, but slightly fizzy. Alternatively you can use whey ... I use kefir grains because: 1. kefir grains have some yeast, which in my mind make the final result taste better, 2. the kefir grains have a strong probiotic effect for me, whereas whey does not, 3. kefir grains seem to inhibit mold better than anything else I've tried (my whey products often got mold), 4. kefir grains are easier (no straining ...) When using just pure yeast to make wine, you often need to add extra sugar and/or acid, to inhibit mold and bacteria. Lactofermentation though, produces a fair bit of acid and protective agents very quickly, so you shouldn't need to add sugar or acid, esp. to a fruit like peaches. (I do add a bit of acid when fermenting cabbage or cukes, as a protective measure, in the form of kimchi juice usually). If you want the resulting drink to be sweeter, it's best to add honey/molasses/sugar etc. just before you drink it. Otherwise the sugar will likely just be converted to lactic acid or alcohol and you won't get a sweeter beverage, just a stronger one! Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 > I use fruit juice to make kefir beer, and it's quite nice. I usually > use berry juice: I just strain the berries using a jelly bag. Thanks Heidi for the detailed reply! I've been meaning to ask - just what exactly IS kefir beer? Is it an alcoholic beer - or a soft drink as in Root Beer? > For what you are doing, you'd probably be better off > pulverizing the whole mass into a " nectar " (as you mention) > and adding a kefir grain > I use kefir grains because: > 1. kefir grains have some yeast, which in my mind make the > final result taste better, > > 2. the kefir grains have a strong probiotic effect for me, > whereas whey does not, > > 3. kefir grains seem to inhibit mold better than anything else > I've tried (my whey products often got mold), wouldn't the kefir WHEY has some of the same probiotic effects of the grains? And are you using water grains or milk grains? All I have are the milk grains. So I'd just need to rinse well and add a decent sized one in - then maybe stir once a day? I haven't left the fruit juices on the counter long enough to mold - 2 or 3 days is the longest. > If you want the resulting drink to be sweeter, it's best > to add honey/molasses/sugar etc. just before you > drink it. Otherwise the sugar will likely just be converted > to lactic acid or alcohol and you won't get a sweeter > beverage, just a stronger one! This makes sense. I haven't had any of my experiments go to alcohol, with the exception of maybe the plums - and it may have just been tart rather than alcoholic. Wasn't my favorite - but then again, it's not my favorite fruit either. Think I'll give the kefir grain a try and do like you said, add any sweetening after it is LF'ed. Thanks, Rhonda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 i remember my grandmother making peach ice cream and when she peeled the peaches she left a decent amount of the flesh on the skin and she'd used these meaty skins to make wine. she also made dandelion wine, unfortunately she died before i was old enough to think of asking her to teach me (i was 11 when she died). but i do remeber on occassion her wines, which she just made is gallon size glass jugs and set them out of the way on her kitchen floor, would break open and the dog would lick it up and we all thought it was very funny:) not very helpful but it goes to making wine from most anything and not leaving any waste:) susan Heidi Schuppenhauer wrote: > > > >>Anyway, getting back to the peaches - would you need to add some >>lemon juice to help keep the oxidation at bay? Would you process in >>the food processor or just chop into small pieces? If organic, would >>you include the skin in the ferment - later to be strained out? >>Would you use whey or kefir grains? What I'm hoping for is a >>concentrated peach nectar that I can diluted with the sparkling >>water. >> >>Rhonda >> >> > >I use fruit juice to make kefir beer, and it's quite nice. I usually >use berry juice: I just strain the berries using a jelly bag. > >If you ferment fruit, it tends to turn either alcoholic or sour, >depending on what else you add. Apples added to kimchi, >for instance, add flavor, but the apples end up tasting like >the rest of the kimchi, more or less. Apples fermented >with kefir grains though, end up being apple cider, and if >left for awhile, pretty alcohoic apple cider! > >Peaches can make great wine, but here is how it goes: >if you use the whole fruit, as a " real " winemaker would, >then the whole thing turns into this awful looking >mash which bubbles and boils for a month or six and >then separates out, the solids going to the bottom, and >a nice clear wine at the top. It's a lot of work, but >often very much worth it! The skins and seeds DO add >flavor to the final result. > >For what you are doing, you'd probably be better off >pulverizing the whole mass into a " nectar " (as you mention) >and adding a kefir grain (and/or, kefir-beer dregs which might >work faster) and letting it sit just a day or two. It'll still >be sweet, but slightly fizzy. Alternatively you can use whey ... >I use kefir grains because: > >1. kefir grains have some yeast, which in my mind make the >final result taste better, > >2. the kefir grains have a strong probiotic effect for me, >whereas whey does not, > >3. kefir grains seem to inhibit mold better than anything else >I've tried (my whey products often got mold), > >4. kefir grains are easier (no straining ...) > > >When using just pure yeast to make wine, you often need >to add extra sugar and/or acid, to inhibit mold and bacteria. >Lactofermentation though, produces a fair bit of acid >and protective agents very quickly, so you shouldn't need >to add sugar or acid, esp. to a fruit like peaches. (I do add >a bit of acid when fermenting cabbage or cukes, as a protective >measure, in the form of kimchi juice usually). > >If you want the resulting drink to be sweeter, it's best >to add honey/molasses/sugar etc. just before you >drink it. Otherwise the sugar will likely just be converted >to lactic acid or alcohol and you won't get a sweeter >beverage, just a stronger one! > > >Heidi Jean > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 >Thanks Heidi for the detailed reply! >I've been meaning to ask - just what exactly IS kefir beer? Is it an >alcoholic beer - or a soft drink as in Root Beer? I think there is a writup on it in the Files section. It is alcoholic ... how much so depends on how you make it (root beer can be alcoholic too!). It CAN be very mild, in which case we call it Kefir Pop. Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 13, 2005 Report Share Posted August 13, 2005 At 05:50 AM 8/13/2005, you wrote: >not very helpful but it goes to making wine from most anything and not >leaving any waste:) > >susan Yeah, this discussion got me going so I took some leftovers from paring a pineapple and added some sugar and kefir grains and they are brewing now ... I always hate throwing away all that good pineapple taste! Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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