Re: Acid/alkaline now kimchi

November 12, 2004

Hi Carol,

Kimchi is to be make using the same timetable and fermenting temperatures as

sauerkraut. That is, ideally 2-3 days at 68-72F, then 2-3 weeks at 59-64F, and

then put away in cold storage for another 4-5 weeks at 33-50F. That is ideal. It

gets better with age. If made with good quality vegetables will last at least

one year. Mine lasts two years and is totally fine.

BTW, the above information comes from the book Culturing Cabbage again. The

authors have a newer book out called Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables...

for 9.95. I would highly recommend it for everyone who is interested in

fermenting vegies. It is far superior to Sally Fallon's instructions in NT. Not

to knock Sally. NT is still a great book and resource.

And thank you for openning the log-jam and letting me through.

Tonio

drinking raw kefir, kombucha tea, various EM brews and kimchi from last fall.

All home made of course.

So eat your kimchi!

~~~I will, but now I'm not sure when it will be ready. It was on the counter

for 2-3 days, and now has been in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Is it

ready? (My very first batch.) :-)

Carol

November 12, 2004

Tonio,

A temperature of 59-64 F is impossible where I live. (No basement and it's

colder than that outside and warmer inside.) It will just have to stay in the

refrigerator the whole time. Will that make it take longer, before it should be

eaten?

Carol

Hi Carol,

Kimchi is to be make using the same timetable and fermenting temperatures as

sauerkraut. That is, ideally 2-3 days at 68-72F, then 2-3 weeks at 59-64F, and

then put away in cold storage for another 4-5 weeks at 33-50F. That is ideal. It

gets better with age. If made with good quality vegetables will last at least

one year. Mine lasts two years and is totally fine.

Tonio

November 12, 2004

Hi Carol,

How warm do you keep your place? Perhaps you have a few corners inside that are

cooler than other places. Those temps were the ideal. Before I got that book I

did the first stage of fermenting at around 68-72F for 7-10 days and then put it

in cold storage for the next 5-6 weeks. I did that for years and it always

worked fine. So I'm not sure about your current batch of kimchi, but you might

want to take it out of the frig and keep it in a dark place for a week at

whatever is room temperature, probably in a lower cabinet. By the way, the

fermentation and storage should be in the dark to preserve the B vitamins, and

perhaps other things as well.

Good luck with your kimchi,

Tonio

Tonio,

A temperature of 59-64 F is impossible where I live. (No basement and it's

colder than that outside and warmer inside.) It will just have to stay in the

refrigerator the whole time. Will that make it take longer, before it should be

eaten?

Carol

November 12, 2004

Tonio,

I wasn't very clear with my post. I fermented it at room temperature for 2-3

days before putting it into the refrigerator. (That's about 68-72 degrees

during the day and around 60 at night, this time of year.)

So, it sounds like I've got about the same scenario as you said you had for

years, except I didn't leave it at room temperature long enough, by your

standards.

Thanks,