Background of Culturing There are both three types of organisms used in fermentation and three kinds of fermentations. In this section, we will review them. The Major Player: the Microorganisms Milk Kefir Grains 1. Yeasts: single-celled microscopic fungi that convert sugar into water, alcohol, acids, and carbon dioxide. Scientists know of about 1,500 species of yeast. The word yeast comes from combining the Old English gist or gyst with the Indo-European root yes, meaning boil, foam, or bubble. That s appropriate when you think of a bubbly sourdough starter or foamy champagne. 2. Bacteria: single-celled microscopic organisms with a cell wall but lacking organelles and an organized nucleus. They eat starches and sugars in foods. The major player here is the genus Lactobacillus, of which there are at least 125 identified species, many of them beneficial strains. Contrary to what the name lactobacilli sounds like, it does not deal only with lactose in milk products. Lactobacilli produce lactic acid, which contributes wonderfully sour and complex flavors to vats of deli pickles, sauerkraut, old-fashioned fermented sausages and sourdough bread, as well as many other fermented foods. 3. Molds: multi-cellular fungi that grow in moist environments, such as on food. They produce enzymes that break down substances for them to absorb. What also makes molds different than beneficial yeasts and bacteria is that they can survive colder temperatures. Special molds are cultivated to produce particular flavors in cheese, fermented soy foods such as tempeh and soy sauce, for the Japanese wine sake, and to cure meat. Molds have been used in Asia for centuries; the Western world uses primarily beneficial bacteria and yeasts for fermenting foods. 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 1
Three Kinds of Fermentation There basically are three types of fermentation: lactic acid, ethyl alcohol and acetic acid. Lactic acid: helps with blood circulation, prevents constipation, balances digestive acids, and encourages good pancreatic function. Ethyl alcohol or ethanol: known to most of us simply as alcohol, is produced when fermenting organisms convert carbohydrates in grains or fruit into wine, beer, mead, or other alcoholic beverages. Acetic acid: Acetobacter bacteria work on ethanolcontaining ferments to turn them into vinegar. Even though we have listed these types of fermentation separately, the acids and alcohol are not always isolated. Rather, two, or even all three of them can be contained at varying levels in certain fermented foods. The Right Conditions 1. Protection: we need protection from spoiling organisms especially at the beginning of fermentation when they re most vulnerable, as they have not yet established dominance. a. Salt is the most common and traditional mechanism of protection during fermentation. For thousands of years, meat preservation was carried out simply and effectively through salting and drying. There are three salting options: add salt to a food mixture, salt the surface of a food, or pour salt brine over the food. b. Starter cultures are another common form of protection. A commonly used starter culture for fruit and vegetable fermentation is uncooked whey, the liquid that spills out when fermented or cultured dairy coagulates into curds. This will introduce the beneficial microorganisms we desire. By adding the culture, you give the fermentation a head start in competing against other organisms. c. Reducing Oxygen many fermentation processes occur best without oxygen, suggesting yet another fermentation protection. By creating some form of airlock, beneficial organisms can do their job unencumbered by their natural competition. d. Acids many of the spoiling organisms can t abide acidity, so until the environment of the fermentation gets to a certain 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 2
acidity, introduced acids can be used a barrier to ensure good results. 2. Temperature the temperature varies, but right around room temperature is a common fermentation temperature. When fermentation is complete, nearly all fermented foods require cool temperatures for aging and long-term stability. We will discuss the specific temperatures when we review each category. 3. Food the organisms get their food from carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in the food being fermented, or through the addition of special supplemental sources of carbohydrates. Most fermentations fall into the first category, with meat fermentation being one notable exception we add sugar to provide the organisms with food as the meat does not provide it. 4. Time after all the other conditions are right, only time is needed for the organisms to undergo and complete fermentation. They need time to transform the food to the right texture, which is a matter of taste, and to multiply into sufficient numbers for effective preservation of the food. The time is often a personal choice, so by varying the other parameters we can often change this. Of course sometimes it comes down to taste. Some people like a food crunchy. Others like it soft. Some like a weak cheese while some like it sharpened with age. So if we are crafty enough, we can create the right conditions to let the fermentation take its course with a minimum of human interference. We don t necessarily have to add acids or alcohol to the food ourselves. We can enlist and encourage the microbes to do this for us. 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 3
Enhancing our Immune System Even though there are several benefits to fermentation, some of which we listed above and others that we will discuss throughout the course, probably the most important one in our modern world is the enhancement of our own immunity. Bacteria outnumber our own human cells by at least 10 to 1. If there are 50 75 trillion human cells, this means we have 500 750 trillion organisms that we have as part of our personal ecosystem. We simply could not survive without this ecosystem. These microscopic allies are important components of our immune system. Our body has sophisticated mechanisms, enzymes, and cells to protect us from invading viruses and infections. But we have to consider our gut flora as a private security force to assist our body s natural defenses. No matter how vigilant we are about taking care of ourselves in other areas, we need help from our private security force. We need our bacteria to be healthy, fresh, strong, and numerous, and they in turn need our bodies to run properly to ensure their own survival. Regularly consuming fermented foods keeps our digestive tracts constantly supplied with reinforcements, and creates the kind of environment in which they can work efficiently and thrive. These little bacterial friends are living inside us, working as a freelance security force, all the while getting free room and board. Without sufficient beneficial bacteria in the gut, the population of harmful bacteria will bloom and start to wreak havoc on the digestive tract and immune system, causing inflammation, and eventually start to negatively affect other parts of the body. This bloom is called small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It may seem counterintuitive, but SIBO can also be caused by overgrowth of the good guys! You might think that if a little is good, more would be better, right? Well, just as with, say, sweet treats, in the case of bacteria even our friendly private security force! too much of a good thing is definitely not a good thing. This is why a proper balance of good bacteria must be maintained. And this is where fermented foods come in. Fermented foods assist the body in maintaining the not-too- 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 4
much-but-not-too-few good bacteria in the intestines. Think of fermented foods as an intestinal insurance policy a prophylactic probiotic punch to give your gut every advantage. Even though fermented foods are quite good for you, you need to start off slowly. If you have not eaten that many fermented foods before, you might experience a little stomach upset if you start eating too much, too fast. Remember you are introducing a new set of microorganisms into your ecosystem and they might have to battle for a niche in the complex environment of your digestive tract. This might cause die-off, or detoxing symptoms that will take some time to adjust to. CRÈME FRAÎCHE Crème fraîche literally means fresh cream in French. Despite the name, crème fraîche is the name given to cream that has been soured. Originally, crème fraîche was simply unpasteurized cream that had been left out and allowed to ferment through the action of lactic acid bacteria. This same method does not work with pasteurized cream because the lactic acid bacteria are destroyed in the pasteurization process. For those who cannot get unpasteurized cream, an alternative is to start with pasteurized cream, warm the cream, add a starter culture, and let it ferment. Options for starter cultures include yogurt, kefir, and cultured buttermilk (which is available at most supermarkets). Using buttermilk probably gets you closest to what unpasteurized cream would do on its own. Or, if you have a previous batch of homemade crème fraîche, that is an excellent starter! Crème fraîche typically has a butterfat content of 30 to 40 percent. What is called sour cream in the United States is similar to crème fraîche but is made from a mixture of cream and milk (half-and-half) and typically weighs in at about 18 percent to 20 percent butterfat. The sour cream you buy at the store all too frequently contains thickening and acidifying agents, and sometimes flavorings of various sorts. You can also buy lite sour cream, which has less fat and more additives, and even nonfat sour cream, which has no fat and still more additives. Store-bought sour cream, like store-bought crème fraîche, has often been pasteurized after fermentation, so it can t be used as a starter. If you have bought some sour cream or crème fraîche from the store and you re not sure about it, don t use it as a starter. It s easier to use buttermilk or yogurt. Making sour cream 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 5
at home is a bit harder than making crème fraîche, and the result is a bit less luxurious, so why not make crème fraîche? STORE-BOUGHT CRÈME FRAÎCHE To repeat, be aware that store-bought crème fraîche has often been pasteurized after fermentation, so its bacteria have been killed. It is not useful as a starter, and it has lost its probiotic benefits. If it doesn t say live cultures on the packaging, then it s likely that it has been pasteurized after fermentation. Making Crème Fraîche at Home INGREDIENTS 12 13 ounces (350 400 ml) unpasteurized cream 3 tablespoons (45 g) yogurt, kefir, or cultured buttermilk as a starter, if using pasteurized cream. Starter is optional if using raw cream. EQUIPMENT 1-pint (475-ml) mason jar, carefully cleaned to remove soap residue. PREPARATION 1. If using a starter, measure out the amount you re going to use. Put it in the mason jar. 2. Add the cream to the jar, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so of room at the top. Close the jar and shake it so that the starter mixes well with the cream. 3. Place the jar somewhere warm for 12 hours or overnight. Check the cream. If it has not yet thickened, leave it for another 6 hours. 4. When it has thickened, store it in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a week or two. Crème fraîche is great for cooking because it won t curdle the way cream sometimes does when you heat it or add an acid like lemon juice or vinegar. Yield: 1 pint (450 g) Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 12 18 hours 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 6
BUTTER AND BUTTERMILK Making cream into crème fraîche is one way to preserve it. By making it more acidic, you are making it less prone to spoilage. Another way to preserve cream is to turn it into butter, thus removing most of the water and carbohydrates from it, leaving a little protein and a lot of fat. In fact, you can get the best of both worlds by making crème fraîche and then turning it into butter! When you make butter from pasteurized cream, you get what is called sweet cream butter. When you make it from fermented cream (like crème fraîche), using the same process, you get cultured butter. In the old days, most butter was cultured butter, simply because cream was raw, refrigeration was difficult, and most cream had started to ferment on its own by the time folks had gathered enough of it to start making butter. Nowadays, we make cultured butter because it has a nicer flavor, it has healthy bacteria, and it keeps better. In fact, a lot of store-bought sweet cream butter has flavorings added to it to make it taste more like cultured butter. (Read the label and you ll see.) If this is the case, then why doesn t everyone simply make cultured butter? Because cultured butter takes longer to make. If you are a small producer making it at home, the extra time isn t a big deal because you re going through the work of making the butter anyway. But if you are a large industrial producer, then time is money; using additives is cheaper, quicker, and more predictable than fermenting your cream. Making butter is simple: you put cream in a jar, and shake the jar until the cream turns into butter. It s even easier if you have children: hand the jar over to them! You can also use a blender, mixer, or food processor if you have one. When you are done, you will have butter, and you will have some residual liquid. This residual liquid is true buttermilk. The buttermilk you get from making cultured butter is more interesting than the buttermilk you get from making sweet cream butter. It has more flavor, is more acidic, and contains live cultures. Either way, genuine buttermilk is fat-free, or pretty close to it, because the fat is in the butter. The buttermilk you buy at the store is usually skim milk that has been fermented with a starter. It is quite similar to the buttermilk you get when you make cultured butter except that the store-bought is pasterized. 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 7
Making Your Own Butter It is much easier to make your own butter than you might think. But First, Why Bother? You may be wondering why you should bother with making your own butter. First, it's really easy and a lot of fun, which is why kids like to do it. But you also end up with a superior product, especially if you choose quality cream and take the time to culture it (more on that below). Making butter is a great way to use up any cream you have left over from a recipe don't you just hate it when a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of cream and there you are, left with practically a whole bottle? The other major reason to make your own butter is that it produces another great -- buttermilk! This is the true buttermilk, not the thickened stuff we're used to buying in the stores today. It has a clean, fresh, tangy taste (especially if you cultured your cream) and it can be used in most recipes that call for buttermilk. The Cream Be sure you use quality cream for your butter. Since it's practically your only ingredient, you will taste the difference. The best is a local, organic, homogenized "whipping cream". If possible, avoid ultra-pasteurized cream as the super-high heat used to in this type of pasteurization destroys much of the cream's flavor. Many people swear that raw cream is the best choice for making butter. Culturing the Cream Culturing the cream before you churn it is really the way to go, if you have the time. You don't have to do this to make good butter, but you do have to do it to make great butter! Transcendent butter! Back before refrigeration, all butter was cultured as a way to keep it from spoiling. It's super easy to do, but you do need to allow for some extra time for the culturing (usually 12 to 24 hours), so you can skip this step if time is not on your side. You can use butter cultures, or simply use yogurt since it is so readily available. As with the cream, try to avoid an overly processed yogurt. 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 8
Culturing Temperatures The cream will need to sit at a slightly warm temperature to culture, about 70 F to 75 F. Once it's cultured, it should be chilled to about 60 F to churn properly. You can pop the bowl into the refrigerator for about 1 hour to chill it and avoid the exact temperature measuring. If you don't think you will churn it right away, I leave it in the fridge for longer and then let it rest at room temperature for about an hour to take some of the chill off. What About Salt? If you use the home-churned butter for spreading and cooking, a little salt is a nice addition. It improves the flavor and contributes to its shelf life as salt is a natural preservative. But it is optional and if you're not sure how you will be using your butter, you may want to leave it out. If you do add salt, be sure to add it at the very end so you don't rinse it away in the final washing process. What's With the Washing? Even after the butter has been drained and pressed, it's still holding onto a lot of buttermilk. You want to rinse out as much of this as possible as the buttermilk will contribute to early spoilage. Some people like to squeeze the butter in their hands under cold running water, but I prefer the ice water in a bowl method (see recipe on next page). 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 9
How To Make Butter and Cultured Butter Makes about 1 cup of butter and 8 ounces of buttermilk What You Need Ingredients: 500 ml (2 cups) heavy cream, preferably organic and not ultrapasteurized. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (optional) Scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt (optional) 2 or 3 cups of ice water, for washing the butter Equipment Optional culturing equipment Bowl Measuring cups and spoons Whisk Clean kitchen cloth To make the butter: Sturdy sieve Cheesecloth or clean cloth napkin Bowl for catching buttermilk Stand mixer, hand mixer, food processor, or canning jar (or other covered container) Plastic wrap or kitchen cloth Spatula or wooden spoon Clean containers for butter and buttermilk Waxed paper or parchment paper (optional) Instructions 1. Culture the cream (optional): The day before you would like to make your butter, pour the cream into a bowl (I like to use the bowl of my stand mixer) and add the yogurt. Whisk briefly to combine and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Set in a slightly warm place (about 70 F - 75 F) to culture. Check after 8 to 12 hours. The cream is ready when it has thickened slightly and is a little foamy. It will smell slightly sour and tangy. This can possibly take an additional 12 to 24 hours (see Recipe Notes on the next page). Once it has cultured, place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to chill. If you did not culture your 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 10
butter, let it warm on the counter for about an hour (to about 60 F) before churning. 2. Prepare the sieve and mixer: Place a sturdy sieve over a bowl and line with a few layers of cheesecloth or a clean cloth napkin. You can use a stand mixer, a hand mixer, a food processor, or a canning jar to churn your cream. (See Recipe Notes below if you want use a canning jar). 3. Prepare the cream and mixer for churning: Place the cream in the bowl of your mixer or processor. Cover the top with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent splattering. 4. Churn the cream: Turn on the mixer to medium-high. The cream will first whip into peaks (at around 2 minutes) and then become grainy (around 3 minutes). Keep whipping until the solid mass (butter) and liquid (buttermilk) are separated (about 5 minutes total). The mixture will splatter heavily in the final stages of churning, so be sure the plastic wrap is secure. The process may take a little longer, up to 8 to 10 minutes, although it usually takes me less than 5 minutes. 5. Strain off the buttermilk: Pour the buttermilk through the cheesecloth and strainer, holding the butter solid back. Allow the buttermilk to strain through, then plop in the butter. Gather the cloth around the butter and press it hard with your fist. Do this several times to get as much buttermilk out of the butter as possible. Pour the buttermilk into a container, label and refrigerate. 6. Wash the butter: Rinse out the bowl used for buttermilk. Remove the butter from the cloth and place it in the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of ice water to the bowl, and using a spatula, press the butter into the ice water. It will quickly become cloudy with buttermilk. Pour off the cloudy water, add another 1/2 cup of ice water to the bowl, and keep pressing. Repeat until the water is clear. This may take up to 6 washings. The butter will firm up towards the end, so you may find it easier to use your hands. 7. Salt the butter (optional): Sprinkle the salt over the butter and knead in. Again, your hands may be the best tool here. 8. Store the butter. Pack the butter into a jar with a cover, or roll it into a log using waxed paper or parchment paper. The butter will keep in the refrigerator for about three weeks or can be frozen for several months. Recipe Notes Notes on culturing: Many factors will influence how long the cream takes to culture: ambient room temperature, how your cream was processed and pasteurized, how your yogurt was processed and pasteurized, etc. If the cream cultures too quickly and you're not ready to make the butter yet, simply put it into 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 11
the refrigerator until you are ready. Just be sure you remove it about an hour before churning so that it can warm up a bit. Cultured cream will be thickened and slightly foamy, and it will have a somewhat tangy, almost yogurt-like smell. Trust your senses! If you feel it is too strong and has gone bad, just throw it away. But remember that the yogurt is introducing beneficial cultures that help prevent spoilage, so the likelihood of this happening is small. Unplugged butter: You can skip the electric mixer/processor and simply shake your cream in a covered canning jar or wellsealed container until it forms into the butter mass. This can take a while, up to 20 minutes or more, so be prepared for a work-out or solicit some help. Recipe can easily be doubled. 2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing and Light Cellar 12