using whey

[simplecountrygirl]

New to this site. New to fermenting. Thanks ahead of time for any and all help. I have used my raw goat milk whey previously to ferment cabbage in mason jars and it worked ok. I am addicted to the stuff. My question is: Can I replace part or all of the salt in other fermenting recipes with my whey? I grow most of my own food,milk my goatie girls,and tend to my own bee hive and would love to add fermenting to my list of healthy living habits. Thanks again.

[WWFSM]

You sound like my kind of person.

That's a good question. Whey adds some good bacteria to liven up the mix, whereas salt produces an environment that is unfriendly to the bacteria, yeast, and other invisible beasties that are unwanted in the fermentation. But can you substitute one for the other? I'm not sure but if you have enough whey, why not try a little experiment with two different batches, one regular and one with whey? Please let us know what happens?

There are other ways of reducing salt content in your vegi ferments. Katz talks about substituting some or all of the salt with specific herb seeds in Wild Fermentation. I often make a Sauerkraut with very little salt and wine instead of brine. Delicious.

Also, the time of year and temperature you work with determines how much salt you need. Some traditions believe that if you start a fermentation vat after the frosts, most of the bacteria and yeast you don't want goes dormant and you need less salt. Whereas starting a vat in the summer and early fall, would need more salt. The colder the temperature you keep your vat at, the less salt you need. If I'm fermenting below 10 C, I'll use considerably less salt then if I'm doing it above 15C. If I'm fermenting for preservation (aka, more than 2 months) then I'll usually add more salt than if I was fermenting for a few weeks for taste then popping the sauerkraut in the fridge.

[simplecountrygirl]

thanks for your reply and all the info. I would like to use less salt but my main objective is to use up some of the whey I have,which is a lot, and to add the extra health benefits that whey has. It sounds like this time of year will help out keeping the nasties out. Thanks for mentioning it. I will definately try 2 different batches and do some comparisons. Thanks again.

[WWFSM]

Glad to help

Let us know how it goes.

[new to fermentation]

I've read in different places that whey has all these wonderful probiotics. If you are lactose intolerant can you just use a safe probiotic diluted in water instead of whey?