Hey fermented vegan :)
The asparagus projects went quite well! I now have 4 jars of lovely fermented asparagus, each fermented at room temperature for 6-7 days. Here are a few more details... (for the recipe about how to make soygurt from scratch, I thought it made more sense to post it in "legume ferments"... go take a look).
fermented-vegan wrote:Either way, it saves on having to find enough towels to cover them, and then the extra laundering of them.
I actually did cover them with lightly with a towel to keep the light out... just a very light covering with a small bath towel across all 4 jars.
fermented-vegan wrote:That's a fantastic idea!!!! I'm going to have to try that next time I make dill pickles. If I cut them into long spears, I should be able to pack them in tight to get the same effect as you did with the asparagus.
In the end, the asparagus softened up a lot after a day or two in the salty water, so some of the asparagus spears loosened and started floating up. Luckily I had more asparagus so I packed several more spears into each jar. That seemed to solve the problem and I didn't have any more issues :) However, since they were so tightly packed and I didn't want to disrupt them, when I did taste-tests during the week I would cut the end of an asparagus spear off with scissors, rather than pulling out a complete spear, since that could have dislodged other spears.
The asparagus also had a little "bloom" on the surface of the liquid after a couple of days, but it was easy to skim off. I checked them once or twice a day, mostly for curiosity, and also to remove the bloom.
fermented-vegan wrote:I'll be curious to hear from you the difference in texture, firmness, and flavor between the raw and slightly steamed asparagus.
The first differences I noticed were after two days of fermentation. The brine for the steamed asparagus looked slightly murky, whereas the raw asparagus brine looked clear. The steamed asparagus jar smelled kind of like asparagus, whereas the raw asparagus jars smelled more like salty water. The raw asparagus developed a layer of bloom at the top, whereas the steamed one just had little bubbles. After a week when I put them in the fridge, though, it seemed to be the steamed one that had minor problems with yeasty-bloom, while the others were doing fine in the fridge. They all look and taste fine... I guess I wouldn't bother with steaming since they all worked out.
fermented-vegan wrote:Certainly let us know what the results are if you try the recipe with your soygurt.
Man... asparagus fermented with soygurt...this recipe is totally wacky. The brine tastes like opening your mouth in an ocean near a shipwreck of aromatic spices--overwhelmingly salty, yet intriguing. I can't say that I followed the recipe with any accuracy. I didn't have the right spices, so I blended mystery spices from my cupboard. All of the measurements were eyeballed (who measures anything in grams?), and the milk yoghurt was replaced with soy... so... it's been 10 days so far at room temperature... the asparagus have retained their green colour and are still reasonably crunchy. Did you see the quantity of salt they ask for? 1lb of asparagus for 100 grams of salt. Other people in the discussion clarified that... 1 part salt for 4 parts asparagus. It's insanely salty. I have no idea what I'll do with the asparagus or the brine, as they both very much taste like they are 1/4 salt. Perhaps the asparagus can be put in the back of someone's mouth if they have a cancre sore? Anyway, it's an interesting recipe, but the results are borderline inedible... though when I'm playing around with soygurt at room temperature for 2 weeks, I don't want to decrease the salt content if that's potentially keeping the whole thing from rotting. So, I can only refer to this fermentation as a "partial success"... it works, it's just doesn't taste like something I can imagine eating with glee (even when rinsed). Though, if I get creative with it, maybe I can find some good ways to incorporate it in other recipes.
Anyway, the normal lactofermented asparagus is lovely, and I intend to keep it for the winter :) I realize now that I could have added more horseradish, as the spicy taste is quite mild. I've closed the jars and put them in the fridge, hoping that they'll last for months... we'll see :)
Happy fermenting!
vegmeg