Just getting into this.
I'd like to find a source for some strains of Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus plantarum
I've written to White to see if they have any interest in producing a kimchi starter culture.
Meanwhile the bacteria are supposed to occur naturally on the cabbage and veggies so maybe is' not much of an issue plus you can just buy a little kimchi and use the liquid like a starter culture


I've been discouraged from purchasing one of those god awful expensive (and breakable) Harsch pots. I could use a bean pot - most of them are a more realistic size or I could use Stainless Steel.

Has any one fermented kimchi in SST?
This chart shows no corrosion of SST in lactic acid
http://www.multalloy.com/pdfs/MA_Lab_Co ... _Steel.pdf

Plastic 2-gallon fermenter with airlock makes some fine Sauerkraut and Kimchee down here. No need for a culture- the salt content creates conditions perfect for the natural lactic acid bacteria on the cabbage and suppresses spoilage bacteria. The airlock will exclude O2 and prevent the growth of the Kahm yeast. No fancy, 'spensive crock needed.

this is getting me curious. I found this recipe online and looked at a video on youtube. Neither one says anything about starters or cultures. Seems like you just leave it out for about 24 hours and it will take care of itself from there. I need to get a hold of a big jar and I will give it a try in the next week or so.

http://drbenkim.com/how-make-kim-chi.htm

I'm sure you have done more research than me but I'm not seeing anything about a special container, most that I'm seeing call for "airtight container with lid"

Thanks for the link! I think I will whip up a batch of that in the next couple of weeks.

Wayne

I make it in quart mason jars with cheese cloth screwed on for the first week at room temp....no lacto, just salt, fish sauce (got fish stomach sauce once, that was great).
Want to try it adding raw oysters, but have not been brave enough yet. Just like homebrew it may take a few batches before you really like the results.

I am on my THIRD batch of Kimchee
How can I screw this up is beyond me but I have failed twice now

The first time it fermented perfectly, but I had added so much hot pepper powder that one little nibble would light me up for hours and the reason I was looking to make the stuff is because I like it as a midnight snack. Not getting to sleep whilst on fire.

The second time I took the advice of an online PDF on making kimchee seriously. It was to add only a couple tablespoons of water to the ferment. Advice is worth either what yo paid for it {if you are lucky} or what you can make of it. That advice was piss poor.
My first successful ferment was drowning in water. The second was dry and it just went bad.
This time I'm going to make sure that there's enough moisture.

I've made kimchi several times, and the best (easiest) starter is straining whey from plain yogurt. Just put a few scoops of yogurt in a piece of cheesecloth, or clean napkin, tie to a chopstick, and hang over a container. The whey will drip out over several hours/overnight. It's full of lactobacillus, and if you get enough liquid out of the yogurt, you're left with cream cheese!

Way Cool. I should have thought of that Acidified fermentation is what yogurt and kifer are



For real? That's cream cheese?


As an aside someone asked me how to make their own yogurt from scratch without the whole starter from another mother thing. The question piqued my interest. I discovered As it turns out you can get all the bacteria you need from an ant nest. The Turks do it that way. They dig up an ant nest and capture the eggs then they put 'em in a cheese cloth and run the warm milk through it.

I'd like to know what set of circumstances and bright ideas led the first yogurt makers to understand that Ants had the magic MoJo.

Ants also have antibiotics.

Little fukers.