Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I want to do some fermenting (beets, carrots, onions, and maybe some eggs.)

But I can't find starter cultures or whey at a store.

I don't want to mash up my items either, I like nice big picked chunks.

I was thinking I could mash up a pro-biotic pill and just use that, it's all lacto and bifido bacteria in there… but maybe way too much?

I know I don't have to use starter but since I don't plan to shred my things I thought maybe it was best.

flag	asked Apr 29 2012 at 2:07 Noah 1,143●4●15

	Why are you planning to not shred your veggies? – Sol Apr 29 2012 at 2:22
	Sol, I thought that was clear in the question by stating “I like nice big picked chunks” – Noah Apr 30 2012 at 0:43
	I bought yogurt… but wasn't able to get any whey out of it. I tried with the pro-biotic pill… we'll see how it goes. – Noah May 1 2012 at 3:35
	Well I tried it and nothing has made any gas except for a little over the first night… so I'm thinking the pills I got at Costco might not be alive. – Noah May 3 2012 at 1:47

wildwabbit · Answer 1 · 2012-04-29 02:21:19Z UTC

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Yes, if you like with pills having only lacto-bacillus (there are many variants, usually more than one in a pill).

BTW you can get whey from yogurt having live cultures. The liquid the forms at the top is whey, and using a cheese cloth to hang the whole thing so liquid falls out is one way to get all of it.

answered Apr 29 2012 at 2:21

wildwabbit
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	Ha! And to think I have been discarding the liquid when I make my dog his daily stuffed kong with yogurt cheese! I could be saving the strained whey over days and adding it to the dough for my DH and son's long-fermented bread (dough) for added fermentation. As is, it's long-fermented starter and the dough ingredients which sit for 48 hrs. I could remove some water and replace it with whey! – Sandra Brigham Apr 29 2012 at 5:02
	Yougurt (by law) in the US contains Streptococcus salivarius thermophilus in addition to Lactobacillus delbrueckiibulgaricus so I'm not sure containing ONLY Lactobacillus should be that important if you can use Whey. Also isn't the point of the salt brine to discourage other bacteria which can't live in the highly saline water that Lactobacillus can? – Noah Apr 30 2012 at 23:50

Shari Bambino · Answer 2 · 2012-04-29 03:07:29Z UTC

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Use salt for most veggies and get whey from plain yogurt.

answered Apr 29 2012 at 3:07

Shari Bambino
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Sol · Answer 3 · 2012-04-29 02:28:04Z UTC

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Here are a couple of articles on fermenting whole cabbages:

http://www.culturedagedbrewed.com/2011/09/16/whole-preserved-cabbage-heads/

http://www.culturedagedbrewed.com/2012/02/29/cabbage-package/

answered Apr 29 2012 at 2:28

Sol
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JayJay · Answer 4 · 2012-04-29 03:07:47Z UTC

You actually don't need a starter culture at all. Just a brine to promote the right environment that selects for lacto already on most vegetables to proliferate. Course I'd use local fresh veggies to start with.

Check out http://www.wildfermentation.com/

I do this with all kinds of vegetable, but haven't tried eggs. That may be a different story.

Wayne daniels · Answer 5 · 2012-04-29 07:09:16Z UTC

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Do dont need anything other than water and seasalt!

answered Apr 29 2012 at 7:09

Wayne daniels

community wiki

Moonablaze · Answer 6 · 2012-04-29 09:16:24Z UTC

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you get whey by straining yogurt. http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-make-whey/

answered Apr 29 2012 at 9:16

Moonablaze
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Moonablaze · Answer 7 · 2012-04-29 09:17:57Z UTC

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you get whey by straining yogurt. http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-make-whey/

answered Apr 29 2012 at 9:17

Moonablaze
2,160●4●14

Amy B. · Answer 8 · 2012-05-02 18:49:56Z UTC

The general rule of thumb for fermented veggies is:

Per QUART of veggies:

1 Tbsp salt 4 Tbsp whey

If you don't use whey, they say to double the salt. (I would recommend using the whey, though, since otherwise I think things just get too salty.) Agree with everyone else here -- make whey at home by buying a good quality organic yogurt (grassfed if you can find it, obviously) and straining it into cheesecloth.

The whey will start dripping through pretty quickly, but if you let it sit for a few hours (or even overnight), you'll have lots of whey that will keep in the fridge for several weeks (if not months), and the yogurt that's left will have thickened up into "yocheese" -- basically as thick as cream cheese, and you can use it the same way. Keep it plain, or add your favorite herbs/spices to make a flavored spread you can put on whatever you want. (If you do grain-free "crackers", this would be great on them.)

August · Answer 9 · 2012-05-02 19:16:15Z UTC

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It would be an interesting experiment. The pills may have strains of bacteria in them that do not produce a good tasting pickle.

answered May 2 2012 at 19:16

August
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	Well I tried it and nothing has made any gas except for a little over the first night… so I'm thinking the pills I got at Costco might not be alive. – Noah May 3 2012 at 1:46
	Ah, and here I remember I don't remember how to make a link live in the comments... Oh well, here is an alternative way of doing things. Looks unpaleo at first, but the rice bran is for the bacteria, not for you. chadzilla.typepad.com/chadzilla/2012/04/… – August May 3 2012 at 14:46

Can I use pro-biotic pills instead pf whey or starter culture to ferment things?

9 Answers