In this episode of Know Your Food with Wardee, I’m taking listener questions, including:
- salt settling at the bottom of fermenting beet kvass
- substituting dry dill for fermented pickles
- milking new mama Nigerian Dwarf goat
- possible enzyme loss in sun-dried nuts
- how to sprout beans
Plus…
- Tip of the Week: reduce watering your tomatoes to encourage them to ripen
- New! Allergy-Free Cooking eCourse — info here
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Listener Questions
Here are the questions I answered in this episode, in the order they’re answered (in case you want to skip around). The podcast contains my answers, plus if I mentioned any additional resources, they are linked here along with the question.
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Sheri asked: I am fermenting my first batch of beet kvass. Its only been one day but I’m noticing the salt is settling at the bottom. Should I stir it around a bit or leave it alone?
Linda asked: Can I substitute dry dill in fermented pickles?
Tami asked: I just bought and am almost finished reading your book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods. I really like your book! I have two batches of sauerkraut going. I used a starter culture I bought online. I filled the vessel with water, in addition to the 1/4 cup of culture. I did not use any salt. I also removed the lid and stirred it daily with a metal spoon. There were a few bubbles in the airlock, but only for a day or so. They have been sitting for almost a month. They smell kind of rotten but I don’t know what it is suppose to smell like. Since I added the extra water (about 2 cups) without salt and introduced oxygen into it and used a metal spoon, should I assume it is no good? Or try it?
Coee asked: I’ve looked threw lots of sites and I still don’t know what to do. Mamma goat gave birth 2 days ago. I’ve been trying to milk her twice a day but not getting alot. I’m not sure if it’s too early to milk? How much should I get from a Nigerian Dwarf? I’m having a really hard time getting her up on the stand and then staying there. Usually I have to grab her and lift her up on it and she’s only good for about 10 min. I’ve got grain and treats in there. I tried keeping the milking stand on the deck but moved it below but it’s still hard to get her interested in going up there. What should I do? Should I give her free range of grain all the time or just when I milk? I’d really appreciate some advice. I’v waited years for raw milk of my own and it doesnt seem to be going so well. Thanks!
Kim asked: Thanks, Wardee, for the podcast (episode #42). I don’ t have a dehydrator and I have been drying the nuts in the sun with a cloth cover to keep out bugs. Will this still preserve the enzymes?
Verna asked: I cannot find out how to successfully “sprout.” I love sprouts but keep trying it and keep killing my little beans. I know this is easy but I can not seem to catch on. Can you help me please?
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Hi Wardee! Thank you so much for your advice! Its been 9 days since babys born and things have been going better. She only gets treats on the stand and iv been loving on her up there. Once in a while I will milk her but she only allows it for maybe 10 min. I get about 1/3 cup each time. So I hope thats a good sign that she will be a good milker when I start to separate the kids at night. Im getting used to milking also. Its kindof difficult on the one side that has 2 teats together. I hope she produces a good amount because id love to continue to use her as my milker. thank you again!
Coee
Coee — That sounds promising! I’m glad to hear things are going better! One of our Nigerians had two teats together; it would have made milking difficult, I’m pretty sure. I hope you can figure that out. By the way, did I get even close on pronouncing your name? 😉
please teach me how to sprout.
Verna, have you taken our free video series? One of the videos is on sprouting beans and will show you just how I do it.
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/lp/free
Hi Wardee
My name is Betty-Anne and I live in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. My daughter is moving to a 29 acre farm in a couple of months. I will be helping her with a large garden that will be feeding two families. My question is, how do you water your large garden and on what kind of a schedule? Any other tips for starting a large garden? I have 2 square foot gardens on a city lot and get the rest of my produce from our Farmer’s Market. And I am having fun using all the information from your Dehydrating Class. Thank you for all you do Wardee!