Ferment Clarification

[Guest guest]

I'm confused about the differences between salt only ferments and when whey is

added. I

gather the whey makes it lacto-fermented and is preferable, but what value is in

salt-only

ferments? I've seen " live " sauerkraut both ways. I assume the lacto-ferments

have more and

better microorganisms? When is salt only a brine, and when a ferment?

[Guest guest]

Whey is used by Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions as a type of

kick-start, a safeguard, if you will for the fermentation process.

Personally, I don't like using whey.

Salt fermentations are traditional, used by Sandor Katz in Wild

Fermentation. That's the method I like.

Lacto-fermentation has nothing to do with whey or dairy. I've found because

Fallon uses whey, a byproduct of dairy, people think that lactos, or milk

sugar, is somehow involved in fermentation. Lactic acid fermentation - the

process by which a variety of lactobacillus digest and beak down sugars and

starches into acids, one of which is lactic acid, is the process by which

cabbage is turned into sauerkraut, beets into kvass, cukes into pickles -

little probiotic delivery vessels.....well, you get the idea.

HTH!

Sharon

On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 10:10 AM, mhbowes11 <mhbowes@...> wrote:

> I'm confused about the differences between salt only ferments and when

> whey is added. I

> gather the whey makes it lacto-fermented and is preferable, but what value

> is in salt-only

> ferments? I've seen " live " sauerkraut both ways. I assume the

> lacto-ferments have more and

> better microorganisms? When is salt only a brine, and when a ferment?

>

>

>

--

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to

conscience, above all liberties. - Milton, Areopagitica

Deut 11:15 He will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will

have plenty to eat.

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