RE: Fermenting Times

[Guest guest]

> What is interesting is that the half WITHOUT the whey fermented to a

nicely

> sour taste in one and half days -- but the whey half is going much slower.

> The only thing I can think is that acidopholus or whatever bacteria in the

> yogurt are more adapted to milk than cabbage, and fight with the bacteria

> that come with the cabbage. So if you want to make sure the mix gets

> started properly, it might be more efficient to save some kimchi (or

> whatever) juice from the last batch (I'm just guessing here!).

This doesn't surprise me. In fact, I'd wondered about that before.

Sauerkraut fermentation using the " normal " method of " wild fermentation "

involves a succession of different micro-organisms that each alters the

environment of the fermenting cabbage setting the stage for the next type of

organism. Adding a large dose of lactobacilli via whey would probably have

the effect of crowding out some of the initial organisms that get the

process rolling.