So Fermented Salsa: Round 2 is complete!

I tried some alterations to the recipie this time. I cut down some on the peppers as the first batch was quite spicy (I dig that, but not everyone does). I also cut the oregano and added more garlic. I used lime juice in addition to salt, and overall I left the veggies in bigger pieces for a chunkier style salsa. It looks awesome, and after almost four VERY warm and humid days, I think it's ready for company.

Today is the day we bring our experiments for taste-testing, and I'm looking forward to hearing which salsa people prefer.

So I had a whole, cute blog post worked out, and the tablet crashed. So the cleverness is no more, because pissed unfortunately trumps clever.

My life is not one that allows the time to do things twice, so the gist of it is:

I bought veggies and other ingredients, cut them up, crammed them in a mason jar, and left them on the counter for a week. Now it is some pretty yummy salsa, although it is more of a Pico de Gallo than a restaurant style. Works with chips just fine, though.

So now I'm off to make the salsa again (look at that...I am going to do something twice).

What I really want is for the beer (my original project) to be taste-ready. I suppose you're realizing that patience is not a virtue of mine.

But oh hey, here's a picture of salsa for good measure. Aren't blogs grand?!

It is with a heavy heart that I report that I will not be able to complete even one batch of beer before the end of this month. When my Mr. Beer kit arrived on Wednesday, I learned that the carbonation process alone can take up to fourteen days. Bummer.

I did decide to go ahead with the experiment because, you know....beer. But I will be choosing an alternate project for class credit. I decided to ferment salsa and will be making the trek to hunt and gather ingredients later today.

I will require the following:

Tomatoes
Chilis
Oregano
Cumin
Garlic
Onion
Sea Salt

I did DOUBLE CHECK the time necessary for fermentation. 3-5 days. So we're good! Bring on the chips and salsa!!

So I'm currently taking a Microbiology class that requires a Fermentation Project as part of the lab component. After carefully considering a multitude of options, I decided that fermenting beer would offer the most challenging and complete educational experience.

Okay, so that was mostly a lie. I really didn't consider much beyond, "Fermenting, huh? Beer is fermented....Why yes, I believe I will!"

Seriously, though, I have actually been considering this for quite some time. I love craft beers, but some of my favorites are seasonal, so I've long thought that brewing my own would allow me to have chocolate in my beer all year long (instead of waiting form Sam Adams to finally brew it in November).

So I made the leap and ordered this brewing kit from Amazon. (You know, Amazon has given us all the patience of a four year old. Its arriving Wednesday. That's like, FOREVER.)

It takes a couple of weeks to brew each batch from start to finish, so that should give me plenty of time to complete a couple of batches. The kit comes with two brew options, so I plan to use one of those for the first batch, and possibly a slightly more complicated recipe for the second batch. You can see below that the kit comes with just about everything needed to brew your own beer.

I am looking forward to seeing the results!  You know, for science and all. In fact, I'm not the only one in my family that is excited to learn about fermenting, After sharing my excitement for this project with my husband, he felt compelled to remind me of his unwavering support for my education. "Truly," he said "This is important work that you do."

 

What a goofball.