Caldwell Starter Culture for Fresh Vegetables

Questions on Caldwell Starter Culture for Fresh Vegetables

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• From Deborah at 3/1/11 12:28 PM
  • How many batches of cultured vegetables will this product make? qts or pints? Can you provide more information on the amount used and the package weight or size? thank you
  • Each box contains six 5-gram packets, so you can make six batches of vegetables. Each batch could be anywhere from a pint upward - one customer reported culturing 20 lbs of vegetables with a packet! The measurement doesn't need to be exact. The primary purpose of the starter culture is just what its name implies: it "starts" the culturing process faster, and inoculates the vegetables with probiotic bacteria as they ferment.
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• From Barbara at 4/16/11 10:12 PM
  • can this starter be used to make beet kvass? If so how much is needed?
    
    thank you
  • Yes, you can use this to make kvass. Use between half a pouch and a pouch of starter for a half-gallon jar of juice.
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• From Tracey at 4/24/11 7:54 PM
  • Can you tell me what probiotic strains are in the starter?
    Thanks
  • The bacteria in this starter are b.plantarum, Ln.mesenteroides, and Pc.acidilactici.
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• From Kim Lockett at 4/27/11 1:44 PM
  • Can the liquid from one batch be used as a starter for the next batch?
  • culturing one additional batch using the same culture brine, but in general these are not designed to be re-culturing starters. You would be better off using a new starter.
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• From Marcille at 5/15/11 9:08 PM
  • Does this come with recipes? I watched the video but am still not sure how to make the vegetables. I am really wanting to make cultured salsa but we live on the Gulf Coast with a high humidity rate. Therefore, I am interested in your product but really can't afford to purchase without real recipes.
    Thanks
  • There is a specific recipe for sauerkraut in there but the instructions for the starter are really general so they can be applied to pretty much any existing recipe you might like or find online.
    
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• From SnooZQ at 5/20/11 10:08 AM
  • The Body Ecology starter lists the specific lactic-acid producing bacteria in its mix. However I do not see this same info for the Caldwell product.
    
    Could you please specify which organisms are present in the Caldwell veg. starter?
    
    In terms of finished product, how does flavor of finished product compare between the two starters used, assuming each used on comparable cabbage for say sauerkraut.
    
    In terms of speed of fermentation process, how do Caldwell and BE starters compare?
    
    In terms of # of organisms per sachet, how does Caldwell compare to BE?
    
    Also, can shipping of product be accomplished in warm weather without affecting the starter's effectiveness? Seems like some probiotic stuff needs constant refrigeration.
    
    Thanks for your reply.
  • The Caldwell Starter active lactic acid bacteria strains are: lactobacillus plantarum, leuconostoc mesenteroides and pediococcus acidilactici. These are now listed in the description of the product.
    
    Neither manufacturer gives us the information on the number of organisms per packet. At any rate, the number can change as the starter is added to vegetables.
    
    BE suggests 3-7 days of fermentation. Caldwell's advises 10 days, but you'll get even better flavor by letting the cultured veggies sit in the fridge for four to six weeks following the 10 days on the counter.
    
    Both cultures can be shipped in warm weather as they are relatively hardy. We do recommend refrigeration once they arrive though as that provides for maximum lifespan.
    
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• From Marcille at 6/7/11 11:24 AM
  • In adapting other recipes to use the Caldwell's starter, do you need to dissolve the starter in water? Or if it is something like salsa, do you dissolve the starter in tomato juice or the lime juice, or do you just sprinkle it in? Do you use the 10 days that Caldwell states for cabbage on all vegetables or do you use the time listed in the recipe that you are using?
  • You can use the juice in the recipe (like tomato, etc.) to dissolve the starter. It's better to dissolve it rather than just sprinkling it in, so it doesn't clump. Let it develop for 7-10 days as that is the amount of time that particular set of bacteria needs to fully develop.
    
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• From Jeanne Ehinger at 11/21/11 1:25 PM
  • If I don't want to do 4.5 lbs of veggies at once, can only part of a packet be used, with the rest of the starter from that package saved for later?
  • Yes, you can use part of the packet. The measurement doesn't have to be exact, just estimate, based on the amount of veggies you'd like to culture in one batch. To store the remainder, close the packet tightly, place it in a plastic bag or other closed container, and store in the refrigerator.
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• From Pete at 12/5/11 5:55 PM
  • I would like to use this product in place of whey in fermented condiments such as mayo. Most recipes I have found suggest that you let the mayo sit for several hours before transferring to the fridge. Do you recommend this? More time? Mixing idea? What do you suggest?
  • The reason for letting the fermented condiment sit at room temperature for a few hours is to let the cultures begin to work. If you refrigerate right away, the bacteria may just go to sleep.
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• From Tom at 12/19/11 12:54 PM
  • What is the source of the sugar in the starter? Is it corn, beet, cane, etc.
  • From Caldwell's:
    
    The sugar in our vegetable starter is sucrose. Its role is to provide energy for the bacteria to proliferate. It's all metabolized during the fermentation process.
    
    Even before it's used up during the fermentation, the amount of sucrose in the final product (fermented vegetables) is tiny. Consider that each pouch contains 2 grams of powder in total, including bacteria, milk powder, and sucrose. That is enough to ferment 4.5lbs (2 kg) of vegetables, so less than 0.1% in total, and actually even less than that when the added water is taken into account.
    
    By comparison, fresh cabbage itself contains about 3% sugars...
    
    Not really sure of the exact origin, but most likely sugar cane or sugar beet.
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