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Page A-1O Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020
PEBMAGULTURE
Green use,
It abundant garden is
a wonderful burden.
You have all you need
for your salads, stews and
side dishes, and to share with
your friends and neighbors.
At a certain point it becomes
a chore, particularly when
the weather has not obliged
you with conditions for ripen-
This is routine for toma-
toes on the Olympic Penin-'
sula. Start them in greenhouses well
ahead of planting and use varieties
likelier to mature in our short sum—
mer, but chances are you’ll be stuck
with some adolescents when fall tinges
the air.
You might have tried fried green
tomatoes, which are delightful in mod-
eration and don’t keep at all. What
to do with the pendulous bounty that
remains?
Lactofermentation, the production
of preserved foods using wild lactoba-
cilli and brine, is thousands of years
old. It was supplanted by pickling in
the industrial age when vinegar be-
came cheap and widespread. The ease
and consistency of results with vinegar
has made it the preferred method, but
I prefer the probiotic magic that takes
place in traditional ferments.
Lactobacilli abound in the environ-
ment, including on the vegetables in
our gardens. Several beneficial strains
have been isolated and cultured in
labs, including Lactobacillus acidophi-
lus, L. brevis, and L. bulgaricus. There
is even a L. kimchii that specifically
appears in the Korean ferment, kim-
DARREL ANDREWS —— OLYMPIC Morons: '«s-TIMEé:ToRETIRE
By ALEX
ing. FETHIERE
chi. (Fun fact: kimchi is of
such cultural, gastronomic
and health importance to Ko-
reans that in 2008 a Korean
astronaut was sent into space
on a Russian mission with
specially engineered “space
kimchi” that could survive
the artificial environment.)
Lactobacilli are in the
group of health-enhancing
bugs we call probiotics. The
health benefits of probiot-
ics are legion, such as lowered serum
cholesterol, improved gastrointestinal
function, an enhanced immune system
and lower risk of colon cancer. I could
spend the rest of the column listing
them, but what matters here is that
lactobacilli make tasty green tomato ’
ferments.
Before proceeding we should dis-
pense with concerns about solanine
and tomatine. These toxins are said to
exist in all parts of tomatoes, including
the green fruit, and to cause a number
of uncomfortable symptoms. Histori—
cal consumption in Peru, from where
tomatoes hail, and the learned advice
of New York Times food science writer
Harold McGee suggest that little cau-
tion is warranted. I and have never ex-
perienced anything other than joy, but
if you’re concerned start with a couple
of bites and work your way up.
Harvest a few pounds of mature
green tomatoes. A half-gallon Mason
jar holds 2 pounds. Slice and cube
them about 1 inch thick and dump
them in the jar(s). For every pound,
use 3-5 teaspoons of salt to make a
' brine. I use three, but I’m sensitive to
'fi—Ic MOTORS
Darrel 1', er
"THE BEST
DEALS
on WHEELS!!"'
July, 987
set- 33 years of doing business in
Shelton andMason County, it’s finally "
time for me to retire.
Starting in 1987 with my wife Linda,'and
, the suppert of‘our children, Kim, Jeff,
' Aaron and Meghan, we opened Olympic
Motors, home of the “Best Deals on
' Wheelsff, on Mountain View.
Doihgbusiness at 1930 Olympic Highway .
North for 25 years, and then continuing for
‘ another 8 years at the present location of
, 2921 Northview Circle, where I continued
partjtime Mth limited inventory.
it Was likeahobby to me then and I
enjoyed selling vehicles, mainly to local
residents, ,
Green tomatoes can be almost as good as ripe — and less ephemeral.
Journal photo by Alex Féthiere
salt, and many people prefer a saltier
tomato. Higher salinity also decreases
risk of spoilage.
Dissolve the salt in lukewarm wa-
ter and pour over the green tomatoes
to cover. I think cracked black pepper
is an essential seasoning, but also add
black cumin and will try sliced garlic
this year.
This is the tricky part. Tomatoes,
even when green, contain sugars that
encourage yeast growth. Kahm yeast
is a harmless but yucky beaded film
that scums over ferments and makes
them mushy. The yeast readily grows
on exposed pieces and contaminates
the batch, but has a harder time estab-
lishing on brine. To prevent this, keep
the tomatoes submerged with a clean
rock, saucer, ferment weight (glass or
ceramic), or stainless-steel spring used
on the excellent “Trellis & Co.” line of
products. .
Failure to submerge is probably the
most common cause of mold or yeast
contamination. If you want to stack
the deck in your favor, put a diced cab-
bage leaf and either a little burdock,
sunchoke or bull thistle root (only
because we all have it on our land) in
there too. The cabbage provides extra
lactobacillus cultures and the roots
provide inulin, a prebiotic that they
love to eat. A friend who ferments puts
a tablespoon of whey in too — I’ve
found that works well in making beet
kvass.
Cover with cheesecloth to keep
out critters and let stand at 70° for
a week. The result should be a jarful
of crispy, sour, zippy tomatoes that
will keep in the fridge for up to nine
months. ,
I Alex Féthiére has on Harst-
ine Island long enough to forget New
York City, where he built community
gardens and double-dug his suburban
sod into a victory garden. He can be
reached at 0nlandist@gmail.com.
The first 25 years of business'we had 50 to
60 cars, trucks and RV’s in inventory.
My wife of 54 years was my business:
partner and office manager. She also ran a
very successful rental car agency from the
same location. ,
My business practice in a small community
was to concentrate on quality vehicles, fair
prices and hometown service.
Also, thank you to oursuppliers and repair
services that ensured the quality of vehicle
that my customers expected from me.
We would like to thank all the wonderful
customers that made Olympic Motors 3
great success. '
It was a pleasure doing business with all of ybul. : ,
Darrel and Linda Andrews
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