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Vinegar, Pickles, and Pickling: Fermentation

CHAPTER PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES FERMENTATION-FRESH MEAT AND FISH-SALTING AND PICKLING MEAT-CURING HAMS, TONGUES, AND BACON -MAKING AND KEEPING SAUSAGE-PRESERVATION OF COOKED MEAT-TRY- ING OUT AND STORING LARD-PRESERVING, TESTING, AND PACKING EGGS-STORING AND PRESERVING VEGETABLES , FRUIT, NUTS, AND HERBS FERMENTATION Fermentation in the widest sense of the term includes all forms of decomposition in both vegetable and animal substances when exposed to air and moisture at temperatures between the freezing and boiling point of water. But in common language, the word fermentation is more often confined to those processes by which vegetable juices are transformed into alcoholic liquors. These processes, however, are entirely similar to putrefaction, or the decomposition of organic matter which sets free foulsmelling gases; and decay, or the change by which without moisture, the trunk of a tree molders into dust.

Fermentation does not ordinarily take place much below 32° F. or much above 140° F. It usually causes liquids to rișe in temperature and to give off gases with considerable internal motion, to become turbid, to form a scum and to deposit a sediment.

Among the useful results of fermentation are the raising of bread with yeast; the preparation of alcoholic beverages and certain food products, as sauerkraut; the curdling of milk by means of rennet to form cheese; the manufacture of vinegar, etc.

Among the injurious results of fermentation are the souring of milk and vegetables, the putrefaction of meat, the becoming rancid of fats and the decay of articles of wood or textile fabrics.

Fermentation is caused by the vital action of microscopic plants, the germs of which may be present in the fermenting substance, or may be deposited on their surface from the air or from contact with water or other substances containing them. Or they may be introduced intentionally, as when yeast is used for brewing, or for making vinegar or bread. These small plants feed upon fermentable substances and bring about various chemical changes. Thus the subject of fermentation has two phases: i.e., (1) how to induce those forms of fermentation that are useful, and (2) how to prevent those that are injurious.

The promotion of fermentation falls under such various subjects as fermented beverages, the making of vinegar, cheese, bread, etc. The prevention of fermentation falls under such subjects as the preservation of food, the preservation of timber, etc.

As fermentation occurs from the presence and development of germs, it is evident that its prevention depends upon the destruction of any germs that are present, and keeping away others, or the removal of conditions favorable to germ life. Hence, in general, fermentation and putrefaction may be prevented by drying heat; by cooling below the point at 692, which fermentation takes place; by heating or cooking substances to a point sufficient to kill the germs present, and then hermetically sealing them to exclude others; and by the employment of various antiseptics, as alcohol, common salt, saltpeter, sugar, sirup, smoke, borax, and many other substances. - Putrefaction.

This change is a decomposition of animal or vegetable substances with the liberation of illsmelling gases. It can only take place at a temperature between the freezing point of water (32° F. and 140° F.), in the presence of moisture and after exposure to the air. Generally speaking, the more moisture and the greater warmth present, the more rapid is the process. The germs of the bacteria which cause putrefaction are heavier than the germs of yeast and mold, and hence do not float in equal numbers, as dust in dry air. They are more often communicated by contact with water or moist surfaces. For this reason in dry climates meats and vegetables may be preserved simply by drying or curing them by exposure to sunlight. But it is well known that if these substances are left out after the dew falls, and allowed to become moistened, they may be covered with a coating of mold. Most of the bacteria that cause putrefaction are killed by exposure to a temperature of 140° F. for a number of hours; to a temperature of 212° F., the boiling point of water, for ten to fifteen minutes; or to a temperature of 215° F. for 4 or 5 minutes. The activity of these bacteria ceases at the freezing point, but they cannot be killed by freezing, and again become active when warmed to a temperature of 40° F. Hence, in general terms, boiling in water kills bacteria and freezing suspends their activity. FRESH MEAT AND FISH To Keep Fresh Meat.-Refrigeration in a dry, well-ventilated air chamber cooled to a temperature of 40° F. or lower by means of ice, is the best means of preserving fresh meat in summer or in warm climates.

For this purpose ice may be stored in northern climates in homemade ice houses, and utilized by means of homemade refrigerators as elsewhere recommended.

If ice houses are not available, fresh meat may be kept for several days by the use of sour milk, vinegar, charcoal, or borax, or by immersing it in cold running water, or by means of a mixture of salt, sugar, and saltpeter.

Or hang up joints of meat, if not required for immediate use in any dry, shady place where there is good ventilation.

They will keep fresh from 2 to 4 days, and will become more tender and digestible by hanging. But in all cases, hang them with the cut end up and knuckle downward, or the reverse of the usual way. Thus the blood remains in the meat and keeps it sweet and juicy. In summer, if the weather is dry, lamb and veal will keep 2 days, and beef and mutton 3 to 4 days. In cold weather, mutton may be kept for twice that length of time.

Or if running water is available from a spring or otherwise, provide a covered box or tub in a shady place, into and out of which the water can flow. Immerse the meat in this. If fresh it will sink of its own weight.

Look at it two or three times a day and as soon as it commences to rise from the bottom, it must be used.

The outside will be somewhat whitened, but the flavor will be uninjured. The meat will be sound and tender after 3 or 4 days in hot summer weather, and may then be boiled or roasted.

Or pieces of fresh meat may be placed in large stone jars and covered with skimmed milk, sour milk, or buttermilk. They must be weighted with a clean stone to keep the meat under the surface of the liquid, and the jar placed in a cold cellar or in the running water from a spring.

It is not necessary to remove the PRESERVATION OF MEAT AND VEGETABLES 693 bone or fat. Thus fresh meat can be preserved for a week or 10 days. The milk can afterwards be fed to pigs.

Before cooking, the meat should be washed thoroughly in clear water and afterwards soaked 3 to 5 minutes in water containing about one tablespoonful of cooking soda to the gal- Jon. This neutralizes the acid of the milk and makes the meat more tender.

Or fresh meat may be preserved by soaking it for 3 to 5 minutes in a solution of one tablespoonful of borax to a gallon of water, or by rubbing it with powdered borax dry. Rinse with clear water when required for use.

Or trim the meat carefully with a knife, removing any parts that seem likely to taint, and wrap it up with a cloth moistened with vinegar, or equal parts of vinegar and water.

The acid vapor drives away flies and the moisture, by evaporation, keeps it cold.

Or rub meat thoroughly with fresh powdered charcoal, which has powerful antiseptic properties. It can be readily rinsed off with clear water.

Or cut the meat in pieces, not exceeding 2 or 3 pounds in weight, and pack them down between layers of dry corn meal or bran. Or cover with corn meal or bran as thickly as possible and hang in some shady place where there is a free circulation of air.

Or when meat can no longer be preserved by any of these methods and more is on hand than can be immediately consumed, cook it all, and each day place it on the stove and bring it to a temperature equal to the boiling point of water. Thus the germs of putrefaction will be killed and the process will be arrested from day to day.

Or fresh meat may be preserved in the following manner: by laying it down in an earthenware jar and sprinkling with a mixture of salt, sugar, and saltpeter. If the meat is fresh killed, first hang it up or lay it on slats overnight to drain it free from blood. Then cut it up in readiness for the frying pan or the table, separating and trimming chops, steaks, scollops, etc. For every pound of meat, measure 1½ teaspoonfuls each of salt and sugar, ½ teaspoonful of saltpeter, and 4 teaspoonful of black or white pepper. These should be dry, mixed, and reduced to powder in a mortar. Now sprinkle the bottom of the jar with a thin layer of this mixture and lay down a layer of steak or chops of uniform thickness, packing tightly to cover the bottom of the jar. Sprinkle over this the mixture of antiseptics so as to cover the surface lightly or about the same as when seasoning for the table. Add another layer of meat, and so on, until the jar is full. Cover the top of the jar with a layer of cotton batting wet in a solution of the same mixture of antiseptics in water. Put on the lid of the jar tightly and set it in a cellar, spring house, or other cold place. When the meat is required for use, rinse and scald it. Soak the cotton batting in the covering solution of antiseptics and pack it down closely over the meat as before.

Or the top of the jar may be covered with a layer of melted tallow, lard, or paraffin to keep out the air.