Chilly fermentation

To judge by my posting regularity, the holidays ate me. It's not wrong. I also suck at New Years resolutions (as in I dont make them, I tend to prefer to alter behaviours all through the year, not just at a calendar enforced time) so I didn't start posting again on Jan 1. It's Jan 12 now, and hey, a post! :)

It's admission of a duh moment. We keep our house cool. Cold even. 18C when we're home, 15C when we're not (or asleep.) I'd rather enjoy blankets (and the creatures that are there during the day have both fur /and/ blankets and sunbeams) than pay the gas company. 

I also habitually fail at fermentation. Sourdough starter? Nope. Sourkraut? Nope, soggy cabbage. For whatever reason, we've worked out that bread needs to proof overnight in the oven with the light on, so clearly we realized that short term it's cold. So in a discussion with friends over how to make kimchee (while enjoying pulled pork made 3 ways for comparison, cause yes.. we are all foodies.) he noted that the house was cool. Oh yeah. Beasties rather prefer not to be half frozen while eating. Whoops! 

Now I'm thinking of setting up a box in the back room lined with tin foil that catches the afternoon sun to warm it up. It seems to work for the calico (who thinks that's the best side of the house to spend her afternoons.)