Another Fermented Vegetable Dish

If you're familiar with Korean food at all you have doubtless tried kimchi, as the condiment appears at just about every Korean meal. When I was in middle school my family lived in Korea for two years, so I developed a taste for kimchi and was eager to try my hand at making my own. Using the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, I recently made three jars of kimchi and I'm trying to be patient to wait for it to reach full flavor before eating it!

I noted that the Nourishing Traditions recipe is somewhat different than kimchi recipes I've seen in other sources, so I will have to keep you posted about the flavor. I also elected to leave the cabbage in larger pieces rather than shredding it, because I've never had kimchi that was shredded. The downside to that was it was harder to pound out and there wasn't as much liquid as with the sauerkraut. I hope that won't have a negative effect on the outcome!

Kimchi

1 head cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup daikon radish, grated
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey

Place ingredients in a bowl and pound with a wooden mallet or meat hammer to release juices. Place in two quart-sized jars and press down with mallet or hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

Note: Kimchi is also available at the Farm Shop if you'd like to try it!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Make Your Own Sauerkraut!

If you're making your own yogurt, you can make your own whey by straining the yogurt through a thin dishcloth or cheesecloth layered over a colander placed over a bowl. The resulting yogurt will be thicker like Greek yogurt, or if you leave it long enough will become an even thicker yogurt cheese which can be used like cream cheese in baking or for spreading. With the whey you strain from your yogurt, you can make your own fermented vegetables. Let's start with sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut*

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey

In a bowl, mix all ingredients and pound with wooden pounder or meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized jar and press down firmly with pounder or meat hammer until juices come tot he top of the cabbage. Be sure to leave AT LEAST one inch between the top of the cabbage and the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for three days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but will improve with age.
As you can see in the picture above, a whole shredded cabbage starts out looking like a whole lot more than will fit in your quart jar, but once you've pounded it a bit it really will fit. Be sure you leave that inch of space - I had liquid leak out of my first jar because I didn't leave enough room for the fermenting process!

I lived in Germany for two years while I was in high school so I have a high appreciation for sauerkraut, but even if you're not used to eating it be assured that there are many ways to enjoy adding this condiment to your diet. You can use it on Reuben sandwiches, serve a small amount on top of a roast or pork chop, or use it as a nice accompaniment to sausages and potatoes. My aunt, who has never cared for commercially-produced sauerkraut, found she quite liked sauerkraut made in this traditional way, so even if you think you don't prefer the taste of sauerkraut, you might give this traditional version a try!

Ideally you should keep fermented foods in a cool dry dark place at about 40 degrees, like a root cellar. If you don't have a root cellar, the top shelf of your refrigerator will work fine!

The Farm Shop carries a number of supplies that will be helpful to you in making your own fermented vegetables. At the shop you can find butter muslin for straining yogurt or you can buy whey if you don't care to strain your yogurt. The shop also carries sea salt, and a variety of cultured vegetables if you want to try them before you decide to make them!

*Recipe taken from Nourishing Traditions (affiliate link)

Health Benefits from Cultured Foods

Did you know that you can preserve vegetables without freezing or canning them? Cultures all over the world use the process of lacto-fermentation to preserve foods and aid digestion. German sauerkraut, Russian pickled tomatoes and peppers, Korean kimchi, and Indian chutneys are just a few examples of foods traditionally made by converting sugars and starches into lactic acid, which is a natural preservative and inhibits putrefaction.

When traditional fermented foods entered the mass market, food producers typically left lacto-fermentation behind in favor of cheaper and faster methods of preservation, using vinegar for brine and then pasteurizing the product which eliminates all the beneficial effects on digestion. This is unfortunate, because lacto-fermentation offers a wealth of health benefits in addition to being a preservative.

The process of breaking down starches and sugars in lacto-fermentation renders the food highly digestible, and increases the amount of bio-available vitamins and enzymes in the food. Lacto-fermentation also provides the food with several antibiotic and anticarcinogenic properties, and promotes intestinal health.

The good news is that making your own fermented foods and condiments is quite simple! Stay tuned for most posts this week on how you can make your own sauerkraut!

Note: Information for this post was taken from Nourishing Traditions and the Weston A. Price Foundation website.