pickled cabbage.

I love cabbage. During the summer I make slaws, and as the days get cooler we make sauerkraut and other pickled goodies. This is a very crunchy vinegar pickled cabbage - not sauerkraut (here is my purple kraut recipe ... yum). This is really great with anything salty and savory, or on a burger instead of lettuce and pickle. So crunchy! And the color is totally over the top.

::ingredients::

1 lb. chopped red cabbage

2 Tbsp sea salt

4 cups good white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp pickling spice



::directions::

Peel the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle each layer with salt.


Leave for 24 hours. Pour off liquid and stir a few times throughout. After 24 hours, drain off any liquid and rinse off any surplus salt. Drain the cabbage well.


Put the vinegar, sugar and pickling spices into a pan, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and allow to cool for at least 2 hours.


Strain the vinegar if you want, I like leaving in the spices.

Pack the cabbage loosely into jars and cover with the spiced vinegar.


Cover label and store in a cool place. Can begin to eat after 1 week.

Will begin to loose its crispness within 2 to 3 months. I keep it in the fridge and have a pint in the freezer!

rice vinegar ginger fridge pickles

I love refrigerator pickles. We have our favorite tried and true recipes, but I also love making variations on both vinegar and lacto fermented veggies to keep it interesting. This recipe is a fridge pickle made with ginger and rice vinegar - it has a milder vinegar flavor with a light ginger aroma. Not too sweet, not too salty, crunchy and crisp. So good!

For the tastiest crunchiest fridge pickles, after slicing your cucumbers place them in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss, and then let sit for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer) and then pour off the liquid before placing the cucumbers in the canning jars for the next steps.


::rice vinegar ginger refrigerator pickles::

::ingredients::

3/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cups filtered water
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion, finely sliced
pinch of sea salt (see above, for sweating)
1 Tbsp kosher or pickling salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp of spice mix - mine included mostly dill seeds with some mustard seeds, peppercorns, a small dried pepper, and celery salt.
2 large heads of fresh dill, or sprigs if you don't have heads
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (more if you like)
How many cucumbers this equals depends on the size of your cukes. Enough to fill 2 pint jars...

After salting/sweating your cucumbers (see above) pack your slices into 2 pint jars along with one crushed garlic clove per jar, and 1/2 of the sliced onions per jar. Split your spice mix, grated ginger, and dill heads between the jars too.


Put the vinegar, water, sugar, and pickling/kosher salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Let salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat. Pour the hot liquid into the jars, covering the cucumbers, with a bit of head room. Push the cucumbers down if needed. Let cool to room temperature without any lids. Screw on lids tightly and put in your refrigerator. Great the next day, even better after a few days. Eat within a few months!

Tip:: when slicing your cucumbers toss the tips. The flower tip contains an enzyme which can make your pickles soft!

lacto fermented garlic scapes

While I love the twang of vinegar based pickled vegetables, I definitely think there is a place on the table for lacto fermented vegetables. The lacto fermentation leaves you with a heady flavor of the original vegetable, a salty brineyness (well, it should be a word) and that nice crispy bite. Another think I love about lacto fermentation - in addition to the healthy benefits - is that it is easy to make in small batches. It isn't a whole kitchen all day canning extravaganza if you don't want it to be. I often make a pint of this, a quart of that, little by little - whatever you have leftover. Having some nice pickles on the side with dinner is really yummy and they also are always wonderful on a snack platter type of thing.

Last week I made a pint of lacto fermented garlic scapes. Super easy to do, and I really love them chopped on salads!


::lacto-fermented garlic scapes::

For all of my lacto fermented veggies I basically use the recipe from Nourishing Traditions.

Take up to about 10-15 clean garlic scapes (will vary based on how big yours are and the type of canning jar you use). You can cut off at the flower head spot, or leave on--your call.

Cut them into pieces that are the height of your canning jar - give yourself about a 3/4"-1" head room so your scapes will be fully covered by the liquid with headroom to spare.

Add them to a sanitized canning jar - pack in there!

Tuck sprigs of fresh dill into the spaces and sides. As much as you like - I use about 5 sprigs.



Add any dried herbs you like - I like adding 1-2 teaspoons of pickling spice which includes allspice, coriander, fennel, peppercorns...

In a separate jar, mix 2 teaspoons of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of whey, and about 3/4 cup of room temperature filtered water (If you don't have whey, increase salt to 4 tsp).

Let that brine sit for 10-15 minutes for salt to dissolve.


Pour the liquid over the garlic scapes, and add more water if the scapes are not covered.


Screw lid on tightly and keep at room temp for about 2-3 days, then put in the fridge! You can eat them as soon as they are chilled, but they do get even better after a few more days. They will last a few months in the fridge.

Here are just a few other lacto fermented recipes I like::

| pickles/cucumbers | garlic (yum!) | sauerkraut |

"The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine." -Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

in the kitchen.

While I love trying new recipes and often do, for a lot of my canning and fermenting, I do still rely on my trusted/tested recipes. Here are a few things we are making this summer, which I have made many times before.


lacto-fermented pickles:

Not vinegar based, nice and crunchy, mildly salty, not twangy like vinegar pickles.

lacto-fermented garlic::

I basically use the recipe from Nourishing Traditions. Take up to about 12 heads of garlic, remove the outer skin and then bake the cloves in an oven until the rest of the skin can easily be removed. The garlic is not mushy soft, but slightly soft and aromatic and beginning to look less opaque. Put the cloves in a clean jar. Mix together a few teaspoons of dried herbs (I used dried oregano and rosemary from my garden), 2 teaspoons of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of whey, and about 1/2 cup of water (If you don't have whey, increase salt to 4 tsp). Pour the liquid over the garlic, and add more water if the garlic isn't covered. Screw lid on tightly, keep at room temp for about 2-3 days, then put in the fridge. I crunch on these like they are candy. More mild garlic flavor, and oh so good.

refrigerator pickles::

A vinegar based fridge pickle. Great for small batches.

purple kraut::

I like having more than one type of kraut, and this is a nice mild version which is great as a side dish.

I have a few recipes coming up that I have promised :: pickled beets, pickled daikon, and freezer pickles!

pickled cucumber slices

While I love the tangy crunch of the traditional vinegar pickles, I also love the mellow flavor of lacto-fermented cucumbers. They have far less acid than those pickled in vinegar, and go well with all types of dishes and cool salads.


pickled cucumber slices

ingredients::
1 large hot house cucumber, or more if cucumbers are small
1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3 garlic scapes, chopped - optional
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp whey (if you don't have whey, use 1 additional Tbsp sea salt)
1-2 cups filtered water
Clean quart sized wide mouth mason jar with lid


Wash your cucumber and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Put the slices into a mason jar - arrange so they are pretty tight. Add a bit of the dill and garlic scapes as you put in each layer of the cucumbers.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the cucumbers - add more water if you need, to cover. The top of the liquid should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Press down your cucumbers if they have a lot of space or are popping out of the top of the liquid.

Screw on the lid tightly, and keep at room temperature for 2 days (not in direct sun, not extremely hot). Transfer to the refrigerator and chill before eating. Should keep in the fridge for a month.


more on lacto-fermentation::

"A traditional method of food preservation is lacto-fermentation. The best part about lacto-fermentation is two-fold. First, it is the easiest and most low-tech way to preserve food. No canning equipment or freezers are needed. Secondly, lacto-fermented foods are believed to be extremely healthy for a number of reasons. The proliferation of beneficial bacteria from the fermentation aids digestion and contributes to thriving intestinal flora.

Fresh healthy vegetables naturally bear lactic-acid-producing bacteria (lactobacilli) on their surfaces. When the produce is washed and mixed with non-iodized salt, the salt draws out the juices, inhibits spoilage organisms, and regulated the fermentation process. Sealed and sitting at room temperature (65-80) gets this process going.

Over the next several days, the lactobacilli begin breaking down sugars in the vegetables and producing lactic acid, along with small amounts of carbon dioxide, benzoic acid, and other substances. Lactic acid is an excellent preservative, and it gives traditionally pickled vegetables their characteristic aroma and taste.

When the pickles are done fermenting, they are placed in cold storage to stop the fermentation. In cold storage, raw, lacto-fermented pickles will last for many months."

The French traditionally make lacto-termented cucumbers - called cornichons.