Perfect for Fermentation

Not much after 6 a.m. and I haven’t had my morning coffee, but there’s a knock at the door.

It’s my farmer! …and he’s got a large trash bag filled to the brim with — “Leftover bok choy” he says. “Thought maybe you’d want to make some kimchi.”

What I love about living here is the opportunity. Six months ago I thought kimchi came from the Co-op. Now I think of it as free food. People bring me their extras from the garden or greenhouse, I make it up into a — dare I say — delicious and healthful ferment, pass some of it back to the growers, some on to friends and neighbors, and keep a jar for me and my family.

Many of us think preserving the harvest is something we do in the autumn, when there are more tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and eggplants than you thought possible and there’s a nip in the air, but here in Oregon the harvest can go on year round — even in spring. Ferments are a wonderful way to preserve all kinds of things any time of year, and ferments don’t require much in the way of equipment  — no need
for
a dryer,
pressure cooker, juicer,
or freezer.
No need, in
fact, for electricity.no need for a dryer, pressure cooker, juicer, or freezer. No need, in fact, for electricity.

I usually use a 2 or 3 gallon crock, but I’ve had great success with gallon jars and even once in a pinch, a large bread bowl. Don’t use metal or plastic, though.

You can ferment almost anything. My favorites for kimchi are Napa cabbage,  any one of the crunchy brassicas — bok choy (rapa chinensis) for example, carrots, turnips and rutabagas, hot red or green peppers, garlic, and ginger. You can use all or some of these, or make up your own combination.

Here’s what to do:

• Mix up 4 or so cups of brine — I use 1 scant tablespoon of canning salt to 1 cup of water, but you can use more or less to taste — and stir until the salt is dissolved.
• Rinse vegetables clean and peel tough outer skins from cabbage and hard vegetables if necessary; and add to brine.
• Cover and leave  as is until the vegetables are wilted. This can take anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight.
• Layer the vegetables into a clean crock. Pack them down good and solid. I use a wooden potato masher. They’ll make their own juice, but you may need to add a little brine to cover them. Cover with a plate and set a brine-filled jar on top of the plate to weight it down a little. It’s important to make sure the brine comes up to cover the vegetables. As time passes, the vegetables will lose some of their moisture, increasing the amount of brine.

That’s all there is to it. I cover the crock with a kitchen towel and look at it every day or two. I’m looking for molds that may have formed on top of the brine. I rarely find any. Molds don’t much like salt. If I see any scum forming, I just skim it off.

After a couple days I begin tasting. When the vegetables are sour enough to suit me, I put them into clean jars, pack them down tight and cover, then set them in a cool place — refrigerator, basement, fruit or root cellar. In the fridge they’ll keep for at least a couple of months, and I suspect a lot longer, but we haven’t managed to test.

As far as I’m concerned there are just two books worth reading on the subject of fermentation. One is Sandor Katz’ Wild Fermentation. It’s full of amazing ferments — from breads to beers, miso to sauerkraut— and it’s available at local bookstores and libraries. For an unbelievable amount of information — not to mention serious hand-holding throughout the process — visit his website at www.wildfermentation.com.

The other book I would recommend highly — especially if you want an in-depth look at traditional food processing techniques throughout history —  is Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Book of Ferment and Human Nutrition.  One recipe from China for Hundred Year Eggs offers instructions for keeping fresh duck or chicken eggs for months (or even years) in a cool place. When the egg solidifies to green-black it is eaten as a delicacy. And at 45% protein, rich in retinol, carotene, calcium and phosphate, indeed it is!  A testament to human ingenuity and an insight into a wealth of knowledge long lost, Mollison’s book is now out of print but available at local libraries.