At some point in time, when the gardens are overflowing with produce, I always get into this crunch where I try my hardest to figure out how to best preserve as much of it as I can. Eventually I realize that, well, there is no possible way I am going to be able to “save” it all. And in times like this summer, when there is so very much to do and prepare for in so many different areas of life…I know that I had better set my expectations pretty low and just be thrilled with just how much or how little gets saved in the long run. After all, if it doesn’t get used right here at home, or sold at the market…it will wind up going right back to where it came from…into the earth…to make it just that much richer for next year. So no matter how I choose to look at it…even though I would rather have as much as possible stashed away for the winter months…it will be utilized…and never wasted.
Now that we are full into things like beets, carrots, and cucumbers with summer squash and heirloom tomatoes mere days away, I find us utilizing less and less of the kale and chard. Not because we don’t love it. Mostly just because we’ve been eating it for months now and have an eager palate for the newer things popping up. But, since I still want to do something to preserve that green goodness, I’ve turned to kimchi for the time being. I made a gallon of it a little over a week ago, and by golly would you believe that we are already hitting the tail end of it?! A few more batches are definitely in order sometime over the next few days.
Basically we just pulled whatever we had from the garden. I read that it’s always good to use a base of cucumbers or cabbage because those two vegetables have a certain kind of bacteria or enzyme or something that is required for the fermentation process in making kimchi. (I can’t remember where I read that…anybody out there know what I’m talking about?) I also read that it is always helpful to have children on hand who really enjoying chopping vegetables. No, I didn’t really read that, but it’s true, my kids love chopping!
I used Himalayan Pink Salt. I love that stuff. So to start, I put 2 Tablespoons of salt into a quart mason jar and then filled it with filtered water. I let it sit for quite awhile, until it dissolved most of the way. Then I concocted my combinations. For the first batch I used cucumbers, grated carrots, sliced garlic, and tons of rainbow swiss chard. I incorporated it all in my largest mixing bowl and then got out my half gallon sized mason jars. It’s kinda a messy process of shoving it all into the mason jar, but it works. As the veggies get put into the jar it is important to keep packing them down as you go with your fist leaving as little air room as possible. I am always amazed at how much I can cram in there.
Once the jar is filled, you pour the salt water in until it reaches the top of the veggies. Then you take a wooden spoon and press down all those veggies as far as they will go, releasing all the air trapped in there in the process. Some of the veggies will start to float up, which is something you do not want to happen. I took a piece of saran wrap and pressed it down into the jar to the level of the veggies and poured more of the salt water solution on top of it. This way it keep all the veggies where they are supposed to be…under the brine. I’ve seen some people use a Ziploc baggie filled with water as well. Then I loosely put a lid on the jar, set my mason jars in a casserole dish (to catch any escaping liquids), and let it sit undisturbed on the counter for three whole days. Once it’s done fermenting to your preferred taste, it gets stored in the refrigerator, where I think it can be kept for quite some time…if I can get it to stay there for that long that is.
In batch #2 I combined shredded napa cabbage, sliced chioggia beets, and tons of roughly chopped curly kale. I love how the beets turn everything pinkish. Batch #1 is my favorite, but really they both turned out super tasty and perfectly salty…a good combo for this pregnant lady! And from my opinion, I don’t think you can really go wrong making kimchi. Every time it’s a little bit different.
Any body else making kimchi? I’d love to hear your favorite recipe/combos to try! Helpful links, etc.
How about a layer of olive oil on the top instead of plastic wrap?
That beet picture is so beautiful, with the little heart in the center!
I don’t like kimchi usually but I understand how hard it is to let food go to waste! Maybe I’ll try this next time!
Never had this or any other fermented things except pickles andsaurkraut. Can you describe the taste?
I would say that it is very similar to sauerkraut with a bit of a twist. Each batch turns out slightly different, some with more kick than others, but all still have a salty tangy taste to it.
Kimchi is a staple here in my home and I make it by the gallon jar about every other week.
I use cabbage, radishes, carrots, onions, garlic, and hot peppers. I basically follow the recipe
in Wild Fermentation. We have also been enjoying fermented salsa
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2011/08/how-i-make-lacto-fermented-salsa/
It’s great on scrambled eggs.
That sounds good too Tracey! Do you have a link to the wild fermentation kimchi recipe? Or is it in the book?
Lisa, I have the book, but I will drop you an email later today with the recipe.
We eat our kimchi on scrambled eggs too, Tracey! My recipe is a bit more traditional that the ones Lisa posted (but those do look good! And, a good way to use what you have…) I use green cabbage, napa cabbage, daikon radish, carrots, Asian turnips, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, leeks, onions, cilantro, jalapenos, habaneros & cayennes. I want to try some black turnips – they’re supposed to have some kick. I also just got a few local horseradish roots…..
Love it on eggs, too!
Is the plastic wrap okay? I know that the kind you buy in the conventional grocery store is polyvinyl (PVC) with pthalates added to make it soft. I’m a little concerned about plastic in general, but especially if it’s sitting in something acidic for days on end.
A trick I figured out which might work well for you is to use jars with a bit of a narrow mouth and to reserve the wide slices of round veggies (beets, kohlrabi, summer squash – firm veggies that won’t turn mushy) and once you have all of your veggies packed into the jar, wedge the round disk-shaped veggie slice just under the mouth of the jar before you pour the brine in. This will keep everything below the brine and then you can just eat it!
How did it turn out with that brine? I use a 5.4% brine solution for all of my ferments which = 3 TBSP per 1 quart of water. I’m afraid if I made a weaker brine in this heat that I’d lose my ferments. I know Sandor uses the 5.4% for his pickles.
I’ve done 8 gallons of pickles and I don’t know how many gallons of beets and kohlrabi this summer, but no kimchi yet! I’m waiting on the HOT peppers…they’re just starting to come in.
Jason is eagerly waiting for the hot peppers to add too. I’m sad that the wide mouth size opening of my half gallon mason jars wont allow a jelly sized jar in there because that would be perfect. That was my first try. The two tablespoons was really salty, but maybe next time I will try the 3 tablespoons. I’d say ours turned out pretty perfect though, but we also do not have the heat you guys do. At most it is high 80s up here in the mountains. I will have to try the veggie wedge trick too. Thanks!
I love love love kim chi. I used to eat it all the time with my grandmother…straight out of the jar sitting in front of the fridge! I took a fermentation class a few weeks ago and we made kim chi to take home. I am not sure it turned out right. It smells good but it looks…”off”. And I think it may be because the veggies didn’t stay below the liquid. I am so glad you shared your process…I need to give it another try. Because I do love it.
Oh…one of the ladies at the class suggested adding radishes. I thought that sounded tasty, too…might add a bit of a bite!
We will shortly have a new round of radishes popping up, so I will definitely be trying them out in some kimchi!
We love kimchi, but I haven’t made it in a few years, I think there will be some made later today. Thanks for the reminder
I love that beet.
Beautiful!
If you have produce that has not sold, you cannot use, and is still good, you can donate it to a food bank.
I have thought of that. Unfortunately though we live in a very rural area where the nearest food bank is not anywhere we go near or is convenient. Usually, after the produce has sat out in the heat too at market…it doesn’t look too super fresh either. I think this year is just all about trying to figure out how much to grow for eating, selling, preserving, etc. OR maybe every year will be like that given we never know what or how mother nature will act.
It could always be fed to the animals, too….:) Chickens don’t mind a little wilt.
Oh, yes, our chickens get a couple of large buckets of veggie scraps every day. We also trade a lot too. So, if we have a bunch of something left over and I don’t have time to process them before it will go bad, we will bring them over to one of our neighbors for eggs (because our girls aren’t laying yet) or up the hill for goats milk. But there’s only so much I feel like can be done to preserve greens. Last year I froze a whole lot, but it’s just not the same…especially since we grow a lot of the greens through out the cold season and can just eat it fresh.