Spicy Korean Pickle!

Sandor Ellix Katz style.



I have a summer farmshare with Riverland Farm in Sunderland, MA, and over the course of a few weeks, I've acquired quite the stash of cabbage. Two honking napas, one that I made just a regular sauerkraut from and the other, along with two purple cabbage heads, KIMCHI! I turned to our dear friend who wrote Wild Fermentation for help.


I made a brine of salt water for the chopped cabbage and diced carrots and a daikon radish to soak in overnight. I then chopped up onions and garlic, one Hot Wax pepper and one Jalapeno pepper, cayenne powder, and grated ginger. Pouring off the brine, I mixed the vegetables and spice melody. Packed into sterilized jars, using the brine to help raise the water level. Fermentation will take about 1 week. According to the Korean Food Research Institute, the average Korean eats about a quarter pound of kimchi every day. I don't imagine I'll be consuming it that readily, so hopefully it'll last for about half a year or more. Kudos for food preservation.