Fermentation: It Rots!

Finally, the oft-requested (sounds a lot better than “occasionally” requested, which is closer to the truth) kimchi recipe.

Coupla notes: We never follow this to the letter. Part of the fun of fermenting is playing with it a bit. If we don’t have an ingredient, we don’t put it in – with the exceptions of cabbage, salt, and water, any of the following can be omitted. Second, we like relatively chunky kimchi, so we hand chop pretty much everything, though we’re prone to getting lazy and putting the garlic and ginger in the processor. Or we freeze the ginger and grate it. That works real swell. Third, you should wash of any obvious dirt, but don’t go scrubbing like crazy. You want the good, naturally occurring bacteria on your veggies (esp your cabbage) to stay put. And never, ever use any chlorinated water!!! The chlorine inhibits bacterial activity. Although, truth is, you shouldn’t need to add much, if any, additional water. The moisture in the cell walls of your vegetables should be adequate.

Finally, in terms of storage, we leave packed jars at room temp (leave the lids slightly loose and put a towel under the jars, ’cause they need to bubble a bit and release some pressure, or you risk explosions) for three or four days. Then we transfer to the root cellar, which runs 40-50 degrees depending on time of year. We have very little spoilage loss under these conditions; maybe a jar or two out of 50 or 60. Sometimes, none. We’ve eaten three-year old kimchi out of our root cellar with no adverse affects. It was a little soft, but not bad.

Fermentation: It rots!

This recipe makes about 18 to 20-quarts of kimchi, depending on how tight you pack the jars

30-pounds cabbage – we like Napa

11-ounces sea salt – use good, mineralized salt, not the cheap crap from the supermarket. Generally speaking, the whiter it is, the more it should be avoided

4-pounds carrots

21-ounce daikon radish

21-ounces onion

7-ounces kale

2.75-ounces garlic

1.75-ounces ginger

10 matchbox peppers - more or less depending on your preference for spicy foods

After we chop everything, we mix it all in a cooler we’ve appropriated for the task. Once mixed, we pound it with a wooden mallet to break down the cell walls and release the moisture. Then we let it sit for a while (an hour or two) to allow the salt to draw out more moisture. Then we pack it in jars. The key is to be sure the water is covering the veggies in the jar – that’s how you avoid mold (though a little mold isn’t the worst thing in the world; just scrape off the moldy bits and dive in). If you can’t get the water level over the veggies, make a brine of 2 Tablespoons salt per quart of water and top off your kimchi jars. But if you pound enough and wait long enough, you shouldn’t need to add any brine.

Some folks like “green” kimchi that’s only a few days old, but we generally wait at least a month before digging in.

The thing I love about fermenting (other than the taste) is that it’s probably the most egalitarian food preservation method going. Both processing and storage require zero energy inputs and there’s no doubt it contributes to your underlying health and well being, ensuring that you have the gumption to keep sticking it to the man. If you’re into that sort of thing.

Finally, if this isn’t clear enough, we’re pretty sure we’re going to host a half-day fermenting workshop in early October. We’ll all make kimchi and talk about other ferments – kefir, other veggies, kombucha, sausage, etc. And everyone’ll go home with a quart of fresh ‘chi. Email me if you’re interested, or stay tuned for more details.

Also, Sandor Katz’s books Wild Fermentation and the Art of Fermentation are fantastic resources. So is Nourishing Traditions.