My favourite ferment of the moment is peperoncino, due in no small part to an overwhelming harvest of yellow chilis from seeds I have been saving for some years now in Sweden. Their transition to Portugal was…explosive. I have harvested no less than 4 kgs of chilis from one single plant and was forced to cut it back drastically as it all but taken over our small greenhouse. I have dried a lot but also made plenty of this condiment which we use on pretty much everything.
Here’s how you make it:
lice your fresh chilis, seeds and all, pack them into a jar or vessel, cover with a 4% salt brine. Put the lid on (use a weight if fermenting in a larger vessel). Ferment at room temperature for four days. Then strain them, discarding, or finding a use for the spicy brine. Pack the chilis into small jars, use food grade gloves if you have them to prevent chili burn, fill the jar with olive oil and close the lid. Place your jars in a pot of water and bring to the boil, boil for 5 mins then let the sit in the hot water for another 10 minute, as it cools the jar will seal.
This recipe is from the grandmother of a friend of mine from Ukraine and is made in a way which is new for me – with a bit of sugar, warm brine and no lid for the first few days. I have also tried leaving it a little longer at room temperature (lid on after three days though), until the colour of the cabbage as become a beautiful pink before popping it in the fridge. Its really delicious!
For a 3 liter jar:
3 small beetroots
2 cm horseradish (or two thin roots)
2kg white or savoy cabbage
1 head of garlic
1 liter water
Peel and coarsley chop the beetroot, garlic and horseradish. Thickly slice the cabbage and pack it into the jar, alternating it with the seasoning and beets. Warm the water a bit (if its chlorinated, bring to the boil and let it cool), dissolve the salt and sugar in the water and when it is a bit warmer than body temperature, pour it over the cabbage. Put a weight on the cabbage in the form of a stone or small plate and cover the opening with a cloth or gauze. Leave in a warm spot for three days. Then put the lid on and move it to the fridge, and enjoy!
Here is a fermentation with leafy greens, following the principle “use what you have/harvest”.
This time it’s kale, parsley, celery, kohlrabi, garlic, coriander, yellow onion, dill, chili, ginger, black pepper, and salt (1.5%).
All vegetables and spices are chopped to desired size and mixed with salt in a bowl. Then everything is placed in a jar and pressed together, and the jar is filled with water.
Make sure none of the contents stick out above the water level, as mold can form. A lid or appropriately sized plate can be used to keep the contents submerged in the jar.
Let it sit out for a few days until fermentation starts, then store the jar in a cool place. After 2 weeks, the fermentation is complete. Fermentations with leafy greens tend to not have a long shelf life, they can become slimy, so consume them within 2 months.
Daikon – Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus – is a vegetable with a bright future. It is easy to grow, versitile and can take on an amazing spectrum of flavours and texures. It is already cultivated in large quantities in many parts of the world. Just like many other Asian cabbage varieties, it doesn’t deal well with the midsummer light in Sweden so I usually sow it outdoors at the end of July/beginning of August. This way, it becomes an important ingredient in autumn kimchi or as a great storing vegetable for the winter.
BUT, it is also possible to cultivate it in the spring! My friends at Skäve Trädgård in Järna have been sowing daikon in cold greenhouses at the end of March (if sown later, it easily goes to seed) and start harvesting large tender roots as early as the beginning of May – they grow astonishingly fast. In addition to fermentation, it is delicious when eaten raw and finely grated on rice (with a little soy sauce), in bibimbap, miso soup, a hummus sandwich, spicy curry – anything and everything. You can use the stems and leaves like spinach in hot dishes or make kimchi although this kimchi is pungent and not for the faint-hearted.
You can find seeds for three kinds of daikon at Runåbergs.
Trajanus Scherlund at Skäve Trädgård holds up the seasons first daikon (May).
Daikon roots grow both above and below the soil surface
Whole fermented daikon
Day 1 – Pre-salting Harvest the daikon when they are 2-4cm in diameter. Remove the leaves (use them as spinach or try making daikon stem kimchi – see below – cut a few millimeters from the top of the root so the leaves stay intact). Rinse the roots thoroughly and layer with salt, approximately 6% of the weight (60g per kg of vegetables). Place a plate on top and something heavy like a rock or a bowl of water and let them sit overnight.
Day 2 Pour off the liquid that has been drawn out of the roots overnight and rinse. Then, tightly pack the roots into a fermentation container or glass jar and pour a 2-3% salt solution over them (20-30g per liter of water). If using a large container, place a weight or plate on top. If fermenting directly in smaller jars, simply put on the lid. Leave at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, then transfer to the refrigerator or a cool cellar for an additional two weeks. Slice before serving.
Pre-salting roots
Fermented daikon after 3 weeks
Fermented daikon with dried turmeric powder.
I love lacto-fermented daikon without any seasoning, but it’s also delicious with turmeric or by making a simple kimchi by adding a few garlic cloves, ginger pieces, one or more scallions, and some whole chili peppers – preferably fresh, but dried ones work too.
Wilted daikon – fermented
If you want to achieve something really special, try fermenting wilted daikon. This way, you’ll get a deep umami flavor, and it pairs well with a cheese platter or serves as a vegan alternative to salami.
Note: Wilted daikon can smell very pungent. I once cleared out a classroom of 30 people during a workshop just by opening the jar. The smell decreases with time.
Even though it may seem like a good way to use forgotten roots from the fridge, the result is much better to use freshly harvested vegetables. Harvest the daikon when they have a diameter of 4-6 cm. Remove the leaves and rinse the roots thoroughly. Let them wilt outdoors for a couple of dry, warm days, taking them indoors at nightor if its raining. Rinse again and layer with salt – approximately 6% of the weight of the vegetables. Place a plate and something heavy on top and let it sit overnight. Pour off the liquid and rinse lightly the next day, then pack tightly into a jar or container. I would recommend placing something heavy, like a boiled stone, on top. Let it sit at room temperature (preferably around 15-18°C) for at least 6 months, up to several years!
Salt the wilted daikon and leave over night
Press into a jar – photo from 2019
Matured fermented daikon – aged for 3 years
Daikon stem kimchi – pungent!
Rinse the leaves and remove any yellow/brown ones along with any less than lovely looking stems.
Cut off the leafy part at the top (use it in cooking – delicious!). Let the stems wilt slightly by hanging them outside on a moderately warm day or in the kitchen if the weather doesn’t cooperate. After a couple of days (if its very warm out 24 hours should do), rinse the stems and layer them with salt – approximately 6% of their weight. Place a plate and something heavy like a bowl filled with water or a stone on top. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. Make a kimchi paste or try a simpler version by rolling the stems in chili flakes, finely grated ginger, and garlic. Pack them tightly into a jar or fermentation container and place a weight on top (if using a stone from nature, it’s a good idea to boil it for a few minutes first to clean it). Then, let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 weeks, up to several months. This kimchi has a strong flavor, and I have mainly used it in cooking with great results in curry, falafel, pumpkin soup, sauces, salads, and more.
Leaves and stems wilting on a drying rack
Cut away a fair amount of leaf
Mix with chili after pre-salting
Put some weight on
Falafel flavoured with a generous quantity och stem kimchi and served with fermented daikon and lightly fermented cucumber
We have always grown a mix of pumpkins and winter squashes and have mixed them wildly in this recipe. It turns out delicious every time. The latest mix consisted of Black Forest, Hokkaido, Butternut, and some self-seeded hybrids from the compost area.
Since pumpkin is quite sweet, it’s good to balance it with something slightly peppery like cabbage, daikon, or kohlrabi. This results in a really fresh and slightly sparkling ferment.
(I have only made this for home use as it doesn’t have a long shelf life)
Fill a jar 1/3 full with 1cm cubes of beetroot (peeled or unpeeled depending on your inclination), add a bit of ginger, cover with water, and sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Seal with a lid and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 days until the water turns deep red. Strain out the beets, chill the juice, and enjoy. A little bit of this every day will surely keep the doctor away. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Sauerkraut is one of the most well-known and consumed forms of lacto-fermented vegetables in Europe and the USA, and it has been produced in various ways worldwide for thousands of years. The basic recipe involves shredded cabbage and salt. Caraway seeds and juniper berries are popular seasonings, but you can also try using rowan berries, black pepper, and even sea buckthorn. Finely chop the cabbage by hand (big sharp knife is recommended), use a cabbage slicer or a food processor/vegetable cutter.
For a more detailed description of the lacto-fermentation process and how sauerkraut is made, check here.
These fermented tomatoes by Karin Liljegren from Eskilstuna Matkultur versatile and can be used as a side dish, in salads, blended into a gazpacho, or even scooped onto butter-fried sourdough bread. You can also use the tomato juice in a drink for a perfect summer aperitif.
Fermented beetroots have a deep and earthy flavor. When you ferment beetroots alone, they can sometimes become slightly slimy due to their high sugar content, which attracts yeast. This, combined with the activity of lactic acid bacteria, results in a texture resembling buttermilk. However, you can easily avoid this by incorporating other, less sweet vegetables such as daikon, turnip, or cabbage. Adding some onion and ginger is a good way to elevate the taste from its earthy depths.
Green tomatoes are good to ferment as they maintain a good texture and are often abundant towards the end of the season.
Ingredients:
10kg green tomatoes 1 – 2 heads of garlic 2 onions whole fresh chili peppers (to taste). I used a yellow chili – hot lemon because I had a lot of it and it looks nice. a little bunch of sage a little bunch of rosemary (skip if it’s not a favourite) Saltlösning with 5% salt (50 g of salt per liter of water)
Here’s how to make it:
Chop the tomatoes into large pieces or slices, slice the onions, peel the garlic but leave the cloves whole. Keep the chili peppers and herbs whole as well. Mix all the ingredients in a container. Place a weight or plate on top and completely cover with the salt brine. Put on the lid and, if available, use an airlock. Let it sit at room temperature for 7-10 days, then move it to a cool place. Allow it to sit cool for 4 weeks before transferring to smaller jars and consuming. It will keep for a long time.
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