Reporting back on the kohlrabi kimchi: I like it! The recipe said to go up to 72 hours on the countertop, then 7 days in the fridge, but as a fermenting newbie with an apartment that’s always too warm I stuck it in the fridge after 48 hours as foamy brine was already bubbling out of the fermentation lid. (Glad I used one rather than a regular lid, don’t need any explosions!)

I may be braver in future attempts. I like the fact that it’s still nice and crunchy, but the predominant flavor is garlic rather than funk, so I need to figure out what the sweet spot is.

This week’s CSA monster is a 1.5lb parsnip but that may go into a cake recipe I like (yes, like carrot cake but with parsnips) rather than any form of pickle/ferment.

Thanks for the kohlrabi report!

And good luck with that epic, fairytale worthy parsnip. Out of all the vegetables that can arrive in our subscription delivery, parsnips are the one I really dread. But that would be my nightmare, I really hate them, cake is just about the only thing I can tolerate this root in, except I don’t eat much cake anymore. Thankfully, MrLapLap doesn’t have my aversion and the young ‘un doesn’t mind them roasted.
I keep seeing recommendations to substitute gobo for parsnip.... terrible advice (jersusalem artichoke/sunchoke is satisfactory as a sub). I’m depending on you for any what-the-flip-do-I-do-with-this parsnip discoveries 💪

Oh, the sunchokes are my “do not want to see in the box #1” item and guess what came with the monster parsnip?! Let’s just say, I work from home and a little gas is fine, but the discomfort and bloating the last time I ate them was not something I would choose to repeat. However, that was from a soup, so perhaps a less concentrated preparation would work. I will find out...

Sunchokes last quite long in the fridge, and yes, very certainly not a good idea to consume too much at a time! Just a small bulb or equivalent matchsticked with carrot to make kinpira, or shaved into a sturdy mixed vegetable miso shiru and the results should be no more than vaguely mellifluous, not the orchestra grandstander you remember.
I do wonder if fermentation would tame this vegetable (pre-burp it? I may be coining a term here), I suspect it will need a fermentation with a good valve/release mechanism, would not recommend any regular sealed glass jar - as I wouldn’t with beets which ferment rather actively in pots.

This is a Morrocan dish, chicken-lemon Tajine. But home cooks don't use black olives, only green and no chicken stock because the chicken produces its own juices when cooked slowly.

I wanted to make preserved lemon, and contacted Anissa Helou (the great cook book author) and she told me her method. Just puncture whole lemons, add salt ,cover tightly put in the fridge. They would produce their own juice. I added garlic and spices. When their juice didn't cover the lemons I asked her if they were ok, she send enjoy them. I just love them. Very easy to make. No fail.

We got through some of the sunchokes in an Ottolenghi recipe where they were parboiled in water with a little lemon juice before getting roasted with chicken, and it turned out quite nicely (and not particularly gassy). I decided I needed to get the stragglers out of the fridge and have just put together a batch of this pickle with turmeric and cumin—let’s see how it goes!
https://agardenerstable.com/taking-t...em-artichokes/

We started drinking the latest batch of kombucha this week. This one is pineapple blueberry. It’s been a lot fizzier since I started using a mixture of juice and fruit to finish. Especially the juices from Central America which seem to be much sweeter than anything produced here.

And just to report back, I'm quite happy with this recipe from a flavor perspective (I also went for a one week ferment), and the sunchokes stay nice and crispy. Now to wait a few hours and assess from a digestion perspective...

Just coming to the end of that batch of preserved lemons. They’ve been a revelation. Will be making a new batch this weekend.

Found another great use for them - turnip pickles. These might be my favourite domestic tsukemono.

Had about a pound (500g) of tender young turnips in this week’s vegetable box. As they were small I didn’t feel they needed to be peeled. I just removed the roots, took off the nub from the stalk, halved and then sliced thinly. Unfortunately, these turnips didn’t come with their stalks/greens, so I took the stems from a kohlrabi that was in the same box (not the leaves - which I cooked with - as they tasted too grassy; like sorrel). The kohlrabi stems I sliced finely and added it to the turnip. I weighed them, added 3% of the weight in salt, rubbed the salt in and left it. Meanwhile I blended together 1 tablespoon of fine sugar, 2 tablespoons of mild vinegar and 1 tablespoon of mirin. To this I added finely shredded preserved lemon with some of the juice (a little goes a long way). After the turnip salted for 15 minutes I added the lemon vinegar and combined them together before putting it into a small pickle press. Was ready to eat a few hours later.
Even more delicious today, am eating a few with a cup of tea. Heaven!
Preserved lemon isn’t the same as adding yuzu, but it comes close. Even the pickling liquid for these turnips is delicious.

Am considering adding umeboshi (preserved plum/apricot) to my kohlrabi and making a similar kind of quick pickle with them.

I’m so happy to see this post. I had been concerned with an apparent absence. Yay.
I do feel inspiration to try to ferment ala bancha. I love Korean food.

Our kitchen was a virtual no-go area for about a month thanks to intrusive and constant harassment by a next door neighbour. After a very serious incident - in the aftermath of which her house became the set of CSI London for a day - she’s been taken away (again - 4th time now). All has been quiet and we’ve been attempting to recover. Each season of this sordid saga (which began in Easter last year) has been worse than the last.

Would love to get hold of Gosari (fernbrake), that’s my favourite kind of non-kimchi bancha.

Will have to figure out where to get more young turnips. The season is short (now until July) and we’ve nearly finished our first batch.

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I harvested a handful of green beans and a few radishes that were poking out of the dirt. Already radishes in the fridge and not enough beans for 2 servings. BV Jr #3 suggested pickling them so they’re sitting in a tub of vinegar. The beans will be Bloody Mary garnishes Thanksgiving morning (or maybe Black Friday).

Today I was watering at the community garden and a neighbor approached and asked if I liked greens. He gifted me with two large bags; one each of collards and mustard greens. Mrs BV doesn’t like cooked greens so I am thinking of pickling. Anyone tried pickling greens?

Despite the inspiration for homemade, I will continue to buy this stuff.

Haven’t tried greens yet, but this recipe looks interesting and I trust the author (I have a couple of her cookbooks). https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blo...ns-recipe.html

I did make a couple batches of fermented hot sauce recently (one with red and yellow chiles, one with green) and was pretty happy with the results.

My greens don’t look similar but I have enough to give it a shot.


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i found a recipe online but got scared when I read “ Mold may form. This is normal. I wait until the mold cap is pretty solid then pick it off. It’s not harmful unless it’s black.”