Fermenting Kimchi with Autumn Bounty

The 55 gallon drum was heavy as I tipped it on its side and turned it clockwise to mix together all the cabbage, ginger, garlic, peppers, radish and carrots. It was colder in the warehouse as the frost had set in. The smell of cabbage and garlic filled the air. I could hear the pot filled with soup boiling for our lunch in the corner. We made close to 200 pounds of kimchi in the fall of 2017.

Kimchi is a Korean ferment. It is a combination of vegetables (including cabbage, radishes and peppers) and spices. The maker tosses everything with salt before it's left to ferment for several weeks or months. Not all kimchi is plant-based however, due to the addition of fish in some cases. After combining all the ingredients, the maker places the kimchi in giant ceramic pots and buries it. Burying the ceramic pots to ferment the kimchi is a sure-fire way to keep a consistent temperature. But I promise that burying your kimchi is optional. We left to ferment ours at room temperature above ground.

When I first took the intern position in a fermentary I didn’t know anything about fermentation. I also didn’t like any of the fermented foods the fermentation manager was piling on his plate at lunch. They had a flavor I wasn’t used to, and good kimchi tends to fizz a little on your tongue. The slight effervescence is a sign of a good batch- or at least that is what I’ve been told. That fizzle made me queasy, to be honest. But after eating ferments three times a week at lunch, I began to understand the appeal. The flavor changed as I got used to what fermented vegetables taste like.

Flash forward two years later and I’m on a quest to ferment everything, and I mean everything. From napa cabbage, carrots, and asparagus to bread and tofu. I had to get a designated dorm size fridge for my ferments and I wish I was kidding when I say that. Kimchi is just another notch on the belt.

The moral of the story is that fermented foods are an acquired taste. It’s important to understand that it will take more than one time for you to adjust your palate to the flavor. All the processed food presented in the western diet are hyper palatable, high in sugar, salt or fat. When you ferment foods yourself you’re creating a sour, or funky flavor. The flavor, of course, depends on what you’re fermenting). It’s not a flavor that most are used to if you grew up in the US especially.

Why acquire the taste for these foods then? Raw, minimally processed fermented foods are a great source of probiotics. Fermented foods are also easier to digest than their raw counterparts. Cabbage can cause gas and bloating for many, while sauerkraut can aid in digestion. The process of fermentation may also make some of the vegetable's nutrients easier to absorb. (Please note that this article does primarily mention fermented dairy products. However, probiotic foods can also include fermented vegetables and fruits.) Fermentation is also an excellent way to preserve food, and easier than canning. Making kimchi or other ferments is perfect this time of year. Cabbages, radishes and other hearty vegetables are filling the farmer's markets.

Below is my recipe for a ferment inspired by kimchi modified to accommodate what I had in the kitchen when I made it. But please note that you can ferment any vegetable you want. Just use the method listed below and I encourage you to play around with what makes sense for you and your needs.

Kimchi Inspired Ferment

Author | Date

• prep time: 30 minutes
• cook time: 1 1/2 months to ferment
• total time: 1 1/2 months

Servings: 30 to 40

Ingredients:

• 1 head of napa cabbage
• 1 medium jicama or radish of choice
• 1 bunch of spring onions (or 1/2 onion)
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 1/3C gochujang (or to taste)
• 1 2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 1/2 Tbsp of salt (or to taste)

Instructions:

1. Reserve 2 to 3 whole cabbage leaves. Shred the napa cabbage by slicing it in half, and then quarters before cutting out the core and slicing it vertically into thin strips. No matter what radish you are using, shred using a grater or grater attachment on a food processor. Chop the garlic, ginger and spring onions finely.
2. Toss the cabbage,carrots and radish or jicama with the rest of the vegetables in salt and massage with your hands for about five minutes. This is to release some of the moisture in the vegetables that will be important later when it gets packed into a jar.
3. Add the gochujung to taste (I added about 1/3 of a cup to mine). It can be spicy to taste as you go to make sure the seasoning is right for you and your family.
4. Pack into a half gallon or gallon jar, pressing down with a lot of pressure every so often to submerge the vegetables in the juice that will have built up for the salting and massaging. Repeat with the remaining kimchi. Place the whole cabbage leaves directly on top of the kimchi to be. This is important because we want to prevent oxygen from discoloring our kimchi or growing mold on our kimchi.
5. Place a gallon ziplock bag directly on top of the kimchi and cabbage and fill the bag with water. This is to weigh the cabbage down and keep it submerged. Cover loosely with a lid or leave the jar open.
6. Leave out at room temperature for one to two weeks and then refrigerate for about one month before enjoying. (Or enjoy right away, it’s totally up to you)

-- Trouble Shooting

• Mold is fuzzy, if you see mold, just scrape off the top layer of the kimchi and enjoy what’s underneath
• Browning or darkening of the kimchi can happen if it’s exposed to oxygen. This is completely normal and edible
• Sometimes yeast can grow on top of ferments, it’s not fuzzy but is white and looks a bit like snow. This yeast is edible, but you can scrape it off if you like