Learning to love turnips

November 7, 2020

I have never liked them. 10 years ago we joined a CSA for a weekly box of vegetables and for a while we got some every week. What do do with them? I tried sautéed, au graten, mashed with potatoes, quick vinegar pickles. Blech. Blech. Blech. Blech.

This year we started our CSA box again and sure enough we got some turnips. What to do?

Fortunately I’ve been upping my pickle game for a couple years now so let’s give it another go! Fermented this time.

• 1 1/3 qt beets cut into 1/4″ cubes
• 2/3 qt turnips, cubed
• 2T mustard seed
• 12 cloves
• 22g sea salt, no iodine
• Non-chlorinated water

Put all the vedge in a 2qt jar. Leave about 2″ space at the top… top off with carrots or other veggies if needed. Fill with non-chlorinated water. Pour out the water into a bowl. Add the salt to the water and stir until dissolved… I like to use an electric mixer to speed things up.

The contents of my jar weighed 1500g so I used 22g salt for just under 1.5% salinity. Salt by weight is the only sane way to ferment.

Coarsely grind the spices in a coffee grinder. Grinding them is new for me, I want a strong spicy flavor this time. I did 6 seconds in an electric one. Pour this into a cotton tea bag and tie the top tightly shut. Put it in the jar and cover with some vedgetable.

Pout the saltwater in and close it up with your favorite airlock lid. Use pickle weights if you want… but nothing beats these pickle cups.

Put the jar in a dish on the counter because it is going to get bubbly! It will definitely leak some. After the first day, check it a couple times daily and press it down with a spoon or tamper if needed. If too much brine leaks out replace it with 1% saltwater.

Let it ferment for at least a week. Two if you can wait that long! The acids will help soften the food and smooth out the stronger flavors. Start tasting after a week and stop when you like it. Put it in the fridge for up to a month.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments (0)