So!   I was presented with this lovely head of Nappa cabbage.  The only answer I could think of was Kimchi.  As a matter of fact, I couldn't help myself.  This particular cabbage was SCREAMING Kimchi!

I've made Kimchi in the past.  Both Classic Kimchi and Baek (White, or Vegan) Kimchi.   I personally LOVED the Vegan Kimchi.  It has a great light pickle flavor, and was super-fast to make.  I wasn't such a big fan of how the Classic Kimchi practically burned my face off when I tried it!  My husband, however, loved it.  Especially on hotdogs!

This time around I'm going for less heat, but the added classic flavors of chili, garlic, and fish sauce... along with the probiotic "pickle" tang that I love so much.

I also went ahead and substituted in easily-found (read, in my cupboard) ingredients along the way.  

This week is highlighted with the appearance of a HUGE nappa cabbage.  Perfect, I'll be making kimchi!  I plan to tweak the recipe I used last time so as to make it spicy, but not SUPER spicy like it was last time.

We pitted and froze the sour cherries, and the apricots and blueberries were eaten within the first day.

The swiss chard was combined with the beet greens from last week.  It was chopped, and sauted with bacon, onion, salt and pepper and made a great light dinner along with a crusty loaf a bread.

The we got 2 small zucchini and put them together with a couple more we had laying around and made a batch of Ur Oma's Zucchini Soup! 

The green beans were used in a 3 bean salad and the head of leaf lettuce was made into side salads during the week.

A while back I made a batch of Traditional Korean Kimchi.   It came out beautiful and SUPER spicy.  Like, definitely too spicy for the kids an me.  My husband and one of our friends decided that it was best enjoyed on hotdogs and they devoured quite a bit of it that way.  HAH!  I think that it would also be really well suited to flavoring different things... Hot and Sour soup comes to mind.

I decided to do an  Americanized version of White Kimchi in response to the SUPER-HEAT of the other variety.  I wanted something more slightly spicey and mostly sour and I'm pretty sure this is going to hit it right on the head.    Again, I switched up some of the traditional ingredients to include things that are easily accessed in most Grocery stores in the U.S.A.

• 1 large nappa cabbage
• ⅓ cup, plus 2 tbsp  kosher salt
• ½ bunch radishes, sliced
• 2 medium carrots cut into matchsticks
• 1 bunch chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5 fresh chestnuts, peeled and cut into thin strips
• ½ of red bell pepper cut into thin strips
• 1 medium pear, peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Core and chop cabbage into small pieces.  Put in a large bowl and sprinkle 1/3 cup of salt evenly between the leaves. Fill the bowl with enough water to submerge the leaves, and then weigh them down with a plate.  Let sit on the counter for 24 hours.

Drain and rinse the cabbage lightly, retain about 1 cup of the brine.


Assemble some mason jars and lids (I had various sizes this time, my daughter  helped and she was the one who picked them out of the cupboard).  Wash the jars and caps thoroughly and set aside.

Prepare the remainder of your ingredients and toss them together in a large bowl.

Ani peeling a chestnut

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of salt on the veggie bowl  and toss.  Then add the veggies to the cabbage and toss again.   Pack your veggie mixture hard into  the mason jars ( I used a rolling pin) so that water starts to be extracted from the veggies.  Top off the jars with enough brine to cover the veggies.  Cover and seal with caps and rings.

Fermentation station!

Wait about 7 days before trying.  And then transfer to the refridgerator.  Eat it all right away, or wait until the sour  "pickle" flavors develop further.

Enjoy!

I've been meaning to try out this project for a while now, but every time I go to the store there's 1 or more ingredients that I can't find in order to make a *truly* traditional Korean Kimchi.  So I thought, why not do it anyway?  With ingredients that are readily available to most anyone in the United States?

I'm glad I tried this out because it's a really fun and dynamic ferment with a lot of bubble action to keep everyone entertained!


Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2-inch pieces, discarding the core end. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss with your hands until the cabbage is coated. Add enough cold water to just cover,  making sure the cabbage is  completely submerged  Cover/weigh down with a plate and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.



 Place a colander in the sink and drain the cabbage retaining about 1/4 cup of brine in a seperate small bowl.  Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.

Assemble your radishes, scallions, pepper mix, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a bowl.

"The Fermentation Station" from left to right:  Kimchi, Apple Scrap Vinegar, and Sauerkraut