Kimchi
Doesn’t this look nice and colorful? We enjoy sauerkraut with many of our meals, and kimchi is fun with its lively colors and flavors.
In mine (adjust to suit what you like or have on hand):
1 Napa cabbage
Napa Cabbage Rosette
1 bunch of Green onions
3 Carrots
1 bunch of Radishes
1 tablespoon fresh Ginger, grated
4 cloves of Garlic
4 chili peppers (I used mild here, maybe use less if you’re using really spicy ones)
4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon Whey per mason jar
Makes 4 pint jars full
Aside from the ginger and carrots, which you might want to grate smaller, thinly slice all the vegetables and mix with
the salt. Place into jars, pounding down to release juice. Add whey over the top, cover with a lid, and set in a room temperature place to ferment for 2-3 days without opening (I leave mine in the basement so they’re off my countertop, but I’ve left my ferments on my counter many times). Transfer to fridge after that and enjoy now or later. Left unopened, my ferments last months in my fridge, but once you open them and use within a couple weeks.
More:
- Sauerkraut
- We love Sauerkraut in nourishing sandwiches, packed full of good proteins and living foods
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Yay! We’ve been wanting to make kimchi for a while – my hubby and kids LOVE it!
Question: Can I put this in 2 quart jars instead of 4 pints? Or one gallon jar instead? (increasing the whey per volume, of course) We have a large family and would easily go through a quart in one sitting.
Yes, any of those would work; ferments are easily adaptable like that!
I make kimchi very similar to yours…On question: Why do you say to use in a couple weeks if unopened. I was under the impression from Sally Fallon’s recipe book that it will last in the fridge for months!
I’ve found that if I don’t open the jar after fermenting, it will last months. But if I’m in and out of the jar, I introduce bacteria and it’s best to use it up in a couple weeks so it doesn’t go bad.
How and where do I buy whey. I am just learning, thanks.
Do you need to use the Whey? My daughter can not have any derivitive of dairy in her diet.
Thanks.
You can do it without whey, I would just add another half teaspoon of sea salt to prevent spoilage.
I have successfully cultured foods using the liquid from commercial jars of kimchi. Even a teaspoon of the liquid was enough to jumpstart the process. Once you make that first batch of kimchi, you can use the liquid to inoculate future batches. Flavors will transfer, so be careful with garlic or dill-flavored ferments, for example. Dilly kimchi isn’t pleasant! :)
Can I pop open a probiotic capsule and use it as a starter? If so, how many per mason jar should I use?
So I am confused, I’ve never made fermented foods but would like to get into it as I suffer from IBS really bad. So does they Whey produce the fermentation of the food, or leaving it out does it? And someone asked about putting in a probiotic, what would you put in like a Align? – Thank you.
Hi! I want to try this, i have whey from grass fed cows. Is there anyway i can mess this up or will just pounding it down/ lid on be ok? Is it really this simple?