Essential Springtime Greens Sauerkraut
Over here, the wild onions, chickweed, and indian lettuce are just beginning to go to seed. Next week, a fire inspector is coming out to check that we are fire season ready and most of what remains of the wild greens will be weed-whacked. Now is the time to harvest and preserve the tail end of this springs’s greens.... enter, one of my favorite krauts of the year.
5 pounds assorted greens, including cabbage, Miner’s lettuce, chickweed, spring onions/three sided leek - thinly julienne the cabbage and rough cut the rest. I remove seeds as they can be unpalatable (bitter and fibrous)
A handful of mediterranean culinary herbs; I included thyme, sage, fennel, and toasted fennel seeds
Petals of a few calendula blossoms
3 tablespoons salt (smoked salt is divine here)
In a big big bowl, mix all of the above ingredients together. Scrunch the greens vigorously with the salt for a minute or so and let rest for ten or so minutes. The salt will wilt the greens and do a lot of the work of water-extraction for you. Come back to it and continue to scrunch till it’s juicy. Pack the young ferment into a very clean mason jar (I use a half gallon and a quart for this quantity of material). If it’s pretty juicy you won’t need to add a brine; if the liquid doesn’t cover the mash easily when you press it down, add brine in the ratio of (1 pint water: 1 T salt) till it’s fully immersed.
Press down daily to keep the greens mash completely submerged. It will bubble most vigorously a few days into fermentation; it’s most important to be vigilant with pressing it down during these days so that the environment remains as anaerobic as possible to foster proper successions of beneficial bacteria. I think of this as akin to the succession of primary then secondary species in a forest; it’s really important to provide the right environment in the early stages for the secession to easily take place. During this time, groups of bacteria form and die off and others rise in their wake/wastes. Eventually, the system becomes relatively stable; at this point, the kraut is ready. At this point, after a few weeks to a month at room temp, move it to a cold cellar or fridge for storage.
Enjoy mixed into soups, salads, eggs, fresh juices, sautées, etc.
