Gildrien Farm

From Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. Kimchi definitely falls into the “art” rather than “science” category – feel free to adjust ingredients to taste. You’ll want to keep the salt ratio about the same, though, as that’s what makes the environment right to support lactobacteria rather than other, uninvited, bacteria.

For one quart:

Sea Salt (non-iodized)
1 lb Napa cabbage, chopped
1 daikon radish, sliced
1 or 2 carrots, sliced
1 or 2 onions and/or some scallions
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 hot chiles (or to taste)
3 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1.      Mix a brine of 4 cups water and 4 tablespoons salt. Stir to dissolve salt.

2.      Soak the veggies in the brine, covered with a plate or weight to keep them submerged, a few hours or overnight, until soft.

3.      Mix the spices into a paste.

4.      Drain and reserve the brine. Taste the vegetables for saltiness – you want them to taste decidedly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste salt, add a couple teaspoons and mix.

5.      Mix the vegetables with the spice paste. Mix everything together and stuff into a clean quart-sized jar. Pack tightly, pressing down until brine rises. If necessary, add a little reserved brine to submerge the vegetables. Weigh the vegetables down with another jar or zip-lock bag, and cover with a clean cloth to keep out flies and dust.

6.     Ferment in a warm place, checking every day. When it reaches your desired level of sourness, put in the fridge. It should keep for at least a month, but will get softer and more sour.