Recipe: Lacto-fermented pickled red cabbage

One thing you will always find in my house is home made pickled vegetables in various stages of fermentation. My husband who is originally from Eastern Europe uses traditional methods to pickle all sorts of vegetables, usually brassicas. In Eastern Europe pickling is an essential method for preserving fresh produces for the winter months when they are more scarce.

Unlike most western pickling recipes they do not use vinegar but instead use a brine made simply by mixing water and salt along with some spices. My husband’s recipe uses filtered water which enables bacteria to grow in the 3.5% salinity. He also uses garlic for it’s flavour and anti-fungal properties and a bay leaf which keeps the cabbage crunchy despite being emerged in the pickling liquid.

You will need:

• 2 litre jar, sterilised (I used a gallon pickle jar from The Bottle Company)
• 1 medium red cabbage, sliced
• 500ml filtered water
• 13-15g of non-iodised salt
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns
• 5 garlic cloves, quartered

Method:

1. Place a third of your quartered garlic cloves to the bottom of the jar along with a third of your black peppercorns
2. Fill half of your 2 litre jar with the sliced red cabbage
3. Add another third of garlic and peppercorns
4. Fill jar with rest of cabbage
5. Add final third of garlic and third of peppercorns
6. In a bowl or jug dissolve your salt into the filtered water and pour into jar right to the top
7. Close lid and leave for at least 1 week in a dark, warm place to promote fermentation.
8. The pickle will produce gas during the fermentation process so it is important to ‘burb’ the cabbage every 2-3 days by opening the lid and allowing the gas to escape. Some of the pickling liquid may escape if the pickle is particularly fizzy so it’s best to put the jar onto an old tea towel or similar to catch the liquid as it can stain surfaces. If the very top becomes mouldy simply throw this bit away, the underneath will be fine to consume.

Lacto-fermented pickled red cabbage gives fantastic zing to salads, complements red meat and is best when matched with potatoes. Enjoy!