When it’s high season at the farmers’ market I often buy way too many vegetables because everything is so beautiful and fresh. I like to preserve the excess veggies by fermenting them into healthy probiotic treats. Fermenting is simple and requires no special equipment although a few tools like Mason jar weights, Pickle Pebbles for example, and venting lids like Pickle Pipes or Stainless Steel Fermentation Lids will make it easier.
Ingredients:

- 1 lb bok choy
- 1 lb turnips
- 2 large carrots
- 1 small purple onion
- 2 garlic cloves quartered
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon chipotle chili flakes
- 1 Teaspoon fish sauce
- 4 Tablespoons sauerkraut juice (optional)
- 2 clean 1 quart Mason jars with lids
- 1 large non-reactive bowl
Directions:
- Wash and chop the bok choy stems into 1/2 inch lengths
- Chop the bok choy leaves into 1 inch squares
- Very thinly slice the turnips and carrots (I used a food processor)
- Halve the onion and thinly slice
- Mix the vegetables, garlic, salt, fish sauce, and chili flakes in the large bowl and let it wilt for 2 hours
- Tightly pack the quart jars with vegetable mix, really mash it down to exclude air
- Pour the liquid from the bowl evenly into the two jars
- Add 2 tablespoons fresh sauerkraut juice to each jar, if available
- Fill the jars with filtered (non-chlorinated) water to cover the vegetables
- Tap the jars on the counter to release bubbles and refill with water until no more bubbles are released
- Weight the vegetables to keep them under the water
- Screw on lids or vented lids
- Place each jar in a bowl in a warm place (70-75 Fahrenheit) out of direct sun
- Let ferment about a week until bubbling slows or stops
- Remove the weights and add enough filtered (non-chlorinated) water to cover the vegetables
- Store in refrigerator
Notes:
- Periodically pour out any juice that overflows from the jars into the bowls.
- Use 1 tablespoon of salt per 2 pounds of vegetables. Any non-iodized salt will work.
- Never use chlorinated water because it will kill the fermentation bacteria and the vegetables will spoil.
- Sauerkraut or other fermented vegetable juice will hasten the fermentation but is not required.
- The smaller/thinner the vegetables are sliced the faster they will ferment.
- Cabbage and other vegetables are traditionally fermented for six weeks to six months so don’t panic if yours are still bubbling after a week.
- Options for keeping vegetables under water include:
- Zip lock bag containing a small amount of water crammed into the top of the jar (throw away the bag afterwards)
- Half an apple mashed onto the vegetables
- Cabbage leaf crammed onto the vegetables
- Fermentation weights made for wide mouth jars