For this month’s Taste & Create, I was paired with My Green Mouth. It was perfect timing, because just as I was looking at the recipe archive to find one I wanted to re-create, I got some radishes from my CSA. I am not a fan of radishes, but My Green Mouth had a recipe for pickled radishes that struck my interest.

Here is what I did:

I washed and sliced a bunch of freshly picked radishes. These went in a Ball jar with a few (or more… how spicy do you like it?) dried thai chili peppers.

I a Pyrex measuring cup, I dissolved 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice and 1 TB pickling salt into 1 cup red wine vinegar. Then I poured the vinegar mixture over the radishes and put a lid on it. My Green Mouth suggests that these radishes are ready to eat after 24-hours in the fridge. I, unfortunately, will be going out of town, so I’ll let you all know how they turned out in a few days when I return.

With one head of napa cabbage from Ollin Farm’s CSA I made Kimchi. With the second head, I tried the Japanese version: Kimuchi.

Again, I followed the instructions in The Joy of Pickling:

• 1 head napa cabbage, cored
• 3.5 TB pickling salt
• 1 medium sized carrot, thinly sliced and slivered
• 1 apple, coarsely grated
• 3 scallions chopped into thin rounds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 TB Korean ground dried hot pepper (thanks again to Savory Spice Shop)
• 1 cup water

The book says to halve the cabbage and then quarter it to gently separate the leaves, and then sprinkle them with 3 tablespoons of salt, rubbing it into the leaves. Set this aside in a large bowl, covered with a weighted plate for 8-10 hours.

Next, drain and rinse the cabbage, gently squeezing out excess liquid. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch squares, mix with the rest of the ingredients, pack into a jar, and wait… with a loosely fit lid for 3-6 days. Then tighten the lid and store in the fridge.

Definitely consult a legitimate reference for any canning or pickling. I am no expert here!

Our CSA from Ollin Farms had 2 large heads of napa cabbage. I had never bought napa cabbage. Never cooked with it. Never did anything with it, ever. So, I had no idea what to do with 2 large heads of napa cabbage.

I googled it… turns out napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, is often used for Kimchi. Since my sister-in-law (or common-in-law if that exists?) lives in Korea, I happen to know what Kimchi is. It is a staple in Korean diets, made of fermented Chinese cabbage.

I recently bought a book titled The Joy of Pickling, and I followed its Kimchi recipe, which reads as follows:

• 3 TB plus 1 tsp pickling salt
• 6 cups water
• 1 large head napa cabbage, cored and cut into 2-inch squares
• 6 scallions, slivered lengthwise and cut into 2 inch slivers
• 1.5 TB minced fresh ginger
• 1.5 TB minced garlic
• 2 TB Korean ground dried hot pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

Next, you pack it into a large jar, cover the top with some brine, put a bag into the top of the jar and fill that with brine, and then let it sit and ferment for 3-6 days. We’ll see if I like it.

By the way: I had all of the ingredients at home except for Korean dried peppers, so I went to Savory Spice Shop. Wouldn’t you know… they sell Korean dried peppers!

I ground them in my mortar and pestle. Once again, Savory Spice Shop saved the day!

I bought homemade pickled papaya and pickled mustard greens from the local chinese grocer here in Boulder.

I really like the pickled papaya.