These sweet, crunchy, and colorful fermented vegetables are a great introduction for those new to fermented foods. Try this same formula with a variety of vegetables, from daikon radish to garlic scapes, Swiss chard stems to red onions. Don’t fear the jalapeño, as it’s heat will diffuse into the brine, giving it just the slightest bit of kick and making the peppers much milder.
Watermelon Radish and Sugar Snap Peas
These sweet, crunchy, and colorful fermented vegetables are a greatintroduction for those new to fermented foods. Try this same formula with avariety of vegetables, from daikon radish togarlicscapes, Swiss chard stems to red onions.
Equipment
- 1 wide-mouth, quart-size glass jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 medium watermelon radish
- 2 carrots, any color, trimmed
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- Generous pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 heaping teaspoons sea salt
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Scrub but do not peel vegetables. Cut radish and carrots into sticks or rounds of similar size. Remove and discard ends from peas. Trim off ends of jalapeños, discard seeds, and cut into thin lengths.
- Pack garlic, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes, if using, into base of jar. Pack vegetables firmly into jar, filling to 1 inch below rim. Vegetables will shrink as they ferment, so really pack them in! Place 3-4 vegetable sticks horizontally over top to keep vegetables submerged.
- In liquid measuring cup, make brine by dissolving salt in water. Pour into jar to fully cover vegetables and fill to just below rim. Seal jar with lid and place on plate away from sunlight and heat.
- “Burp” daily (hold jar over sink, unseal lid to release pressure, reseal, and place back on plate to continue fermenting). Vegetables will be lightly fermented in 5 days and will become more sour the longer they ferment. When taste is to your liking, discard the vegetable sticks used to hold vegetables below brine. Seal bottle and store in refrigerator.
Notes
Excerpted from NOURISH, © Terry Walters 2022. Photos by Julie Bidwell Photography.