Garden Kim Chi

We started the first batch of kim chi of the year today. I am really excited to say that everything we put in it came from the garden!

For those of you who don't know what kim chi is; it is pretty much fermented vegetables. It is usually somewhat spicy, and traditionally made with fish sauce. However, we didn't use fish sauce.

We also made a batch of sauerkraut.

I got the recipe from a really great book called Wild Fermentation. My sister bought it for me after I checked it out from the library and kept talking about it. It is a really great resource for people new at making fermented foods.

Fermented foods are full of microorganisms that make our immune systems stronger. I try to remember to eat fermented foods on a regular basis.

Kim chi is not only good for you, but it also a good way to preserve vegetables when you have an abundance.

Here's what we made today:

Two jars of root vegetables with beets, carrots, turnips, garlic, and hot peppers.
One jar of cabbage and root vegetables, and one sauerkraut, all with hot peppers!

They should be ready to eat in about a week. Yum!