OUR DELICIOUS DAY

This weekend we met for a tour of Stroud Green Markets in the midst of spring. The weather was a little breezy but the sun and hot coals kept us warm. Bob, from Perry Court farms, had his glorious display of Kentish veg on offer and we started the morning with a little walk around to pick up our ingredients.

April is an exciting time for growing, as it foreshadows the season ahead ! Whilst walking around we counted 8 different brassicas on offer, from spring greens to radishes they dominated the display :)

We started the class with the kitchen scrap sauerkraut first ! Squishing and squeezing our way to a delicious ferment. Each participant was able to choose their favourite spices and flavours of the batch, so remember to get creative!

Next up a simple pickled radish, this was an easy quick fix, which makes a delicious addition to all salads and dishes :)

Whilst we waited for the kraut to sit in it’s salty brine, I did a little cooking demo! This was our lunch :) Chargrilled purple sprouting broccoli, on a herby lemony yogurt, with a spicy fava bean dukkah. Served with a semolina focaccia !

BRASSICAS :

A family of vegetables, sometimes classified under the mustard family or as crucifourous veg, these guys thrive in cooler periods of the year, and will provide most of our fresh vegetable intake during the ‘hungry gap’ period. The “Hungry Gap” was traditionally a time of year, around March-April, when last seasons growth had come to its end, yet the new spring seedlings still await the warmth and sunshine of spring. We can sometimes struggle to think of homegrown veg during this time of year, but thats when the brassicas step in !

SOME VARIETIES:

Radishes
Mustard Greens
Cabbages (of all kinds!)
Turnips
Horseradish
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Rocket salad

During April , the best of the brassicas are the delicious Purple Sprouting Broccoli, creamy curds of Cauliflower, wild growing Mustard Greens and the new season RADISHES!

We dined on a delicious lunch of grilled Purple Sprouting Broccoli, lemony greek yogurt with parsley & dill, and a crunchy fava bean dukkah. This was mopped up with a lovely Olive oil Focaccia.

SPRING PICKLING + FERMENTING : The Recipes

Pickled Radishes & Red Onion

A delectable pickle to have on a sandwich, with eggs or a salad.

Ingredients

1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced ( green tops saved for kraut below!)

1 red onion , thinly sliced

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons of honey or sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon whole spices ( I like 1 tsp each of Fennel, peppercorn, mustard seed, and a pinch of chilli )

some paper towel

Method:

Place sliced veggies into clean jars and sprinkle in your spices of choice.
Dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water before adding in the vinegar.
pour over the pickling solution, topping up with more vinegar and water if you have run low.
Make sure your radishes are submerged, and use 4 folded kitchen roll pieces to act as a lid, placing it atop the radishes.
leave to pickle overnight, then place in the fridge for about a month, if they last that long !

Spring Time Sauerkraut : Zero Waste

SLICE, SALT, SQUEEZE

This is a base recipe, feel free to adjust and change according to what veggies you have, or what to use up !

500g Cabbage ( red, white, spring greens, chinese, sweetheart)

500g veggie scraps ( cauliflower leaves, radish tops, kale, fennel, spring onions, beets, carrots, herbs and stems ect )

approx 30g Salt ( 3% of veggie weight)

1 Tablespoon of whole spices of your choosing ( fennel seed, corrinader seed, caraway, peppercorns, dried chillies ect)

optional : grated ginger, grated garlic, fresh chillies, turmeric.

Method:

Sterilise your jars + lids by rinsing with boiling water, or popping them in a dishwasher.
SLICE: the cabbage and veggie scraps into lovely shreds, you can decide wether you like it chunky or thinly sliced. place them into a large bowl to weigh as you go. you may also use a mandoline or grater if you are making a large batch.
SALT: the mixture with 3% of the gross weight. Sprinkle over the salt and gently toss, no need to squeeze to hard as the salt will do all the hard work in drawing out the moisture. This will release the fermentable sugars whilst also inhibiting the growth of undesirable bacterias.
Leave the cabbage to macerate for 1-2 hours, this will gradually bring out all the water.
SQUEEEEZEEEEE: now, take fistfuls of your veg and squeeze to release the brine. depending on how big your batch is, and how many hands you have helping out, this can take a good 5-10 minutes of squishing. It is quite therapeutic!
Now add your choosen spices, or you could try a simple kimchi spice paste and fold that through.
Start to pack down the kraut into your jars, making sure to press down tightly to reduce the air bubbles in the jar. Pour over any leftover brine to cover the cabbage, and make sure to leave a gap at the top of the jar.
To weigh down the ferment, use a large leaf of cabbage, or a piece of baking paper on top of the kraut. then you can use a heavy fermenting weight, any baking beans, or a bag full of water to keep the cabbage under the brine.
Close the lid, and place on a large plate to catch any drips. store at room temperature to ferment for 4-10 days. This is fairly variable as every kitchen has different temperatures and we all enjoy varying degrees of funk : )
open your jar every few days to burb the Kraut, and check it is still submerged and once you start seeing bubbles you can give it a taste. When you are satisfied with the flavour - pop it in the fridge for up to 6 months!