Cardamom Squash Sauerkraut
I’ve tried a few times to use squash in a fermentation and this one finally seems to get a really nice balance of flavor. I got the inspiration from making a squash soup one wintry night and found that cardamom seemed to really enhance the flavor of the squash immensely. The process is a fairly straightforward sauerkraut-style fermentation and quite easy to make. I let this one ferment for a little longer than some which seemed to help. If the ferment is too short with this one, the squash flavors seem to dominate and the squash remains a little too crisp. WIth the longer ferment, the increased sourness puts the squash right where it belongs, not too upfront and not too hidden. If you try any modifications to this or have any suggestions for other ways you’ve successfully fermented with squash, please share your comments.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Fermentation time: 3 weeks
Yield: 4 pints
Ingredients:
3 1/2 lbs green cabbage
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash (skin and seeds removed)
3 Tbsp salt
1 tsp carroway seeds
1 1/2 Tbsp cardamom powder
Directions:
Prepare the cabbage and squash
Remove the skin from the butternut squash. Cut it open and remove the seeds. Grate the squash (I used a Cuisinart Food Processor, but any solid grater will do.Clean the cabbage by removing any outer leaves that may look a little distressed. If you don’t remove any leaves, clean the outside of the cabbage gently. Slice the cabbage into strips approx 1/4″ wide. (the size isn’t that important, more of an aesthetic decision that anything else.
Toss with salt
Place the cabbage and squash in a large bowl and toss with the salt. If the quantity of your squash and cabbage is different, the ratio to use is approximately 1 Tbsp salt for each 1 1/2 lbs of veggies. See Measuring and Using Salt in Fermentations. Let it sit for an hour or so and toss a few times.- Add in spices
Add the carroway seeds and cardamom powder and mix well to distribute evenly. - Place everything in fermenting vessel
Take all ingredients from the bowl including the liquid which may be pooling at the bottom and in your fermentation vessel. If you’re looking for one, I find this fermentation vessel works great, but I’ve also used 1 gallon Anchor Hocking cookie jars. - Compress
Compress the ingredients in the vessel by pressing down with your fist. Your goal is to have the liquid rise to more than cover the ingredients. Place a weight on top of the ingredients. If you use a fermentation crock, then it should come with it’s own weights. If you use the cookie jar approach, you can take a large bottle filled with water and use it as a weight or fill a plastic bag with water (be sure it doesn’t leak first).If the liquid doesn’t yet rise up sufficiently to cover the vegetables, don’t fret just yet. Just give it some extra time, perhaps up to 8 hours or overnight. Compress again. If the liquid still doesn’t cover it add some water and mix it all up good so the dissolved salt is well distributed. The more fresh your ingredients are, the more liquid will nautirally leach from the veggies. - Cover
- Wait impatiently
Leave it to ferment for about 3 weeks. Feel free to taste regularly as you go to get a feel for how the flavor changes, but be cautious to always use clean hands and limit the amount of time the lid is off as you don’t want to introduce mold spores or other microorganisms. - Jar it up
- Refrigerate
This helps to significantly slow the fermentation.
Serving Suggestions
This ferment is nice served as a simple side dish or mixed in with your lettuce-based salad.
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For years I’ve made green cabbage sauerkraut, but for whatever reason I never made the red kind. I tried it on your advice and I love the stuff. I put it raw on cold sandwiches – excellent.
I also make yogurt and kefir and I thought, why not? I made a batch of yogurt using the red cabbage kraut juice that was very dark. The first round made good yogurt, slightly pinkish, and smelled and tasted a bit like kraut. However the next batch was lily white with no kraut smell or taste and frankly it’s my best yogurt now having just made the 7th generation from that starter.
I am, believe or not, more Irish than anything else and I feel a Reuben coming on. I lay the kraut over the top at the end rather than have it suffer the broiler hoping to preserve the probiotics.
I did, buy the whey, get on your email list a few months ago.
Sounds great. I love your creative kitchen ideas. Well done!
I have been curious about squash ferments, and I recently made one that was really delicious. It called for butternut but I used Kabocha and also tried it with heirloom pumpkin. It is squash with lancinato Kale and pine nuts from the Kim Chi cookbook. It tastes great for about one month, then I found it too tangy for me to eat.Here is the recipe from the Kim Chi cook book:
1 1/2 pounds buttenut squash peeled, cored, quartered, and cut into 1/8 inch slices
4 1/2 cups water
2 Tablespoons salt, plus 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups lancinato (dino) kale about half a bunch
2 tablespoons Korean chili flakes
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon peeled, finely grated ginger
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup mushroom broth(1/2 cup dried shiitake, 1 cup boiling water) optional
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
In large bowl mix squash with 4 cups water and 2 Tablespoons salt. Set aside for 40 minutes then drain and allow squash to dry in colander.
Meanwhile, toss the kale with 2 teaspoons salt in colander and set aside for 15 minutes. Rinse off any excess salt with water then set over bowl and allow remaining water to drain into bowl. Set aside the water drained off the rinsed kale.
In large bowl, combine the squash and kale with chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and pine nuts and toss until seasonings are well incorporated. Place the mixture into a quart sized container with tight lid. Swirl the water drained off the kale and add 1/2 cup water and remaining 1/4 teaspooon salt, or use mushroom broth in place of water. Add the sugar to dissolve. Ladle the mixture into the container until one third of the contents are covered. ( it will produce more brine). Allow the mixture to ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days. refrigerate and consume within one month.
Wow, that sounds delicious! I love the idea of integrating kale into ferments, and adding a mushroom broth – such creative ideas in this recipe. Thanks Michelle for sharing!
Thank you so much posting this yummy recipe. I made it according to your recipe and put in my Perfect Pickler set up, it turned out perfect! My husband grilled some burgers and put a big spoonful on each burger before placing on a bun. OMG It was so delicious!
This recipe just finished it’s 3 week ferment and we cannot believe how scrumptious it is! I’m not a carroway fan so left it out. The cardamon is just wonderful. It’s totally great on it’s own, but so far we’ve it has enhanced our salads and soups. Thanks for all your creative ideas.
I’m just starting out and wonder if you have suggestions for a “crock” before investing in the costly professional ones that would work best. I’ve used a gallon pickle jar, but have not found the ideal something to place on top to keep the cabbage submerged. I have quart mason jars and ~6c glass jars. Do you have any suggestions for something to put on top of the fermenting vegetable?
The best weight I’ve found if you don’t want to buy a formal crock is a 1 gallon ziplock bag. Fill it enough, but not completely, and squeeze out most of the air too. When you do this, the bag of water can conform to the sides of your container, keeping particulates from settling in, and yet can allow gasses to pass through. Another option is a half gallon bottle filled with water and then fill in the gap between that bottle and your vessel with a towel. Then cover completely with a towel.
These crocks are ridiculously inexpensive: http://amzn.to/2iCEm3b
Good luck.