Kimchi - Pickled Korean Vegetables

How I spent my Sunday. 

Some keep the Sabbath going to church,

I keep it staying at home,

With a bobolink for a chorister

And an orchard, for a dome.

Some keep the Sabbath in surplice,

I just wear my wings

And instead of tolling the bell, for church

Our little sexton sings.

God preaches, a noted clergyman,

And the sermon is never long,

So instead of getting to heaven, at last

I'm going, all along.

Emily Dickinson 1836                                                                                 

Kimchi - Pickled Korean Vegetables

I am very lucky to live in a part of the world that is full of abundance-we can grow food all the year round, even salads.  But, I have seen a lot of people over the years throw themselves with passion into their food gardens and then, when it came time to harvesting, not knowing what to do with their 'abundance' and then losing interest in the garden.  What a pity!

Eating from your garden is good practice for the future when healthy food may be in short supply.  This, inevitably,will require us to learn knew skills and explore dishes and cuisines we may not have tried before. 

The first lesson yesterday morning comes from 'Bushy' at the Mullumbimby Community Garden:  I was wandering around, looking at composting bins - as you do, when I came across a young man busy in the outdoor kitchen.  It was pretty early so I was curious what he was doing.  He was making something I have neither cooked nor eaten before - pickled Korean vegetables 'Kimchi'.  He explained that there was a glut of radishes, collard greens and lantern chillies in the garden - so with lots of garlic and ginger from the garden he was in the process of making this fermented pickle.  He found it delicious and ate it all the time.  He then carefully explained his recipe and showed me how to make it.  

KIMCHI-Korean chilli-pickled cabbage/vegetables

Kimchi is terrific with grilled or barbecued meats and fish, and with steamed rice. You can also shred some to toss through a stir-fry or hearty salad. I believe you can use many kinds of vegetables, but this is roughly Bushy's Kimchi.

2 daikon radish, sliced
1 cabbage 

2 litres water

3 tbsp sea salt

6 spring onions, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp hot chilli powder (or sliced, fresh chilli)

2 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt, extra

A Japanese or Korean table is simply not complete without some kind of pickle: every conceivable vegetable is sliced and pickled, to serve with steaming rice or as a condiment, and to add to soups, noodles and hot-pots. Imagine Japanese sashimi or sushi without a small bowl of pickled ginger/ wasabi and soy sauce - well kimchi is the equivalent in Korean cuisine? 

Cut the cabbage into quarters lengthwise, then cut each quarter into 3cm pieces crosswise so the cabbage looks like large chunks. 

Pour the water into a large bowl or bucket and stir in the salt until dissolved. Add the cabbage and cover with a heavy plate or lid to keep the cabbage weighted down and submerged in the salted water. Cover and leave for 12 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Rinse the cabbage well and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Mix the remaining ingredients with the cabbage and the extra teaspoon of salt. 

Pack into sterilised glass jars. Seal the jars and leave for five days until the pickle has developed its characteristic sourness. The longer the cabbage pickles, the better the flavour. It can be left for up to six months before opening. 

Makes 2 litres

The second lesson comes from Megan and her magnificent lemons:  Citrus is dropping off the trees around here at the moment and, shamefully, a lot of people just leave it there.  I don't know why people don't put a sign up 'help yourself'. 

I remember on my first trip to Athens being thrilled that the streets were lined with trees laden with oranges and on most corners somebody had set up a stall and was juicing them.  The fragrance when they were flowering was worth the trip alone. 

My friend Megan has an orchard for a back yard and has been giving away the fruit from her citrus trees for the past three months.  But what do you do with baskets full of lemons? 1.Ring up your Greek friend Despina and get a good recipe for a delicious sticky Lemon Yoghurt Cake - Yiaourtopita(see recipe) 2.Make jars of preserved lemons. 3.Home made lemon butter 4.Italian style limoncello.  All of these make great gifts and will keep in the fridge-the lemon butter for about three weeks and the limoncello and preserved lemons for up to a year.

I've got a lot to learn!

A common desert in Greece is simply candied citrus with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.  This kind of preserving has been used for centuries and become an art form. I could spend hours in this cake shop in Sifnos  - come to think of it, I did.