Week 25: Fermentation

This week in the pack we expect to have Ambrosia apples; squash; garlic; salad mix; cabbage; leeks; daikon radish; potatoes; kale; a bag of root vegetables; herbs; and eggs.

Leeks, cabbage, daikon…hmm, what to do…? Here are some ideas from David’s fall/winter kitchen.

Leeks are tremendously versatile. Sauté them, and add them to soup for a creamy, thick texture. Added to any slow cooked meat dish, they impart a delightful sweet onion flavour and creamy texture. I sometimes cook leeks and chicken in a crock pot with nothing more than salt, pepper and half a cup of water. Usually, I go further and add curry spices, cream, and tomatoes. Whatever direction you take, the leeks will make a great beginning to your meat dish!

We also love to sauté them in a pan and then scramble eggs with them for breakfast. Since we’ll be giving out lots of leeks over the next three weeks, you may end up with a surplus. If so, you can easily freeze them. Simply sauté the leeks in a bit of olive oil and pack tightly into a bag or container with no air included. This year we also added leeks to Kim Chee (see below).

Taking cabbage cookery beyond cole slaw is a worthwhile journey! My favourite way to prepare it is lacto-fermentation. Every year we try to make three cabbage-based ferments. Red cabbage sauerkraut with caraway seeds, traditional green cabbage kraut, and my personal favourite, the spicy ferment from Korea known as Kim Chee. Kim Chee is usually made with Nappa cabbage but Savoy cabbage also works well. Kim Chee is not only tasty, it makes winter meal preparation so much easier. The vegetables are already chopped and combined, and the fermentation is like ‘cooking’. Scoop some out of the jar and on to your plate. Traditional fast food! And the best thing is it is so incredibly good for our digestive system! We love Kim Chee time of year and so do our tummies. Easy Kim Chee recipe.

The huge white radish you’ll be seeing in your packs are Daikon. We like it sliced thin and added to stir fries, grated raw into salads and best of all, fermented on its own or added to Kim Chee.