Curtido (Latin fermented cabbage)

Описание: New to fermentation? Let me give you my tips. Cabbage (aka sauerkraut) is usually the gateway to all things fermented. But if you find traditional sauerkraut kind of meh, give curtido a try. Cabbage, yes, but also carrot, onion, jalapeno and oregano. Delightful.

Curtido
Fermentation recipe adapted from recipes by Melissa K Norris and Homesteading Family (I think it originated with the book Nourishing Traditions).

One head of cabbage, sliced thin
One cup onion, sliced thin
One cup carrots, julienned (or shredded)
One to two japapenos, sliced thin (want more spice? Leave the seeds in. Or substitute a hotter pepper. Want no spice? Substitute a sweet pepper of choice.
About 2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1 tbsp dried)

Weigh all ingredients in grams. Then add 2% salt (for example, 1000 g of vegetables x .02 = 20 g salt).

Mix salt with vegetables in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Then massage the vegetables until a good amount of juice is releases.

Pack vegetable/salt mixture into jars, packing down firmly so that juice/brine covers everything. Place a whole leaf of cabbage over the mixture to hold down the floaty bits. Place weight on top of veg so that everything stays submerged (many options for this including a bag of salt water brine). Leave about an inch of air space. Cap with fermentation cap (something that lets gas out but keeps insects/dust out).

After a couple of days your mix will appear cloudy and fizzy and likely be actively bubbling (depends on your room temperature how fast this happens). After 4 or 5 days you can start to taste the mixture (clean utensils, don't double dip). I like mine after about 7 days, but you can ferment for longer if you like. Once done to your liking, remove cover leaf and stash in the refrigerator, where it will keep for months.

Link from The Probiotic Jar chart for salt recommendations depending on the vegetable: http://www.probioticjar.com/brine.html

Link to the spring weights/lids used in this video(affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3sOop33