I'm passionate about fermentation, but sometimes I get that craving for a vinegar-based pickle, and nothing else will satisfy. When the desire struck me, I had some vinegar, and I had some sunchokes for which I had no immediate plans, so it was natural enough to combine the two, along with lots and lots of garlic and spices.
Sunchokes are sometimes called Jerusalem artichokes, but they are neither Middle Eastern in origin nor even remotely like an artichoke; Americans misunderstood the Italian pronunciation and thus, the name stuck. Sunchokes are native to the U.S. and they're actually related to the sunflower, which is apparent if you see their humongously tall stalks growing above ground. We've been given sunchokes from a friend and they seem to be very easy to grow - though they do need to be dug up and replanted to have the best quality - so we might give it a try ourselves.
Sunchokes contain inulin, a prebiotic starch that feeds beneficial bacteria. Prebiotics can cause abdominal distress if eaten in large quantities, so it's best to enjoy just small amounts of raw sunchokes. Pickled or fermented, however, they're far more digestible, and sunchokes are very helpful as a starch substitute for those with unstable blood sugar.
I don't have much experience with sunchokes. The last time our friends sent some home with us, I fermented them along with other root vegetables. I've never yet eaten them roasted, baked, or boiled, but I'm told they make a very good soup, so I'll try them that way soon (since they are a spring vegetable).
I don't have a canner, so I just made these for the refrigerator. If you want to store them, leave an inch of headspace and process them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Pickled Sunchoke
1 lb. sunchokes, sliced thinly (no thicker than half an inch)
juice of 1 lemon
brine:
2 c. apple cider vinegar
2/3 c. water
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 dry red chiles, such as japones
2 bay leaves
3 T. unrefined sugar
1 T. mustard seed
2 t. coriander seed
1 1/2 t. cumin seed
1 t. fennel seed
1 t. unrefined salt
Cover the chokes with cold water and lemon juice while preparing the brine.
Clear out the room and combine the brine ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Whisk ingredients to combine. Don't breathe too deeply!
Turn off the heat.
Drain the choke slices and pack them into sterilized jars (1 quart, 2 pints, or 4 half-pints).
Pour the hot brine over the top.
Refrigerate the pickles for at least a week before eating.
Shake the jar occasionally.
They will have the best flavor after two weeks.
They should keep in the refrigerator for about a month.
Enjoy!
1 lb. sunchokes, sliced thinly (no thicker than half an inch)
juice of 1 lemon
brine:
2 c. apple cider vinegar
2/3 c. water
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
3 dry red chiles, such as japones
2 bay leaves
3 T. unrefined sugar
1 T. mustard seed
2 t. coriander seed
1 1/2 t. cumin seed
1 t. fennel seed
1 t. unrefined salt
Cover the chokes with cold water and lemon juice while preparing the brine.
Clear out the room and combine the brine ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Whisk ingredients to combine. Don't breathe too deeply!
Turn off the heat.
Drain the choke slices and pack them into sterilized jars (1 quart, 2 pints, or 4 half-pints).
Pour the hot brine over the top.
Refrigerate the pickles for at least a week before eating.
Shake the jar occasionally.
They will have the best flavor after two weeks.
They should keep in the refrigerator for about a month.
Enjoy!
4 comments:
I first learned about sunchokes from "Get It Ripe" by jae steele (my favorite vegan cookbook). She roasts them like "fries" and I was intrigued. But once I finally found them here, they were approximately $9lb and I know they aren't super heavy, but it was still out of my price range for a side item. One day I'll shell out for them! But these look yum. I really need to try to do some pickling-- I'm mostly worried about the extreme humidity here and how that will affect my stuff.
I'll have to look up that cookbook! Nine dollars a pound is crazy expensive. For the second batch of these I bought them at a regular grocery store, and a pound was about $3. Maybe I'll grow them myself and ship some up to you. :)
When you say you're worried about humidity, do you mean with regular vinegar pickling, or with fermentation? With fermentation, it can be a little tricky. You'd just have to be very careful that you're using enough salt and/or whey and keeping the veggies under the water line, since mold will reproduce like mad in those conditions. But I can't think of any reason why humidity would affect vinegar pickling. I'm not an expert, though.
I think you would like the cookbook. It's the most "whole foods" type of cookbook out there, and while I don't love everything out of it, most of it focuses on fresh, local ingredients. She has a new book coming out soon, called "Ripe from Around Here" which is about local and seasonal food, so that one might be more up your alley.
I'm more interested in fermentation. I would of course enjoy vinegar pickling because I love pickled anything, but I'm just thinking that if I'm going to pickle something, I might as well do fermentation (since I am obsessed with Bubbie's pickles and sauerkraut but my wallet can't afford them). I guess I could attempt it with cabbage and carrots since they're so inexpensive, and since I'm mostly home all day now thanks to summer, I can spend all day watching it. Thanks for the tips!
I love fermented foods. Sauerkraut is crazy easy to make. Carrots will probably need whey, because of their density, but cabbage takes care of itself, so it's a good place to start.
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