pickled cauliflower
heads up: this is a crock-based recipe, since the
off-gassing that occurs with the Brassica family wont
do for mason-jar use. this recipe is for a 10 liter
crock... now you have an excuse to buy one.
crock (we recommend Harsch fermentation crocks)
5-8 heads cauliflower -reduce to florets
3 heads garlic, seperated into cloves and peeled
10-15 chili peppers, fresh or dried
5 Tbl cumin seeds
15 Tbl sea salt -high quality
Wash the cauliflower well, and reduce to florets. to do this, remove the meaty stems and cut the cauliflower down to its little buds, hopefully bite-sized. if you need to reduce the larger florets, use your knife to split the stem of the floret and peel the halves apart. this reduces the powdery breakage that comes from cutting the cauliflower outright. now peel garlic (you will want to remove any green shoots: thats your garlic trying to sprout on you!). pack cauliflower and garlic into your fermenting crock, occasionaly sprinkling in peppers and cumin seeds. we used a mix of fresh and dried cayenne and tree chili peppers and left the stems intact. you could also use crushed red pepper, 3-5 Tbl depending on your spice desires.In a blender or bowl (we use the vitamix on low for 5 minutes), mix together filtered water and salt and till the salt has dissolved. pour into the crock, over the cauliflower. continue to add water until your cauliflower mixture is covered by a good 3 inches.Now you wait: 2 months. its a good idea to check on your awesome fermentation project every few weeks. take a little bit out and taste it, and use a clean cloth to wipe away any mold that may have formed near the top of the crock. the tasting is good practice to help you learn how the fermentation process progresses. its going to smell a little funky: do not be put off by the smell. thats the scent of magic taking place.
btw: we used some chlorella powder we got from BPC because we heard it would kick-start the fermentation process: 1 tsp for a 10 liter crock, blended with the salt water.