[USA] "Sauerruben" (Fermented Turnips)

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NorCal Kid
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[USA] "Sauerruben" (Fermented Turnips)

Post by NorCal Kid » Mon May 07, 2012 19:07

A recent harvest by my wife brought up these organic dandies from our garden...
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What to do with so many turnips?
I turned once again to the Marianski book ("Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles & Relishes") and found the answer: Fermented Turnips! :shock:

The weigh-in.
Just a bit over 4 pounds,; once trimmed a bit, they'll weigh pretty much 4 pounds on the nose.
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I used my food processor to slice these turnips. Hard, wet turnips are difficult to hold & slice thinly with a knife-and I didn't want to spend all morning slicing-so I went with the processor. Added kosher salt (2.5%) and gave them a good toss. Then let them sit for about 30 minutes. They sure smell STRONG! Some are rather hot...
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Packed tightly in a jar. I continued to press the turnip slices down with a potato masher to help them release juices. Soon, like the sauerkraut, the vegetables are covered in brine. I filled & sealed a food saver bag with brine & used that to weigh the turnips down.
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The Sauerruben now joins the fermenting beets on my upstairs landing. They'll need a bout 2 weeks to do their thing. Temps hover around 65-73° for the most part.

Kevin
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Last edited by NorCal Kid on Fri May 18, 2012 06:29, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by DLFL » Mon May 07, 2012 22:30

Interested in how both turn out.
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Post by uwanna61 » Mon May 07, 2012 23:12

Kevin
Do you ever take a break :mrgreen: You sure are a busy feller!

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Post by Baconologist » Tue May 08, 2012 03:24

Great start!

I love me some sauerruben.
Godspeed!

Bob
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue May 08, 2012 10:38

Excellent! I'm starting to believe that if you put your mind to it, you could ferment a brick and make it look and taste great! :lol: Nice work pal.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
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Post by NorCal Kid » Wed May 30, 2012 02:33

Time to try the fermented turnips!

Once I opened the jar, a sharp turnip/horseradish aroma greeted me. This was what I was expecting after having been slowly fermenting or about 3 weeks with temps 65-74°...

One taste... :shock: Wow.....NOT good. BITTER, hot and pretty awful.
Now granted, I'm not the biggest turnip fan to begin with, but this process brought out some of the worst things I don't like about them: strong dirt taste and bitter. Blehhhhh!

My wife got a big kick out of watching my facial expressions as I tired several bites of the sauerruben. I did have others (my brave sons) try the batch. Thumbs down all around. :cry:

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I will make sauerkraut and fermented beets again. 2 thumbs up there!
The fermented turnips I'll leave for the turnip fans.

Kevin
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Post by Butterbean » Wed May 30, 2012 03:46

Mine turned out tasting a lot like sauerkraut but their was a strong mustardy hotness that came in after a while. Not a big fan either but I guess I'd eat em if I was starving.
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