31 Jan A wintery, layered ferment of swede, garlic and celery

Another white “ćwikła” ferment idea

We have been getting some swedes in our winter veg boxes recently. I have been duly roasting them, but then, we realised that we actually prefer them crunchy, so I decided to ferment. I added a lot of garlic (because, winter) , celery (which I absolutely love fermented), a few, thin slices of ginger and tiny bit of turmeric for flavour. It’s basically another version of this white “ćwikła” I made for Cultures Group, inspired by a recipe I found in an old, Polish cookery book and hailing from Kresy, the old Eastern borderlands. Of course, in a “ćwikła”, we would traditionally use horseradish root instead of ginger, but I can’t seem to get any of that here in the UK. Until I start growing it myself, ginger it is.

How we make it

For this and most other ferments, we use a sterilised jar and some salty, pre-boiled water. I sterilise jars by putting them through a dishwasher cycle, then adding some 80-90 degree pre-boiled water (just wait for 5min after it has boiled) into the jar and placing a lid loosely on top for a few minutes, then swirl it around and pour it out. Do not pour freshly boiled water into a jar that’s been sitting on a kitchen counter and is cold, as that will usually break it (I never learn though). I often use some of that boiled water for the ferment too. I pour it into a measuring jug and wait for it cool down a bit. When it’s warm but not hot (you can comfortably stick a finger in it), I dissolve a tablespoon of good quality salt in it. I prefer pink Himalayan salt. Then we layer all the vegetables in the jar in layers – a layer of thinly sliced swede, a layer of garlic, another layer of swede, a layer of garlic…. and so on. You can also mix it all up together, kimchi style. If you do that, you may choose to grate the swede. All the measurement are approximations, you can always tailor to your needs and what you have in the fridge.

How we eat it

We have been eating this ferment Polish style, with rye bread “kanapki” mainly, although I have also been known to nibble at it straight from the fridge. Our lovely neighbours gave us some homemade, Sussex smokey pate (main photo) and a local doctor (and hunter) has been making a wonderful dried, venison sausage. The sausage is very much Polish-style sausage and goes brilliantly with the Polish mustards I happen to have (Sarepska and Jerozolimska) and every ferment I happen to have in my fridge. It’s heartwarming how we are all taking charge of our food production these days, and building communities based around sharing, just like in times past. I also love to eat a ferment like this with with an omelette or fresh rice with soya sauce and maybe a piece of grilled fish. The possibilities are endless though.

A recipe for a layered swede ferment with ginger and turmeric