Wild Greens Kimchi

Ingredients:

3 cups (750ml by volume) finely-shredded wild greens, (eg dandelion leaves, black mustard leaves, ramsons, watercress, or curly dock [or any edible wild greens you can forage])
1 1/2 cups (375ml by volume) white or savoy cabbage, or variants such as napa, bok choy, or even brussels sprouts
5-8 garlic cloves
1 onion
3/4 cup (200ml by volume) chilli powder (either mild or insanely hot, if you like it that way)
2 cups (475ml by volume) spring water or distilled water
1 tbsp pure sea salt (with no additives or anti-caking agents)
3 large cabbage leaves (large curly dock or mustard greens would work as well)
cloth lids and elastic bands

Method:

Clean all the wild greens and vegetables you will be using. Cut the cabbage into quarters and trim out the core. Shred each quarter into 6mm wide ribbons, enough to fill 1 cup (250ml by volume). Slice your wild edibles into thin ribbons as well – you can mix different plants such as dandelion, watercress, and curly dock. You will need around 2 1/2 to 3 cups (625-770ml by volume).

Using a blender or a molcajete (stone grinder), make a paste with the garlic, onion, and chilli powder (a stone grinder gives the paste a coarser texture and doesn't heat up to cook it). However, a nice smooth paste works just as well.

Wash your hands, scrubbing them with water and soap for at least 20 seconds (this is to ensure you do not unintentionally add undesirable bacteria to the mix). Then mix all the ingredients together with your hands for a couple minutes.

Thoroughly clean your jars (I usually scrub in bottling liquid for making beer then dry in a low oven, but you pan pasteurise too). Pack the jars tightly with the mixed ingredients; the jars should be about three-quarters full, but no more. A canning funnel is helpful for filling the jars, but it’s not essential.

Prepare a brine with the water and sea salt. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved. Pour into the jar, leaving 3-4cm headspace.

With clean hands, fold the large cabbage leaves (or other large leaves) to fit the jar’s mouth and push down. The idea is to create a seal so your shredded ingredients stay under the surface of the brine. (This is important to avoid the fermentation going bad.)

You will need to weigh down all the ingredients to make sure they stay under the brine. I usually use a stone that I have thoroughly cleaned and pasteurised by boiling it for 15 minutes. Some people use other methods, such as a clean drinking glass that fits nicely inside the jar’s mouth, to push the ingredients down. Whatever you use, the idea is to keep everything under the brine. Use a spoon to remove any small floating bits as much as possible. Try to leave around a 12mm headspace and remove any excess brine. I also like to push down the stone a few times and let any air bubbles in the liquid escape. You want to remove the air pockets as much as possible to make sure that the ingredients are saturated with brine.

Place the cloth lid and elastic band onto the jars, making certain it isn’t too tight. The idea is to prevent any potential bacteria or flies from getting into your kimchi but at the same time allowing fermentation gasses to escape. It’s also a good idea to place the jar onto a plate. During the fermentation process, gas bubbles will form inside your ingredients and the contents may expand a little, causing excess liquid to escape. Once or twice a day I like to remove the lid and push the stone down again (using clean fingers) to let gas bubbles escape. You’ll see that there are a lot of them!

After 3-4 days, open the lid, smell, and use a spoon to taste the brine. It should be pleasant, spicy, and pungent. If it is to your liking, you can place the jars in your refrigerator, which will slow down the fermentation considerably. I typically eat my kimchi within a week or two of reaching this point.