Description
Use either red or green varieties of rhubarb in your fermented pickles, as well as a wide variety of herbs and spices. The rhubarb loses some of its tartness during the fermentation process, but not all of it. Warm, sweet herbs like cinnamon, fennel, and cardamom soften the bite of pickled rhubarb. While hot spices like chilies, cloves, and bay leaves marry well with the astringency of the rhubarb.
Ingredients
3 to 5 stalks of rhubarb
Sweet Variety:
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 3 sticks of cinnamon, broken
- 6 whole cardamom pods
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
- ½ inch piece of ginger peeled, finely sliced
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon fermentation culture from a successful batch of fermented vegetables.
Savory Variety:
- 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 dried chilies
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon fermentation culture from a successful batch of fermented vegetables.
Instructions
- Prepare wide mouth pint jars by washing and sanitizing the jar, the lid, and the FermenTools glass weight.
- Wash and trim the rhubarb stalks. Cut them the same length as the pint mason jars, so that when they are placed upright in the jars they fit just under the shoulder of the jars, or within 2 inches of the rim of the jar.
- Place the spices of your choice in each jar, whether the sweet or the savory spices.
- Add the fermentation culture from a successful batch of fermented vegetables. Citrus is especially successful with rhubarb.
- Place the rhubarb in the jar, so that the stalks are upright.
- Mix the Himalayan salt and water together to make the brine. Pour over the rhubarb in the jar.
- Use a clean knife and dislodge any air bubbles that are present in the jar.
- Place a glass weight in the top of each jar. Place the fermentation lock and secure it with a canning jar band. Set aside.
The jar will begin to bubble after 24 to 48 hours. The pressure will cause the rhubarb stocks to rise slightly in the jar. When the pressure drops and the rhubarb sinks, the fermentation is complete.
Remove the glass weight and the fermentation lock. Place a standard wide-mouth lid on the top of the jar and refrigerate the fermented rhubarb. Allow the fermented rhubarb to rest for a week to a month to allow the flavors to meld. Serve as sticks of rhubarb, in a pickle dish. The rhubarb is a delightful, unique addition to the pickle tray and provides additional digestive enzymes and probiotics.
Keywords: rhubarb, ferment
