Preserving the Harvest, part 2, Salt Pickles

In the previous document, I showed how to make 2 kinds of Kimchi. While Kimchi are all salt pickles, the method for them is different than the western method I will present here. Below are recipes for Garlicy Cucumber Pickles and Sauerkraut. Making western style salt pickles is very simple. You just pack cut fruits or vegetables in a moderate amount of salt. You can add spices or leave them plain. You can experiment with the method and see what works for other vegetables, not just the ones used here.You can try making kraut out of other cruciferous vegetables, or try salt pickling peppers. The sky is the limit.

Sauerkraut
Rinse a head of cabbage, shred or slice into long strips. Into a clean jar, put a teaspoon of pickling or sea salt. pack in a single layer of cabbage. Sprinkle in salt and add another single layer of cabbage. Pack it down tight with an oak dowel each time. Repeat until the jar is full. Cover the top of the jar but don't screw the lid down. Leave it on the counter for a few days. In time, the jar will fill with liquid and the cabbage will ferment and turn sour. When it tastes as sour as store-bought kraut, you can water bath can it or store it in the refrigerator.

Garlicky Cucumber Pickles
Slice fresh ripe cucumbers into rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Back them into a clean jar with salt in the same manner as the kraut, except that you also add garlic along with the salt. If the liquid that accumulates in the jar does not cover after 1 day, add some distilled water to cover. As with the kraut, let set out on the counter until they are quite sour. Then you can refrigerate or can them.