Pickled sunchokes - update 1
Mar. 9th, 2021 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
temporaryrealityIn response to sdi 's inquiry, I am here to report on the fermenting of a small batch of sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes).
I harvested in October when the north wind blew down my single stand of sunchokes before they'd even bloomed. Just to try out the variation, I peeled some and left others unpeeled, chopped them into about 1/2" long chunks, put them in a brine to ferment. Basically I followed this recipe: Jerusalem Artichoke Recipe (Pickled Sunchokes) | Hilda's Kitchen Blog. I changed the brine once, then at step 7 I stretched the instructions beyond their original intention, when the instructions say "once the sunchokes have been brined for a week..."
I brined them for...four months.
Anyway, I pulled them out a few days ago and gave them a taste. They were sour and salty and generally uninspiring. They were not moldy or soft, and in fact they retained their crunch, though they were definitely on the starchy end of things, consistency-wise. At that point in the recipe, I wouldn't be too into them. Also, in my opinion, they definitely should be peeled. The outer layer was too fibrous for my liking.
I proceeded with the second part of the process (creating a vinegar and spice solution to pour over the 'chokes and let them sit in the fridge for ...[checks recipe]... haha, well, it says this: "The pickled sunchokes will be ready to eat after three days but will taste better the longer they’re allowed to pickle"...Well, I won't let them go another four months!
Maybe another week?
sdi 's inquiry, I am here to report on the fermenting of a small batch of sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes).I harvested in October when the north wind blew down my single stand of sunchokes before they'd even bloomed. Just to try out the variation, I peeled some and left others unpeeled, chopped them into about 1/2" long chunks, put them in a brine to ferment. Basically I followed this recipe: Jerusalem Artichoke Recipe (Pickled Sunchokes) | Hilda's Kitchen Blog. I changed the brine once, then at step 7 I stretched the instructions beyond their original intention, when the instructions say "once the sunchokes have been brined for a week..."
I brined them for...four months.
Anyway, I pulled them out a few days ago and gave them a taste. They were sour and salty and generally uninspiring. They were not moldy or soft, and in fact they retained their crunch, though they were definitely on the starchy end of things, consistency-wise. At that point in the recipe, I wouldn't be too into them. Also, in my opinion, they definitely should be peeled. The outer layer was too fibrous for my liking.
I proceeded with the second part of the process (creating a vinegar and spice solution to pour over the 'chokes and let them sit in the fridge for ...[checks recipe]... haha, well, it says this: "The pickled sunchokes will be ready to eat after three days but will taste better the longer they’re allowed to pickle"...Well, I won't let them go another four months!
Maybe another week?
no subject
Date: 2021-03-10 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-03-10 07:11 pm (UTC)I haven't had the problem, but mostly because I haven't totally cultivated a taste for sun chokes beyond trying to grow them (they don't like my tough love approach, so we're not even making it that far).
If pickled turns out good, though, I might soften up on them :)