• 2 large golden beets, sliced very thin
• 5 to 6 chiles of your choice, sliced
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric or
• 2 teaspoons fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, soaked in just-boiled water for 5 minutes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 scant tablespoon salt
Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Beet Salad Variation
• 2 tablespoons goldenberries
• 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
• 1 to 2 tablespoon sliced candied ginger
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
1. Combine the beets, chiles, black peppercorns, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, and cardamom in a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle in the salt. The mixture should become moist as soon as you start massaging everything together.
2. Pack the mixture into a jar, pressing out any air pockets as you go. Press a zip-lock bag against the surface of the ferment, fill the bag with water, and zip it closed.
3. Place the ferment in a corner of the kitchen to cure. If you see air pockets, remove the bag, press the ferment back down with a clean utensil, rinse the bag, and replace.
4. Allow to ferment for 10 to 21 days. The colors of the ferment will mute, and the brine will become cloudy. The ferment is ready when it smells pleasingly acidic and tastes pickle-y, and it may have a bit of an effervescent zing. You can let it ferment longer for more sour and punch.
5. Screw on the jar lid and store in the refrigerator, where this ferment will keep for 10 to 12 months.
Learn more about lacto-fermenting in How to Ferment Hot Peppers.
Bio: Kirsten K. Shockey and co-author Christopher Shockey live on a 40-acre homestead in Oregon, where they’ve created more than 40 versions of cultured vegetables and krauts and have focused their efforts on teaching the art of fermentation. Excerpted with permission from Fiery Ferments (Storey Publishing, 2017).