I’ve been wanting to try this for a while. Brussels sprouts are in the same family as cabbage so one would thing they would lend themselves well to fermenting.
Brussels sprouts, peas and olives were the only foods I didn’t like as a child. I’ve come to love olives, enjoy peas (not the frozen variety though), and Brussels sprouts were next on my list to conquer. I’d been hesitant to try them again since the memory of the one time I had them as a child is burned into my mind as a very unpleasant experience. But with my quirky palate, I always thought I should like Brussels sprouts. Like olives, I think I just had a bad first experience. I finally found a beautiful bunch that just called to me. I tried frying 1 lb of them up using Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen’s recipe for Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Piima Cream, and yes, they were wonderful. Everything I thought they should be.
So of course next I wanted to try fermenting some. Since this is my first time fermenting Brussels Sprouts, I’m keeping it simple. I might play with flavors next time.
Brine Pickled Brussels Sprouts
- 1lb Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and halved
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2 shallots, sliced thin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 cup fresh whey (or an additional tbsp of salt)
- filtered water
Layer Brussels sprouts, shallots and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle salt and whey over the top and fill with filtered water to cover. Shake jar gently to dissolve salt. Let set at room temp for about a week. Place in cold storage.
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[…] frozen vegetable. I had a reader ask once if using frozen brussel sprouts would work for the Brine Pickle Brussel Sprouts. Since freezing can kill off some of the bacteria, this is a case where using a starter might be […]
almost all frozen vegetables have been blanched in boiling water before freezing.
If you have some leftover home made fresh sour kraut brine (already finished), add some to the fresh brine for the sprouts.
I like starting my ferments without anything but salt and water. Adding brine from another ferment adds end stage bacteria at the beginning causing the ferment to skip steps. I find letting ferments go through the natural stages of fermentation results in a better ferment.
Er… that’s the cloudy brine from the fermented kraut to the fresh/clear brine for the sprouts… I think that’s better.
Question – after you ferment the brussel sprouts, can you cook them or just eat them out of the jar?
You can cook them, but I wouldn’t. They are full of beneficial bacteria that you want to keep alive. Just eat them straight out of the jar. Yum!
I have two questions: what size jar and do I have to cook the salt water (make brine)?
I would like to know the size jar as well as that does make a difference in the water to salt ratio. Sandor Kantz recommends for his brine 1 tsp salt to 1 cup water. http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/ Look at #6 for his recipe for the brine.
That’s about what I recommend too. 4 tsp of a fine grain salt is about 20 grams so that’s 1 tsp per cup. Size doesn’t matter because you just fill the jar with veggies to the shoulder and then pour the brine over the top. You add the salt to the water, not the jar with the veggies, and use as much salt water as needed to fill to the shoulder.
how long will they last in fridge once fermented?
regards