lebanese turnip pickles

Eep! Another hiatus. I’ve been busy harvesting the abundance of  fall. This season feels best of all to me. The leaves have their first blush of yellow and sound crisp when they hit the ground. Fall offers a profusion of all of my favourite foods, with the promise of a restful season of reading and planning yet to come. One of my favourite aspects of the season is the challenge of putting up all that food.

Which brings me today to…Lebanese Turnip Pickles! Unlike nearly all pickles found today, these are fermented rather than boiled in vinegar.

These taste distinctively turnip-y, with that lovely crisp bite and slow heat. The beetroot is what gives the turnips their bright pink colour, and does mellow the sharpness of the turnips a bit. I really love the way the tang of fermentation works with the turnips.

Lactic fermentation is the only food preservation method which not only retains all the nutrients of the fresh food, but also increases digestibility and the availability of many nutrients. Fermentation imports many beneficial microflora which help aid in digestion, train the immune system and actually create many vitamins and enzymes otherwise unavailable.

Lactic microbial organisms develop spontaneously in an environment containing the vegetables to be fermented, their juices, salt and sometimes a brine made of un-chlorinated water (I boil mine) and salt. The microbial organisms convert the natural sugars of the vegetables into lactic acid. Lactic acid, much like the acetic acid in vinegar, creates an environment too acidic for bacteria to survive in.

Lebanese Turnip Pickles

makes about 2 quarts

2-1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 2″ cubes

1 beet, peeled and sliced

a few cloves of garlic, if you like

4-5 C water, depending on how tightly you pack the turnips

1 C organic apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp salt

Pack the quartered turnips into clean jars, distributing the garlic and beet slices as you go. Combine the salt, vinegar and water. Pour into your jars, ensuring the turnips are completely covered. Exposure to air will cause spoilage. The pickles will be ready in 5 days and are at their peak around day 10.