The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Cabbage and lactofermenting

Cabbage harvest

We harvested our cabbages in three sittings this week because our bushel basket would only hold four or five heads at a time. Plus, I learned that the goats will eat at least some of the outer leaves, but that they're more interested if I only bring up half a wheelbarrow-full at a time.

Husking cabbageWe'll eat some of these cabbages right away, then will freeze some and store some in the fridge to be added to harvest catch-all soup for winter. Unfortunately, despite last year's experiments with lactofermenting, we haven't come up with a fermented cabbage recipe that we enjoy.

On the plus side, goat cheese seems to feed our guts with the same bacteria and fungi you'd get in sauerkraut, and Mark notes that his tummy feels better this year than ever before. My stomach, on the other hand, never needs any help, presumably because of those gallons of dirt I ate as a child.



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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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i just am amazed that you are harvesting cabbages already. you are zone 6, right? but seem months ahead of us in the garden.
Comment by deb Sat Jun 20 19:04:59 2015
Perhaps you could try a Kimchi recipe for fermented cabbage? I know the flavor isn't for everyone, but it could be worth looking into.
Comment by jamie Sun Jun 21 15:49:13 2015

deb --- It's all about getting an early start with cabbages. We start the seedlings inside, then set them out as soon as nights are rising about 25 degrees (covering as needed if it dips back below 25 for a night or two). Early cabbages = much less buggy cabbages! Also, they're sweeter if they don't have to deal with too much heat.

Jamie --- After our other lactofermenting experiments, I'm afraid I'm leery. Apparently Mark and I are just picky eaters when it comes to fermented cabbage. :-)

Comment by anna Mon Jun 22 15:08:32 2015





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