Pickled Greens Food

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS, CHINESE STYLE

Steps:

• Bring everything but the salt and mustard greens to a boil in a large pot. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Pour everything into a vessel that you can weigh, and weigh the water plus spices in grams. Write this down.
• Wash you mustard greens well, then shake them dry and weigh them in grams. Write this down.
• When it's cool, weigh out 2 percent of the total weight of greens + water + spices in salt. Dissolve this in the liquid. If you use fine-grained salt you should have no problem. If the salt doesn't want to dissolve, stir until it does.
• NOTE: If you don't want to weigh all this out, just use the salt ratio I have in the ingredients list. It is approximately the same, but not exactly.
• Get out your fermenting crock or 5 quart-sized Mason jars with 5 narrow jelly jars to keep the greens submerged. You need this many because you will only pack the greens in 3/4 of the way into the jars -- you want at least 1 inch of brine above the level of the greens.
• Submerge the greens in the brine, using a chopstick or skewer to get rid of any air bubbles. Put the weights on the greens if you have them. If not, place the Mason jars in the sink and put the narrow jelly jars in them. The brine will overflow but the narrow jar will prevent the greens from contacting the air. Set the jars on a baking sheet and put in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
• Let them ferment at least 3 days, or longer. Mold may form eventually. This is normal. I wait until the mold cap is pretty solid, then pick it off. It's not harmful unless it's black.
• Finish by packing jars tight with the fermented greens, leaving about 1/2 inch of brine over them. Tighten the lids and put in the fridge. They will continue to ferment very slowly, so open the jars every week or two to release pressure. If you want to kill the ferment, boil the brine and cool before packing the jars the final time.

CHINESE PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS (HAAM CHOY)

Steps:

• Trim the tough base off of the mustard greens, along with any yellow or brown portions of the leaves. To remove any dirt or sand, soak them in a large bowl of water for 10 minutes. Shake the vegetables to loosen the grit. Lift the vegetables out of the dirty water and rinse. Rinse the bowl, fill with fresh water, and repeat this process two more times. This cleaning step is very important.
• In a large pot, add 10 cups (2.4 liters) of water, bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons (26g) of salt, until dissolved.
• Place the mustard greens into the simmering water 1 or 2 at a time, so they're completely submerged. Blanch for 30 seconds, rotating them to evenly heat them on all sides. Lift the mustard greens out of the water and transfer to a clean sheet pan to cool.
• Next, put the sliced ginger into the blanching water and bring the water back to a simmer. Once simmering, turn off the heat, and allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
• Once the vegetables are cool enough to handle, pour off any excess water from your sheet pan and rub salt (2 ¼ teaspoons/13g per pound of mustard greens) all over the greens, getting into the inner stems and rubbing the salt evenly across each stem/leaf until it has dissolved.
• Place into a non-reactive bowl-stainless steel, enamel, ceramic, or glass work-and pour the ginger-infused blanching liquid over the vegetables. Place a large plate on top of the vegetables with a heavy pot (or a pot filled with water) on top to press them down and keep them submerged. Allow the greens to sit in the salted water for 24 hours at room temperature, covered with a clean towel or paper.
• Disinfect the jar by first washing it thoroughly. Wash your hands, and rinse the jar with boiling water. With clean hands or tongs, lift the mustard greens out of the brine solution and let any excess liquid drain for a few seconds.
• Squeeze the vegetables tightly. This removes spaces where air bubbles can form, and also makes them more compact. Place them into the jar along with the ginger slices. Do your best to squeeze the vegetables into the jar and distribute the ginger evenly. Reserve the brine, as you will be adding it to the jar momentarily.
• Measure 1 teaspoon (6g) salt and ¾ teaspoon (3g) sugar per pound of greens, and sprinkle on top of the vegetables in the jar. Measure out 2 tablespoons (30 ml) white vinegar per pound of vegetables, and pour it over the salt and sugar in the jar.
• Next, use a clean ladle to carefully transfer the brine into the jar until it is almost full. Check for air pockets that may be trapped near the bottom of the jar. Use a chopstick to move the mustard greens around to release any air bubbles. You can also cap the jar and move it around to coax air bubbles up to the top. Once you feel all air bubbles have been eliminated, fill the jar to the top to ensure that all of the greens are completely submerged in liquid.
• Take a 10- to 12-inch square piece of plastic wrap and fold it in half twice to make a neat smaller square. Place it over the jar, making sure there are no air bubbles under the plastic wrap. Screw the top on over the plastic wrap to create an airtight fit.
• Use a clean kitchen cloth to wipe any liquid from the jar and place a label on it with the date. Place the jar in a cool dark place for about 2 days, or until the mustard greens have turned from a bright green to a dull green.
• After the mustard greens turn a dull green (2 days), put them in the back of the refrigerator, and they should be ready to eat in 7 days.

PICKLED GREENS

Steps:

• Wash and spin-dry the greens and chop; combine the water, sugar, vinegar, salt and peppercorns in a large pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
• Add the greens and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; cool and pack in a 1 quart jar with a lid; refrigerate for 2 days before serving.

PICKLED MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• Rinse greens. Fill large bowl with cold water. Add greens and soak 10 minutes. Drain greens; rinse and drain again. Cut out and discard core from greens, then coarsely chop leaves (will yield about 3 1/2 cups).
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped greens. Stir 3 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over, then 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir to blend. Mix in jalapeño chile; stir 1 minute. Transfer to bowl and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
• Also known as preserved kohlrabi or mustard cabbage; sold at Asian markets.

PICKLED GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Cut green beans to fit inside pint canning jars.
• Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, for 3 minutes. Plunge beans into ice water. Drain well.
• Pack the beans into four hot, sterilized pint jars. Place 1 clove garlic and 2 sprigs dill weed in each jar, against the glass. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to each jar.
• In a large saucepan over high heat, bring vinegar and water to a boil. Pour over beans.
• Fit the jars with lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

PICKLED GREEN GARLIC

Steps:

• Place sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, juniper berries, mustard seeds, cardamom, ginger, fennel seed, coriander, and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook until sugar has dissolved.
• Place green garlic in a bowl; pour liquid over garlic and cover. Let stand until cooled.

PICKLED COLLARD GREENS WITH PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Bring vinegars, onion, garlic, sugar, cayenne, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to a simmer in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
• Meanwhile, cook collard greens in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander, pressing to squeeze out excess water.
• Transfer greens to a large bowl, then add pineapple and vinegar mixture and toss to coat. Cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.

PICKLED GREEN STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Clean and dry a jar big enough to hold strawberries (at least 2 1/2 cups in capacity). Fill jar with strawberries, then add peppercorns, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and yellow mustard seeds.
• Simmer vinegars, water, honey, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until honey and salt are dissolved, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Pour mixture over strawberries to cover completely. Seal jar and give it a few gentle shakes. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, and serve within 2 days.