Lacto-Fermented Daikon Radishes
If you love daikon radishes; if you love pickled radishes and even if you have no idea what daikon radishes are: you'll love these. This is one of my favorite ways to eat daikon radishes. I've been guilty of eating an entire jar in one sitting. Naturally pickled radishes are delicious straight from the jar or on salads, especially Vietnamese, Korean or Thai inspired salads and dishes. Enjoy!
Lacto-Fermented Daikon Radishes
Organic daikon radishes, peeled and julienned, or cut into sticks. The length should be slightly shorter than the first ring on the neck of a wide mouthed pint jar
Brine: 1 1/2 tsp. non-iodized salt, per cup of non-chlorinated water, see notes below.
Wide mouthed, pint size canning jar
1. Lay jar on it's side and pack radishes tightly into the jar.
3. Cover with brine, leaving at least 1 inch of headspace.
4. Put an airtight lid on the jar.
5. Place the jar on the counter at room temperature. You'll need to burp the jar once, or twice a day to release pressure. To do this, slightly loosen the lid to let off gas and re-tighten.
6. Ferment for 5 days - 2 weeks, or until they are the flavor and texture you desire.
Radishes will ferment a bit faster in the summer than in the winter. A thinner size slice will also ferment faster. I generally julienne them and ferment for around 5-7 days.
7. Store in the refrigerator for a month, or two.
Notes
The amount of salt is personal preference within a given range. Start with 1 1/2 tsp. and increase to taste, if desired. If too little salt is used, the vegetables will not be crisp, it will also not discourage the growth of mold. However, if too much salt is used, it can slow and even prevent fermentation from occurring. Salt within the given range of 1 - 2 1/4 tsp. per cup of non-chlorinated water will keep your brine in a healthy range.
You may reduce the amount of salt further, by using 1 Tbsp. whey, or juice from another ferment, per 1 cup of non-chlorinated water. Whey tends to be a little more predictable. I would not recommend reducing salt below 3/4 tsp. per cup of non-chlorinated water.
I generally julienne the radishes. This takes a little more time, but I think they look prettier this way and pretty food tastes better:) It's faster to just slice the radishes into round coins, but you'll need to weight them down with something like this as the radish coins will float to the top.
If you have any trouble with your fermentations, you can add up to 1 Tbsp. whey, or juice from a previous ferment, per cup of non-chlorinated water, as a starter.
For more information on fermentation, read these links under food based probiotics.