Lacto-Fermented Spicy Brassicas

Ever wonder what to do with the stems from Broccoli? Sadly, these woody bits often end up getting chucked in the compost – or worse yet – the trash! Broccoli stems may lack the visual appeal of the pretty florets, but they certainly aren’t lacking in flavour, nutrients, or crunch.

Since all parts of broccoli are edible and contain roughly the same nutritional benefits, its silly to waste nearly half of your purchase by tossing the stem. Just 1 cup of chopped broccoli provides an entire day’s worth recommended intake of Vitamin C, along with potassium, calcium, iron, folate, sulforaphane, beta-carotene and fibre.

With just a bit of creativity, you can transform this humble reject into a culinary delight, saving money on your grocery bill and reducing your food waste.

Lacto-Fermented Spicy Brassicas

• 1 large broccoli stem
• 1 small kohlrabi
• 3 baby size daikon radish
• 1 red Thai chilli
• 1 grape or cabbage leaf
• Brine:
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp kombucha vinegar
• 1 tsp pickling spice

Directions

1. Prepare the broccoli stem and kohlrabi by shaving off the woody outside* with a veggie peeler. Chop into bite-size pieces.
2. Slice Daikon radishes into disks.
3. Make a slit down the length of the Thai chilli.
4. Sprinkle pickling spice into a sterilized Mason Jar.
5. Pack veggies and chilli into the jar, top with grape/cabbage leaf, pressing down and tucking in the edges to form a seal to keep the veggies pieces from floating up.
6. Top with Brine (dissolve salt into water and kombucha vinegar mixture) to fully cover all the veggies pieces and grape/cabbage leaf.
7. Leave at room temp to ferment for 10 days, then move into the fridge.
8. * No need to waste these peels either. Collect the peels and pop them in the freezer with any other leftover veggie bits, such as potato skins, apple peels, carrot ends, corn cobs, onion skins, the woody stems of thyme or rosemary, and so on, to make yourself a delicious batch of vegetable broth for soups, stews and sauces.

Enjoy these Lacto-Fermented Spicy Brassicas the same way you would any pickle. They are delicious served as an accompaniment to charcuterie, on sandwiches, in salads, or simply served as a snack with cheese and crackers. By making the most of your groceries and saving food from the trash, its good for you and good for the planet and we feel that’s definitely worth some Good Karma!