Did you know you can ferment all manner of greens? Yes, you can — and it is a good idea because dark leafy greens are high in oxalic acid. Fermentation (and steaming) reduces this anti-nutrient which otherwise would interfere with mineral absorption.
Spinach kraut is a lemony fresh and salty take on regular old cabbage kraut. We love it. Love, love, love it. (My new book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods and online fermenting class include recipes for fermenting lemon and dill spinach sticks, too.)
Spinach Kraut
- 15 cups tightly packed fresh spinach
- 4 cloves garlic, diced finely (optional)
- 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup whey –or– leftover juice from another ferment –or– double the salt (here’s more info about whey and substitutions)
- a quarter lemon wedge (optional)
Makes 1 quart. Chop up the spinach coarsely and toss it with all the other ingredients (except lemon) in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and just let it sit for about a half hour. During that time, the salt will begin to pull juices out of the spinach and the mixture will get juicy. You can mash it to help it along. Pack it all in a quart size fermenting container. Tuck the lemon wedge in, too. Leave 1″ space at the top of the jar. Cover the jar tightly with its lid or with airlock if you’re using that. Let ferment at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days, then transfer to cool storage.
MMMM…. I wish I had some of this now. We love taking this on picnics! Are you willing to give this a try? Let me know if you do!
I’m sharing this recipe in the Seasonal Recipe Round-Up featuring spinach, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Fight Back Friday.
About Wardee Harmon
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This is awesome. Do you think this would work with mustard greens? I planted two little mustard seeds and have mustard leaves the size of my two year old. I throw some to our chickens every morning (the mustard leaves, not my two year old), and am wondering if you think this might work or have ever tried it? Any other ideas for using mustard greens? I’m literally swimming in these things every time I walk out to my garden.
Jenny — Yes! It will probably have a different flavor, because everything does. Whether or not you care for the end result, it will work.
This sounds fantastic! I never tried fermenting any greens (I figured they would practically melt after fermenting for so long). I absolutely love spinach! I think I’ll try throwing some herbs in there (parsley and dill), since I love those flavors together. Thanks for such a lovely idea!
I was wondering if it works with kale. I’m supposin’ that if it works with mustard greens, it would work with kale.
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Elisabeth — Yes.
Just it may taste different.
I have some spinach that is pretty well wilted. I think that I’m going to try this with it this weekend.
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Thank you! I had been wondering whether or not you could ferment greens. We get so many with our two CSA shares this time of year. I’ll be starting a batch of this today or tomorrow and buying your book.
I took my first bite today. It was pretty good. I’ll definitely be making more. My book arrived the other day and I’m enjoying it too. Thank you for writing it!
Wardee – I shared this on the CSH Facebook page and a reader left this comment – “Spinach is particularly alkaline and therefore more prone to grow clostridium botulinum if processed incorrectly.”
Thoughts?
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Laurie, did you ever get an answer to this question? I would be interested in knowing if botulism is a problem before I try it…
Here are some posts that address the botulism issue. When properly fermenting foods botulism shouldn’t be a problem. It is when foods are canned without enough heat, fermented without enough salt or in an aerobic environment (I know this is counter-intuitive since botulism grows in an anaerobic environment, but if you ferment in an aerobic environment you won’t culture enough lactic acid), or covered with oil instead of fermenting. http://www.pickl-it.com/blog/342/what-about-botulism/
http://www.westonaprice.org/faq/faq-miscellaneous-food-questions
http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Cultivating-their-fascination-with-fermentation-3295948.php#page-3
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I just bought your book and saw this recipe in it. I tried it right away. I have left the spinach fermenting for 3 days not but it does not seem to be getting any action. There aren’t any visible bubbles and it does not seem to be getting tangy the way sauerkraut does. Should it be the same ferment as regular kraut i.e. bubbles and getting a more sour taste? I don’t want to leave this sit too long and get some unwanted bacteria in it. Right now it just tastes like garlic spinach.
Thanks
Dianne — This isn’t a very bubbly ferment, but it should get more sour. You can move it to the fridge to “age” it and develop the sour flavor. Thanks for purchasing my book!
I have moved it to the fridge so will see if it gets a bit more tangy. Looking forward to reading the book cover to cover!!
Just assembled my first batch. I’ll get back to you.