Layered Spring ferment with Spring greens and mint

A fermented slaw

This refreshing spring ferment was made for two reasons. Firstly, I’m scrambling to finish off a project at the moment, while everyone around me coughs and sneezes. I need simple food that will support my immune system, so that I don’t get ill. Secondly, I’ve been getting a lot of spring/summer greens in my Riverford box and I’m running out of ideas about how to eat them now. No time to even think about it at the moment. I love kimchi, which I eat on top of cheese on toast and with rice with veg, so something along those lines was my thinking. A little slaw that I can eat on the side or on top of anything, to add some freshness and that sour tang that keeps me feeling good. The mint and celery give this ferment a freshness that kimchi doesn’t always have. That’s what brings the Spring!

Old, Polish ways

I always make my ferments layered, because that’s the old Polish way that I’m used to. Perhaps one day I’ll mix it all together, but at the moment I enjoy doing it like this white ćwikła. I found that one in an old Polish cookbook from the Kresy region and have been making different version of it since. I like the way the layers look in a jar, like the layers of rock on the side of a mountain. There’s something very satisfying about it.

A recipe for layered Spring ferment

This is a fermented slaw for Spring with summer/spring greens, celery, garlic, carrots and mint. Would work well with fish, inside sandwiches and on top of cheese on toast.

Ingredients

• 2 heads of spring or summer greens, shredded

• 2 Carrots, peeled and grated

• 3 celery sticks, thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• handful mint leaves, shredded

• 300ml tepid water from a pre-boiled kettle mixed with 1 tablespoon sea salt

Directions

• Place some of the shredded greens at the bottom of a sterilised jar. Sprinkle with salt and rub it in.

• Place some carrot on top in a layer, then add a layer of celery, garlic and mint.

• Add a little salt and rub in in. Press it all down. Carry on with the green later etc, rubbing some salt into every layer.

• Finally squash all the layers down into the jar and cover with the salted water until everything is covered. Use something to press the layers down under the brine.

• Cover with muslin or a tea towel secured with a rubber band. Leave at room temperature for 3-4 days, then taste. If you like the level of fermentation, then close the jar with a proper lid and place in the fridge. Otherwise, give it another day or two.