Spring is a fickle mistress, is she not? I was tempted to use harsher words to describe her, but alas, I don’t want her to stay away any longer than she already has. I think it’s been two weeks since my bulbs started poking out of the ground. One warm, rainy afternoon, I had the rush of seeing anemones, daffodils and tulips all forming tight buds in the containers I planted them in last fall. Now they do not look so good. A few nights of frost and some freaking snow have closed them all back up tight, and some are even laying their heads down in the soil. Grrrrrrr.
While I can not say enough horrible things about the weather ruining my autumn efforts there is one benefit to the continued cold weather: cold tolerant vegetables. I love them so much. Cabbage, kale, collards, chard, whatever you got, I’m buying (or growing, as the case may be). While cabbage ferments beautifully (see also: sauerkraut and kimchi) some of those thinner-leaved friends tend to break down pretty quickly in the fermentation process. However, if you’re using the leaves for another purpose (like kale chips) or making a salad for a fussy eater and decide to cut out the ribs, there is no need to add those ribs to your compost pile. The ribs ferment like champs and happily, pickling them can be a weapon in your arsenal against our abysmal food waste rate. You can pair these pickles with whatever seasonings you would eat the finished product with. I’m pretty mustard seed happy with my pickles, and I think those work particularly well with kale and collard ribs, but let your tongue decide.
Collard Rib Pickles:
The yield here is pretty small, unless you are intentionally deboning your leafy greens for this purpose. A wide-mouthed pint jar is more than adequate for a the ribs of a couple large bunches of kale, collards or dandelion greens. My prefered brine is made with 1T salt to 2 c water. You may like yours more or less salty, and you should feel free to adjust to your liking.
Ingredients:
- Ribs from 2 heads of kale/collards/chard or other green. You can definitely mix and match
- 1 c of brine or more if needed
- 1/2 t whole spices of choice (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic (optional)
How To:
- Completely remove leaves from ribs. Reserve leaves for another purpose. I recommend this salad or my friend Alexis’ use: mash hummus and avocado together, roll some into a raw collard leaf. Thank your lucky stars for allowing you to eat so well
- Chop ribs into 1-2 inch segments and place them in your fermentation vessel
- Cover ribs with brine
- Use the cheapo jar method (or your preferred method) to ensure that your pickles stay submerged in brine
- Allow 2 weeks or more for room-temperature fermentation. When they reach your desired acidity, eat them or stick them in the fridge
These are great served as pickles, but I love putting them in a salad. They blend in, so that crunchy tang is very unexpected.
Jeri Bissell says
Perfect, just the right brine concentration – 2 weeks and tasty tasty!
Amanda says
Yay! So glad you liked them, Jeri!
Nina says
What spices do you recommend for this recipe?
Amanda says
Hi Nina,
It really depends on which vegetable ribs you’re using and your preferences. I like mustard seeds and cumin as a starting point!
Nina says
Thanks!
Laura says
This looks great! Do you think it would work with brocolini stems? If so, what spices would you recommend? I have so much brocolini!
Amanda says
Hi Laura,
It would definitely work with broccolini stems! Depending on their thickness, you may want to adjust the fermentation time down, though. Spices are optional, but I like garlic and black peppercorns with a bit of mustard seed.
I hope you enjoy them!
Jen D says
Will beet stems work with this ferment?
Amanda says
Yes. Just make sure to use the larger end of the stems and to remove all of the leaf bits. The smaller end ferments too quickly.
Marion says
Hello,
I started this pickle almost two weeks ago, and I’m not sure if it’s behaving itself (I’ve never fermented anything before, so have nothing to compare it against). I used fresh kale stems, and brine made from 1 T pickling salt per 2 C filtered water. I weighed the stems down with a cabbage leaf and kept the jar at around 70 degrees. It’s somewhat bubbly now, but not at all sour. The strangest thing, though, is the purple cabbage leaf – the part that was completely submerged turned greenish beige and limp, but not slimy.
Did something go wrong?
Thanks!
-Marion
Amanda says
Everything sounds right EXCEPT that they’re not sour. They should have soured by 2 weeks. The discoloration of the cabbage leaf on top is normal. Kale can be a weird fermenter (it gets very bitter) so I usually combine it with other vegetables, but it shouldn’t not ferment at all.
I would leave it a bit longer to see if it sours. If you’re not sure you can purchase cheap pH testing strips. Look for a pH below 4.0 before eating.
I hope that helps!