Fermentierte Löwenzahnknospen – Kimchi /// Basisrezept für fermentierte Wildkräuter

Dandelion buds and many other wild herbs can be fermented in a huge and easy way, either on their own with just 2% salt, mixed buds and leaves, or with various spices in kimchi style. In this recipe video from the beginning of April, I'll explain step-by-step how to ferment wild plants in spring, what to look out for, and how to avoid mistakes. You can also recreate this basic recipe with wild garlic, wild garlic, daisy buds, and many other wild plants and buds. Here's the basic recipe: Ingredients: 100-200 g dandelion buds, washed 2-3 times in warm water 1-2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped 1-2 cm ginger root, peeled and finely chopped 1 cm red chili pepper, finely chopped Fine salt Optional: 10 g sugar Equipment: 1 jar with a metal swing top, approx. 500 ml (DO NOT USE A SCREW-TOP JAR!) Digital kitchen scale A very fine digital micro-scale A clean, heavy wooden pestle or mortar 1 unused plastic lunch bag Clean your work surface and hands thoroughly. Pour plenty of boiling water from the kettle over the jar, including the rubber stopper, and empty it. Set the rubber stopper aside. Weigh a large bowl and record the weight. Fill the jar with the buds; the jar should be loosely filled to the brim. The jar should be loosely filled to the brim. Place the buds and spices in the bowl and weigh them with the bowl. Subtract the weight of the bowl to get the weight of the fermented product. Add 2% fine salt. Formula: Weight times 0.02 = salt quantity Knead and pound the fermented product with salt and spices firmly so that it draws out moisture without crushing the buds. Pour the mixture into the jar, press firmly with your hands, and pound firmly with a wooden pestle or mortar to expel all the air between the buds. If the buds haven't drawn enough liquid, dissolve 0.8 g of salt in 40 ml of water and add half to the jar first. Press down firmly with a clean spoon and smooth the edges. There should be no air bubbles left in the fermented product; the liquid should just cover the fermented product. Fill a clean plastic freezer bag with a little water. (approx. 100-200 ml), place the jar in the bowl, and place the unsealed bag with the opening facing up into the jar. No water should get INTO THE jar! Hang the opening over the side of the rim and carefully press the bag into the jar with your fingers, forming an airtight seal around the edges. Close the jar lid with the rubber band, clamping the opening closed on the side and letting it hang out. Place on a plate to prevent overflow. Let it ferment at room temperature for about a week. Gases and some liquid may escape during the fermentation process. Taste with a clean spoon starting on day 4; edible from about days 7-10. After about 5-7 days, place the jar in the refrigerator and let it ripen. After about a month, the bag can be removed from the jar. I prefer to let the buds ripen in the refrigerator for several months. They will keep for at least a year – if you remove them very carefully and always with a fresh spoon. If a white fuzz appears on the surface of the buds, it's kahm yeast. It's harmless, but it can impair the flavor. Dandelion buds contain a lot of wild yeast, so this can happen. CAUTION: Sometimes the fermented product also develops mold; you can recognize it by the greenish fuzz or fine black dots in the fuzz. This can be caused by fermenting for too long at too high a temperature, not enough liquid on the buds, or not working cleanly enough. This can happen from time to time during fermentation, and the entire contents will unfortunately have to be discarded.