A traditional German ferment made from turnips. It can be used anywhere you'd use sauerkraut. 3 lbs of raw turnips will yield about 2 lbs of finished pickled turnips.
Wash the turnips if needed. Peel the turnips well, then slice thinly on a mandoline slicer into rounds and cut into ¼ inch julienne.
You can also grate the turnips or cut them into thin strips or thinly sliced wedges.
Fermenting under vacuum
Weigh the cut turnips in grams. Multiply the weight by .03 and add that many grams of salt.
Mix the turnips and salt in a bowl, add some julienned lemon zest to taste (a pinch) then quickly pack into a vacuum bag and seal. Mark the date on the bag with a sharpie.
Fermenting in brine
Pack a quart mason jar ¾ full with prepared turnips. Add one tablespoon of salt and filtered or non-chlorinated water to cover completely. Leave ½ inch of headspace in each jar.
Weigh down the turnips with a fermentation weight. Cover the jars with a lid. Shake the jar to disperse the salt. Place the jar on a plate to catch any drips.
As the turnips ferment, open the jar occasionally to release any built up gas.
Ferment the turnips at room temperature for two weeks or until sour to your liking, then refrigerate.
Video
Notes
Getting Creative with Garnishes
You can add color with a thin julienne of carrots or peppers.
Some people may add sliced onions. If I add any onion, I like to add it after a week of fermenting.
In the video I add julienned jalapeno to one batch, and finely julienned meyer lemon zest to another. Try the lemon zest first.
You can add seeds like caraway, cumin, mustard seeds or coriander seeds.
Turnips and beets will make a hot pink ferment. Use 25% grated beets to 75% white turnips.
Peeling
Peel the turnips completely. Leaving any purple skin on will stain the turnips during the fermentation process.
Beneficial Bacteria
I like to cook this, but if you're interested in "probiotic benefits" of fermented foods you'll want to eat this raw, without cooking.