~5lbThe biggest mix of root vegetables you can findpeeled and trimmed to yield 3.5 lbs
1ozkosher salt
2teaspoonslightly toasted wild or conventional caraway seeds
Instructions
Cut each type of vegetable into different shapes for slicing on the mandoline to show off the individuality, you don't have to do this, but it looks pretty to have a variety of shapes. If you don't want to do shave each veg into a different shape, you can just cut paper thin slices, rounds, or you could even just shred or grate it, which will make it's own brine much faster.
Combine the shaved vegetables, salt and caraway and pack into a plastic container or a fermenting vessel, then wait for 30 minutes so the vegetables can give off their liquid and start to make a brine.
When you can press down on the vegetables and have them just lightly covered with brine, put a weight on top of the vegetables, or cover with 2 thick garbage bags filled with very cold water to keep the mixturre underneath the brine.
Put the mixture in a cool dark place away from sunlight, and allow it to ferment for 9 days, checking on it and stirring every other day to help it along, and making sure the brine is always covering the vegetables. If you like the flavor after less or more time, go for it, sometimes I even go as long as 14 days.
When serving, you'll want to cook the root veg kraut to soften them up a bit and allow you to introduce other flavors, like meat stock, butter, a piece of ham, etc, as much to flavor them and soften the acetic acid from the fermentation, as to make the vegetables soft and tender for better eating.
Notes
Feel free to use a mix of vegetables here. Some of the best are turnips, carrots, rutabaga, parsnips, and winter radishes. Do not use more than 20 % carrots as they contain too much sugar.