Lacto-Fermented Jerusalem Artichokes

Besides sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes are the one root crop that did well for me this year. I feed them to the goats (used to feed them to my rabbits), and we eat them too. They are great cooked any way you can think of and can be eaten raw too. Unfortunately, neither Dan nor I can digest raw ones well, so I decided to try lacto-fermenting.

The recipe I used was from this book, Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning. It’s actually for sauerkraut (“Sauerkraut in Glass Jars” page 68) but I’ve substituted turnips and now Jerusalem artichokes for the cabbage.

Fill a wide mouth quart jar and pack down (I use a wooden potato masher). Add a tablespoon of sea salt and about 10 juniper berries. Cover contents with warm, non-chlorinated water.

I had about two quarts, so I dumped it into a crock. I cover the contents with a small saucer and weigh that down with a water filled half-pint jar. I cover the whole thing with a clean cotton dishtowel and let it sit on the countertop for about three days. Then it goes into the fridge.

When we first started with sauerkraut we loved it. Then I tried turnips for sauerruben and we liked that even better. The Jerusalem artichokes are best of all!