Korean Pickled Garlic Chives -- American Ramps

[bjdmytro]

Many years ago, I had some pickled garlic chives made by a 80-year-old, korean, buddhist monk, acupuncturist, that I called Dr. Lou. He spoke little to no english, so we were not able to communicate about how this was made. He made the ferment in a gallon glass jar, including the greens and flowers from the garlic chives. It tasted like all that was in it was salt and garlic chives, and the garlic chives were finely chopped and even mashed a bit. It was about the consistency of a very chunky pesto, having a deep green color with splashed of white from the flowers.

I've long fascinated about this ferment and would love to recreate something similar. While garlic chives do not grow well in my climate (they die every winter) onion chives, green onions, and ramps grow in abundance by me. At this moment, the ramps are in full swing, and I've thought about creating a similar ferment with these. I am unsure if it will turn out, and I don't want to waste my time and resources making it if it is going to fail. Most American style recipes call for vinegar and sugar in the mix, with them suspended in a brine. When I look for Korean pickled garlic chives, all the recipes call for hot pepper, fish (or soy) sauce, and rice flour. I've considered chopping the ramps. Mixing with salt, a splash of vinegar, a touch of sugar, and a bit of kraut juice to get it started.

Has anyone made a pickled allum green ferment like the one I've described above? Any suggestions for processing, ingredients, or ratios? Should I proceed as I would for making kraut, substituting ramps, or will I need a little bit of water, vinegar, sugar, or starter culture?

[bjdmytro]

I picked about 3 pounds of ramps for pickling (I also froze another 3 pounds and kept about a pound for fresh eating).

With about a half pound of ramps, after cleaning and chopping into 1" pieces, I mixed with 1/2 tsp of salt, a tbsp of sugar, and 1/4 of raw homemade kraut juice. I tenderized this by hand, massaging it till it turned dark green. I them tightly packed into a jar, topping with whole leaves and a bit of water to reduce oxidation on the surface.

With the remaining 2 1/2 pounds I make a ramp kimchi, modeled after garlic chive kimchi. I cleaned and chopped the ramps into 2" pieces. The rest gets a bit complicated so I'll break it down with some lists.

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup water
• 4"x4" piece of kombu
• 2 tbsp sweet rice flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup shoyu
• 1/2 cup raw homemade kraut juice
• 1/4 cup gochugaru (korean hot pepper flakes)

1. toast sesame seeds in pan, add to large bowl
2. simmer water and kombu in pan for 10 minutes, covered
3. remove kombu and very finely mince, adding to large bowl
4. add rice flour and sugar to pan, with kombu broth
5. wisk and put on heat till it thickens to a paste, adding to large bowl
6. allow the rice paste to cool for a couple of minutes
7. Add shoyu, kraut juice, and gochugaru to large bowl
8. Mix well, till you get a bright red paste
9. add the ramps, and toss well, then massage and tenerize slightly
10. firmly pack in jars, covering with whole leaves and a little water to reduce oxidation

Final Products

20180506_215936.jpg (150.58 KiB) Viewed 7077 times

Processing Kimchi

20180506_213627.jpg (159.26 KiB) Viewed 7077 times

Ramps

20180506_213558.jpg (138.63 KiB) Viewed 7077 times

I'll see how these progress as they ferment over the coming weeks. I have them sitting in a dark place at room temperature. I am optimistic they will make a tasty and pungent condiment.

[Christopher Weeks]

I'm sure they'll both turn out. Yum!