Pickled

Today, we checked the takuan daikon pickle vat. We lifted off the stones and the plastic lining was surrounded by a swampy mess of moldy water. The water is yellow from the pickling liquid and had a filmy very horrid looking surface. Apparently, this is normal. Using a (clean) rag, we sopped the liquid up and wrung the rag into a bucket, pouring the contents onto the weeds! This was a disgusting procedure and I have no photos because my mom-in-law does not wait for me to document things.

After most of the liquid was removed, we opened the plastic liner bag. The daikon are all rubbery and squished in the rice bran mixture. We dug a couple roots out to taste. We smoothed over the rice bran mixture, twisted the bag closed, replaced the wooden lid and added the stone weights again, so more liquid would be expelled.

The daikon were rinsed and sliced. They are rather sweet for my taste but they taste like daikon pickles! Obachan says they will be ready in two weeks.

The Pickles

The wonderful daikon from our field were hung on the bamboo pole in the garden for three weeks. (Until the pole broke - oh well). They are rubbery.

The nuka and packaged yellow flavoring are mixed.

Sea salt is sprinkled in the bottom of the plastic bag lined vat, and layers of rubbery daikon root and nuka mixture are tightly packed.

A wood lid is placed on top, making sure the lid will fit inside the vat's rim to press down the contents.

Old mill stones and a concrete block weigh it down. Next week, we can reduce the weight and check on the progress.

More Pickles

It is a nice wintry sunny day and my mom-in-law accosted me while I was taking one of those peaceful thoughtful walks with the dog. Could I spare a few minutes to make a vat of pickles? Oh, of course.

We took down the daikon radish that were hanging up in the trees. They are now rubbery and wrinkled. We sliced off the leafy part and prepared a vat by lining it with a large heavy plastic bag. These will become the yellow sliced pickles that are so commonly served with rice.

We mixed together 2 kg of nuka (powdery rice bran from the rice polishing mill) and 1 package of takuan pickling powder and coloring; we prepared 1.3 kg of sea salt for the 35 kg of daikon. The daikon are not peeled or cleaned, only the tops are trimmed off. We started to layer salt and the nuka mixture with daikon, packing the daikon tightly.Obachan says it is important to place the next layer of tubers on top of the previous layer, not in between. Each layer was salted and nuka'd (not sure if that's a word!). We placed 40 kg of stones on top - using old mill stones as weights.

After a week, the pickles will shrink and the water will rise, at that time, we can adjust the weights and make sure the layers are even. We placed the whole thing on the north side of the house where it is cool, covered it with plastic to keep out the rain, cats and mice.

The nuka adds sweetness to the pickles. Actually, we didn't follow the "recipe" because we only had 20 kg of daikon for my batch- she had already made 70 kg worth. I was planning to do the math to come up with the right ratios of the other ingredients but she was in a hurry and just guesstimated the amounts!

Such a simple yet effective way to preserve veggies. We will eventually wash off the nuka (you don't want to eat that or it will scrub out your intestines) and slice the daikon into bite sized pieces.

Easy Pickles

1. Daikon Quick Pickles
   
   This is the two-day pickle making method, for delicious homemade pickles without a lot of fuss.
   
   For 6 kg of unpeeled daikon radish (about 6-8 large), green leaves trimmed off
   800 g (about 4 cups) of white sugar
   2 cups of sea salt
   2 cups of Yuzu (citron) vinegar (substitute with rice vinegar rather than using white or cider vinegar which have higher acidity, the citrus taste is not essential)
   Scant teaspoon of yellow karashi (hot mustard powder) optional
   
   You will need a large tub, a large heavy duty clear plastic bag, a 2 kg weight, a flat lid to place under the weight.

1. Trim the green leaves off the daikon and wash the roots well.
2. Peel the daikon with a vegetable peeler, trimming top and bottom with a knife neatly.
3. Cut the roots lengthwise in half.
4. Place the large plastic bag in a tub and place the peeled, trimmed, halved roots neatly in the bag.
5. When all the daikon are in the bag, sprinkle in the sugar, salt, vinegar and karashi.
6. Twist the top of the bag closed and mix the contents by swishing the bag around.
Replace the bag in the tub, place the flat lid on the twisted bag (no need to tie it with a knot or tie) and place the weight on the lid.
Keep in cool place for two days.
7. On the second day, check your results. The bag should be full of liquid. You can eat the pickle now, but keep it in the liquid in a cool-cold place.

Remove only what you need for a day or two at a time. Slice the portion you remove and store in covered container in the refrigerator.