LOST A WEEK!!!! (includes a pickling recipe)

Oh dear!  I try doing weekly blogs and they don't work as some weeks I want to put up more than one recipe; I try doing quick daily ones and I lose days through being ill or no time, etc, etc.  So what is a girl to do??  I think I'll just give up on putting myself under pressure to do anything on a regular basis and just go with the flow!

So last week, after working all day on Sunday, then having to do Monday/Tuesday evening instead of Tuesday/Thursday, I lost all track of days, felt totally shattered by Tuesday night and basically did very repetitive meals that were quick, easy and didn't require a lot of thought.  Wednesday I lost completely as I could hardly move through aches and pains and kept falling asleep, so ended up ordering a take out!

Today, Sunday, is the first day that I've felt a little more like myself although I'm still sleepy.  Think a doctor's visit is required.

Obviously the other half is in the kitchen today as he cooks, but was at work this morning meaning I finally managed to get in the kitchen and sort out the turnips which have been loitering in the cupboard and had started to resprout!!!

After pulling up the remaining ones in the garden to join the ones already trying to make a break for sunshine in the cupboard I had a reasonable amount in which to pickle/ferment!  The recipe says it's a pickle, but as the process is done in salted water with just a few tablespoons of vinegar and then left for a few weeks in a warm place, it's most definitely a ferment more than a pickle.  Son loved them last year, so nice big jar now on the go.

Nice batch of turnips :-)

Peeled and sliced with added cloves of garlic

Brined and weighted down with a sterilized stone

Fermented Turnip Pickle - I didn't weigh anything, but did measure liquid.

1kg turnips, washed and thinly peeled
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced (I left mine whole this time)
Salt (see method)
3tbsps white wine vinegar

Clean and sterlize a large jar or several small ones.
Slice the turnips into approx 1/2cm slices (mine were a bit thinner if I'm honest)
Put the slices into a jar and pour over enough cold water to cover.
Then strain the water off and measure liquid.
For each 500ml of water add 1.5 tablespoons of salt and stir until dissolved.
Stir in the white wine vinegar and pour back over the vegetables and weight down to ensure the turnips stay below the level of the liquid.  I used a bit of greaseproof paper and weighed it down with a clean, sterilized stone from the garden which I now keep for such things.
Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm, dry place for at least 2 weeks; do not seal the jar.
The fermentation will stop eventually and you can then seal your jar; this can take up to four to six weeks.

Ensure that the vegetables are under the liquid at all times and they may 'shrink'.  You may also get a cloudy liquid forming, but this will clear so don't panic.