Nettle Kimchi

Stinging nettle still in season throughout spring so we wanted to share our latest creation with this nutritional leaf – Nettle Kimchi! With some preparation required the night before – the nettles need to be soaked overnight in a salty brine to remove the sting – this recipe has quickly become our new favourite way to enjoy nettles. Be sure to wear gloves when handling.

Nutritional Scoop

Stinging nettle are a perennial plant originally native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia but now found worldwide. Ancient Egyptians used stinging nettle to treat arthritis and lower back pain, while Roman troops rubbed it on themselves to help stay warm. In addition to their medical benefits, nettles are a delicious source of food and provide a number of health benefits. Some of these include:

Offers a variety of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, polyphenols and pigments — many of which also act as antioxidants inside your body
May help reduce inflammation and treat hay fever
May lower blood pressure
May aid in blood sugar control

Among these benefits and more, stinging nettle are without a doubt a popular nutritious plant addition to some great recipes.

Makes 14-16 cups

Soaking Brine

3/4 cup sea salt

12 cups water

Kimchi

2 Lbs nettle tops

3-4 bunches green onions

1 large daikon radish

1 cup sesame seeds

3 inches or 3 Tbsp fresh ginger

2-4 shallots

2-4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup gochugaru ~ korean chill flakes

Mindful Preparation

Mix salt and water to dissolve in a large bowl
Rinse nettles in cold water. Immerse in the brine and weight with a heavy lid to keep submerged for 8-10 hours
Strain and reserve liquid
Blend ginger, shallots and garlic with enough fresh water to puree in a high powered blender. This should be a thick paste
Thinly slice daikon in 1/2 or 1/4 moons and green onions into 2 inches pieces
Roll nettles into workable clumps and thinly slice 1-2 inches wide
Combine the chopped nettles, daikon, green onion, sesame seeds, chill powder and massage the paste to combine
Taste to ensure it is quite salty. This will mellow with the fermentation process
Pack the kimchi into a fermentation crock or 4 cup mason jars x 4, leaving an inch of headspace to expand. The kimchi should be submerged with liquid. If not, add some reserved brine
Set the jars or crock aside to ferment out of direct sunlight for 4-6 days at 18-22 º C. Check daily to ensure the kimchi is submerged. Burp daily and place mason jars on plates to catch overflowing juices

If you are using Mason Jars with a closed system, you use a lid and burp the nettle kimchi daily to release CO2
We love our crock that has a water seal Or these great air lock lids for Mason Jars
For weighing down the nettle kimchi in mason jars, we use pickle pebbles