Kraut can be more then just cabbage

We grew turnips this year on a whim.  We tried them in soup, and after two tries determined that turnips are probably the very best way to ruin an otherwise good stew/soup.  We baked another with some potatoes with somewhat better results, but potatoes alone are better than potatoes with turnips.  Only one thing left to try and that is ferment them.  For this we took our remaining 5 large turnips and shredded them with a pound of store bought carrots.  We added them to a small fermentation vessel (a 1 1/2 liter sized whey protein container I had acquired) and waited to see the results.  To the veggies we added non-iodized salt, 1/2 cup of vinegar and filled the rest with leftover whey from yogurt making.

The results were pretty good.  I do not think it tastes anything like sauerkraut, but still does have that sour taste.  The closest thing it tastes like is a pickled carrot salad.  It is a good side with a corned beef or other winter warming type foods.

The pictures to the right are our second batch (currently in progress).  One incident to note with this latest batch is that the fermenting microbes became overzealous.  As a result the water and whey bubbled so much that the container overflowed and made a mess on the counter.

FOOD SAFETY NOTE:   Even though I could not find a single incident of food poisoning associated with fermented vegetables in the Center for Disease control database (I LOOKED);  we perform a quick boil of our fermented vegetables.  This may reduce some of the probiotic qualities of the kraut, but it gives us peace of mind in regards to food safety precautions.