Pickling Chayote (aka Choko), Sechium edule - any recipes/experience
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Fermental
May 13, 2011, 12:41:08 AM5/13/11
to Wild Fermentation
Hi all,
I have a great deal of chayote growing all around my house (we're
talking New Zealand here). Has anyone ever done lactic/brine pickles
of these? I'd love to find a yummy way to make these abundant fruit
go further.
I have a great deal of chayote growing all around my house (we're
talking New Zealand here). Has anyone ever done lactic/brine pickles
of these? I'd love to find a yummy way to make these abundant fruit
go further.
gpeppers
May 14, 2011, 1:33:42 PM5/14/11
to Wild Fermentation
As I don't know how to ferment fruit except by making wine, does one
still use salt, I presume? If one used sugar instead of salt, would
it not just develop the kahm mold? Would you use sugar plus salt?
Julie
still use salt, I presume? If one used sugar instead of salt, would
it not just develop the kahm mold? Would you use sugar plus salt?
Julie
Elizabeth Evans
May 14, 2011, 1:38:47 PM5/14/11
to wild-fer...@googlegroups.com
I looked it up -- most recipes seem to treat the fruit like summer
squash. You could try following a recipe for lacto-fermenting
zucchini.
squash. You could try following a recipe for lacto-fermenting
zucchini.
Also, if you google "pickled chayote" there are spicy recipes with
peppers, onions etc. They look really good, but call for pickling in
vinegar and canning in a hot water bath. You could use the same
ingredient mix and cover with brine instead.
Let us know how it comes out!
Elizabeth
>> I have a great deal of chayote growing all around my house (we're
>> talking New Zealand here). Has anyone ever done lactic/brine pickles
>> of these? I'd love to find a yummy way to make these abundant fruit
>> go further.
>
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Fermental
May 14, 2011, 9:17:23 PM5/14/11
to Wild Fermentation
Hi Elizabeth (& Julie, thanks for your replies).
I talked to one of my neighbours and she gave me a jar of her Naku
style Chayote pickle. This uses rice bran as the vehicle for
pickling, and she then adds mirin, miso, ginger, soy and some other
bits and pieces. Naku fermentation is detailed in Sandor Katz' book
Wild Fermentation. It's yummy but a bit too sweet for me. I loved
the consistency though, which inspires me to keep on with this chayote
journey.
I just went off on a hunch and chopped the chayote into french fry
size strips, layered up with salt and then drained the liquid off. My
reasoning is that they seem to have some sort of resin/starch that
sticks to your hands when you peel them. After straining off the
liquid (I put them in a colander), the strips were then put into a
fermentation crock, and covered with brine.
I'll keep you posted on how they work out.
For anyone planning to grow or use chayote - harvest them while not
quite mature, the skin still a vibrant green. On maturity they go a
bit dull and thick on the skin, and eventually get woody inside. When
they are young you don't even need to peel them. Think Courgette
(zucchinni) vs Marrow (what we call them when they grow big like long
pumpkins with viable seed).
You can also harvest the tips up to 1 foot back until they set
flower. These are delicious stir fried, though I'm sure they could
also be fermented !!
The roots form long slender tubers, which can also be harvested, which
I'll try this winter (only in the second year of the plant or
later).
It's an amazingly prolific plant for the warm temperate or warmer
climates.
I was also asked how to cook them -
1) Young chayote and garlic - fry a few cloves of garlic and add 5mm
slices of quartered chayote (again harvest young for much better
results). Add salt. Don't overcook but stop when they begin to go
translucent - leave them a little crunchy but pliable.
2) Cook in tamarind and coconut cream. You can fry any of garlic,
onion, ginger, chili (if you want), in the thick coconut cream at the
top of the can. Then add chayote pieces and a little tamarind (paste,
block, fresh - whatever you can get). You can use Thai palm sugar to
sweeten if you want. Play around with the recipe, them main thing is
that the coconut cream and the tamarind work really well.
Cheers
Fermental
> >http://groups.google.com/group/wild-fermentation- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
I talked to one of my neighbours and she gave me a jar of her Naku
style Chayote pickle. This uses rice bran as the vehicle for
pickling, and she then adds mirin, miso, ginger, soy and some other
bits and pieces. Naku fermentation is detailed in Sandor Katz' book
Wild Fermentation. It's yummy but a bit too sweet for me. I loved
the consistency though, which inspires me to keep on with this chayote
journey.
I just went off on a hunch and chopped the chayote into french fry
size strips, layered up with salt and then drained the liquid off. My
reasoning is that they seem to have some sort of resin/starch that
sticks to your hands when you peel them. After straining off the
liquid (I put them in a colander), the strips were then put into a
fermentation crock, and covered with brine.
I'll keep you posted on how they work out.
For anyone planning to grow or use chayote - harvest them while not
quite mature, the skin still a vibrant green. On maturity they go a
bit dull and thick on the skin, and eventually get woody inside. When
they are young you don't even need to peel them. Think Courgette
(zucchinni) vs Marrow (what we call them when they grow big like long
pumpkins with viable seed).
You can also harvest the tips up to 1 foot back until they set
flower. These are delicious stir fried, though I'm sure they could
also be fermented !!
The roots form long slender tubers, which can also be harvested, which
I'll try this winter (only in the second year of the plant or
later).
It's an amazingly prolific plant for the warm temperate or warmer
climates.
I was also asked how to cook them -
1) Young chayote and garlic - fry a few cloves of garlic and add 5mm
slices of quartered chayote (again harvest young for much better
results). Add salt. Don't overcook but stop when they begin to go
translucent - leave them a little crunchy but pliable.
2) Cook in tamarind and coconut cream. You can fry any of garlic,
onion, ginger, chili (if you want), in the thick coconut cream at the
top of the can. Then add chayote pieces and a little tamarind (paste,
block, fresh - whatever you can get). You can use Thai palm sugar to
sweeten if you want. Play around with the recipe, them main thing is
that the coconut cream and the tamarind work really well.
Cheers
Fermental
>
> - Show quoted text -
Lila Holland
May 15, 2011, 1:28:26 AM5/15/11
to wild-fer...@googlegroups.com
At the Cultured pickle shop I had kabocha squash fermented for 6 months in organic sake lees obtained from a nearby sake brewery...they tasted almost like a strong cheese. I bet chayote could be done this way too...although it is softer than a winter squash, I think it would still work out.
sent from my superphone!
> I looked it up -- most recipes...
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> - Show quoted text -
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Fermental
Jun 1, 2011, 3:01:33 AM6/1/11
to Wild Fermentation
Hi all,
I have just tried my chayote pickle and OMG it's really good. I used
younger chayote where possible, peeled the ones with thick skin. Cut
into 5mm strips, they were then salted and the juice drained after
about an hour. Then put into crock pot with brine (4Tbsp salt per
litre), adding a few cloves of garlic, a dash of whey and covering it
with a couple of vine leaves before putting the weight stones on.
2.5 weeks later and they are already very yummy, nice and crunchy but
not waxy.
I'm chuffed as I've since put down another 20 litres worth
Pickledly yours
Fermental
On May 15, 5:28 pm, Lila Holland <lilaholl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> At the Cultured pickle shop I had kabocha squash fermented for 6 months in
> organic sake lees obtained from a nearby sake brewery...they tasted almost
> like a strong cheese. I bet chayote could be done this way too...although it
> is softer than a winter squash, I think it would still work out.
>
> sent from my superphone!
>
> > >http://groups.google.com/group/wild-fermentation-Hide quoted text -
I have just tried my chayote pickle and OMG it's really good. I used
younger chayote where possible, peeled the ones with thick skin. Cut
into 5mm strips, they were then salted and the juice drained after
about an hour. Then put into crock pot with brine (4Tbsp salt per
litre), adding a few cloves of garlic, a dash of whey and covering it
with a couple of vine leaves before putting the weight stones on.
2.5 weeks later and they are already very yummy, nice and crunchy but
not waxy.
I'm chuffed as I've since put down another 20 litres worth
Pickledly yours
Fermental
On May 15, 5:28 pm, Lila Holland <lilaholl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> At the Cultured pickle shop I had kabocha squash fermented for 6 months in
> organic sake lees obtained from a nearby sake brewery...they tasted almost
> like a strong cheese. I bet chayote could be done this way too...although it
> is softer than a winter squash, I think it would still work out.
>
> sent from my superphone!
>
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