Celeriac, otherwise known as “Celery Root,” has a crisp crunchy texture that unlike celery, holds up well to lacto-fermentation. Though it is a close relative of the celery you eat for the stalks, it’s not actually the same plant, but a different cultivar grown exclusively for its roots. My favorite farmers’ market farmer described its taste as “the essence of celery flavor with a good crisp snap,” and once you cut into one for yourself you’ll understand. Within minutes of cutting it, your kitchen is filled with the intense aroma of celery, and you’ll be smelling it on your hands for some time. If you’re a celery lover, this is your vegetable!
The appearance of celeriac may be a bit daunting fresh, but once you’ve peeled off the knobbly bits, tough skin and tangle of roots, you’re left with a smooth white ball somewhere between a golf ball and grapefruit in size (depending on the size of your original root). They’re generally harvested at 4-6 inches in diameter, but the smaller the root the more tender and intensely flavored it will be. Sliced with a sharp knife into quarter inch slices, the beautiful white flesh ferments wonderfully, resulting in thin celery -flavored crisps that are excellent on their own or topped with delicious treats (think blue cheese, tapenade or balsamic drizzle) and treated as vegetable “crackers.”
Simple Fermented Celeriac Crisps
Yield: 1 pint
Fermentation Time: 3 Weeks
Tools:
• Sharp knife
• Wide Mouth Pint Mason Jar
• Fermentools Fermentation Kit
Ingredients:
• 2 Cups Celeriac, Peeled & Sliced
• 1 ½ Cups Water
• 1 T Salt
Directions:
- Use a sharp knife to peel and slice celeriac. You should need 1 ½ to 2 pounds to yield 2 cups prepared and sliced. (This will depend on the shape of your vegetables, and how much needs to be peeled off.)
- Pour into a clean wide mouth pint mason jar and cover with a brine prepared from 1 ½ cups water and 1 T salt. Be sure the celeriac is completely submerged.
- Cover with your fermentools glass weight, and then seal with a fermentools seal and airlock.
- Ferment for 3 weeks at room temperature outside of direct sunlight.
If you’d like to mix it up a bit, feel free to add herbs and spices to your fermented celeriac mixture. For spicy crisps, try red pepper flakes, add an Indian kick with some curry powder, or a simple tang with a bit of lemon zest and dill.
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