Pickled Fennel

A couple of years ago, my cousin bought an old run-down house in Berlin, which he has since renovated. He still talks about the treasure trove of history he discovered in an underground cellar. Invariably the cellar was used as a safe house or bunker during the war years.

Upon closer inspection he discovered a slice of perfectly preserved history. Crudely built shelving contained rows and rows of jars and bottles of pickled and preserved fruits, fish and vegetables, ranging from sauerkraut, cherries, tomatoes, dill pickles, herrings, onions and apple and strawberry jams.

My cousin’s story is a poignant part of my journey in pickling and preserving my favourite ingredients. My first foray, Pickled Asparagus; was greatly satisfying and therefore a total success in my eyes.

My thoughts turned to another favourite ingredient – fennel. I used the same pickling technique but added a few different herbs and spices to the mixture.

I’m far from needing to pickle food via the necessity of war, but I do wonder if that Berlin family who had inadvertently pickled their way into my cousin’s life were as proud and satisfied with their yields as I am of mine.



Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 3 x 425g Jars

Ingredients
1 Large Fennel
600ml Water
600ml White Wine Vinegar
300g Brown Sugar
150g Table Salt
2 Teaspoons of Brown Mustard Seeds
2 Teaspoons of Yellow Mustard Seeds
2 Teaspoons Fennel Seeds
½ Teaspoon Chilli
3 x 425g Sterilised Jars

Method




















Notes
The fennel is best eaten after a few days have passed and are good for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Add pickled fennel to your antipasto platter or simply serve with some cheese and warm crusty bread. Don’t forget the wine !



Categories
#fennel
#vegan
#vegetarian
#vegetables
#pickling
#preserving
#healthy
#easy
#fermentation

%recipeyum