Fermented Turnip

Ever since I was little, when my mum used to read me the traditional poem about a grandfather whose turnip grew so big that he couldn’t pull it up, turnips have been my favourite root vegetable. I love them for both their taste and their association with this story, which takes me back to my childhood.

The turnip is well suited to fermenting. Even without a tannin-rich leaf — oak, horseradish, blackcurrant, wild (sour) cherry or grapevine — in the jar, it should retain its crunch fo