Soak Vegetables

• Stir salt into water until it dissolves.
• Remove any “floppy” outer leaves from the cabbage (Compost or reserve for another use.) Chop the cabbage into 1-inch chunks/strips. Discard or compost the core.
• Peel and cut stems off radish. Cut into 1/4"/ 6mm thick and about 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide & long slices using a mandoline, V-slicer, or knife. Cut the slices into halves or quarters as needed.
• Add cabbage and radish pieces to the brine in a large container or mixing bowl. Cover with a weight (e.g. a glass wine bottle, plate, sterilized rock) to submerge them under the brine.
• Brine for 2 to 6 hours to soften and season the vegetables.
• Drain the veggies through a colander, reserving one cup (250 ml) of the brine. Do not rinse the veggies.

Prepare Spice Paste

With a Food Processor

• Chop the scallions (using both the green and white part) into 1/2 inch (1 cm) slices. Add to the mixing bowl of a food processor.
• Peel and roughly chop the garlic and peel and slice the ginger. Add to mixing bowl.
• Add pepper powder, soy sauce and fish sauce (if using) to mixing bowl.
• Run food processor until ingredients are all incorporated and a thick paste forms. It will be finished when it "rolls" over in a donut shape in the bowl of the food processor.
• You can adjust by adding more tamari/soy sauce if it needs to be wetter, or more pepper powder if it needs to thicken up. Alternately, you can use the reserved brine to adjust the texture of the paste.

Paste By hand

• Chop the scallions (use green and white part) into 1/8"/ 3mm slices.
• Add to a small mixing bowl.
• Peel and grate the ginger, and mince the garlic into a fine dice, and add to bowl.
• Add pepper powder, soy sauce and fish sauce to mixing bowl. Vegan variation: omit fish sauce.
• Stir and mash contents (or pulse with food processor) together until a paste forms.
• You can adjust by adding more tamari sauce if it needs to be wetter, or more pepper powder if it needs to thicken up.

Pack Jar or Crock

• Wear protective food-grade gloves to protect yourself from the pepper paste and keep your hands from smelling like garlic and fish sauce.
• You can mix the veggies and paste together in a separate large mixing bowl or directly in the fermenting container. Mix the paste and veggies thoroughly with your hands, coating each morsel.

Ferment

• Pack mixture tightly into a glass or ceramic vessel. Ensure that the top surface is even and flat.
• If using a small batch fermentation lid, add weight(s) to the jar, then apply fermentation lid.
• If using a crock or wide-mouth vessel, add a plastic lid or plate on top of the contents, and a weight to press down and keep contents under the brine. It may not seem very "briny" when you first pack it, but brine will continue to form once the veggies are pressed down. Secure with a cloth and rubber band to keep flies out.
• Store in an out-of-the-way spot in your kitchen or house for 5 days. Note: Your house will smell like kimchi.
• After 5 days, start to check on the kimchi daily by tasting it. If it still needs more time to develop, let it ferment another day or two. (Fermentation varies by location and season. Nine days is perfect in the drylands Mediterranean coastal climate where I live.)
• Once you like the taste and texture, transfer it into mason jars (or remove fermentation lid and replace with the standard mason jar lid) and store in fridge (or swap with your local club members!)
• Kimchi will keep in the refrigerator for many months. It will never go "bad" unless it dries out and forms mold. If it is too soft to enjoy raw, consider using old kimchi for stews or soups.