Pickled Japanese Turnips

By Nick Schneider

These tender, sweet, white roots are only available when the farmers around here grown them. They behave more like a radish in a horticulture sense, but are milder, juicier and just as crunchy. They can be eaten raw, lightly steamed or pickled. This is not a traditional Japanese pickling method here but an adaptation for canning. Look for roots that are small, two inches in diameter or less.

Ingredients

2 lb. Hakurei Turnips, cleaned and greens trimmed
3 cups water
3 cups rice vinegar (or a combination of white or apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar)
1 ½ Tablespoons pickling salt
6 Tablespoons sugar or ¾ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
3-inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced thin

Instructions

Heat a pot of boiling water enough to blanch the turnips. Combine the water, sugar or mirin, vinegar and salt and bring to a boil. Blanch the turnips for 30 seconds in the boiling water and remove.

Have hot jars ready. Add a few slices of ginger to them. Pack with the turnips and then add the pickling solution. Can the jars in a hot water bath or keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.