Pickles and preserves
This Black Sea pickle is made by briefly blanching collard-green leaves and fermenting them in brine. It is prepared for cooking, not for eating raw: in winter, the drained leaves are sautéed with onion and cornmeal in butter or added to soup. No vinegar is used; the tartness comes from several weeks of lactic fermentation.
Bring the water to a boil, dissolve the salt, and let the brine cool completely. Salt should equal 4% of the water’s weight. Do not use iodized table salt; it can cloud the brine and disrupt fermentation.
Use a knife to remove the thick center ribs from the collard-green leaves. Wash the leaves and cut them into 3–4 cm-wide strips.
Boil the leaves for 3 minutes; they should turn dark green and wilt without falling apart. Transfer them to a colander, let cool, then gently squeeze out the liquid by hand.
Sterilize the jar in boiling water for 10 minutes. Pack the leaves into the jar in layers with the garlic and dried chilies. Pour in the cooled brine until it covers the leaves by 2 cm. Place a clean weight on top to keep the leaves submerged. Leave 2 cm of headspace because the brine may rise during fermentation. Close the lid loosely.
Ferment at room temperature (18–22°C / 64–72°F) for 2–3 weeks, then move the jar to a cool place or the refrigerator; this waiting time is not included in the recipe time. Keep the leaves submerged under the brine. Skim off a thin white surface layer with a spoon; discard the jar if you see fuzzy or colored mold. Do not process lactic-fermented pickles in a boiling-water bath.
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