Lacto-fermenting kohlrabi: 2.50% salt, 10.0days at 68 °F
Kohlrabi — the German turnip — is a Brassica oleracea cultivar grown for its bulbous, swollen stem rather than its root. Crisp, mild, and slightly sweet raw, it ferments into a snappy, slightly tangy pickle that retains its crunch for months. Common in Czech, German, and Korean cooking; in kimchi tradition it appears as a component in mixed-vegetable variants. The white-skinned variety ferments faster than purple; either works.
Salt calculator
Enter your vegetable weight and a salt percentage. We return the exact salt mass in grams, plus teaspoons for each common grain.
grams
%
Grain matters: one teaspoon of Diamond Crystal weighs half as much as one teaspoon of fine sea salt. Weigh in grams when you can.
All salt grains
Grain
Grams
Teaspoons
Tablespoons
Diamond Crystal kosher
25 g
8.8
2.93
Morton kosher
25 g
5.21
1.74
Fine sea salt
25 g
4.39
1.46
Pickling / canning
25 g
4.55
1.52
Default salt
2.50 %
Salt range
2.00% – 3.00%
Time @ 68 °F
10.0 days
Target pH
3.50
Water content
~90%
Preferred styles
brine pickle, kimchi component
Technique
Peel the tough outer skin (it can be thick — peel deep enough to remove all woody fibers). Cut into 1-cm matchsticks or 5-mm rounds. Pack into a jar with one bay leaf, a teaspoon of caraway seed, and a thin slice of horseradish or one crushed garlic clove per quart. Cover with 2.5% brine, weight, leave 1 inch headspace. Ferment 7-14 days at 65-72°F. Done when fully sour but still crisp at the bite. Refrigerate; will hold 4+ months.
2.50% by weight is the default for kohlrabi (workable range 2.00%–3.00%). For 1000g kohlrabi, that's 25.0g salt. Use non-iodised salt and weigh in grams — teaspoon equivalences vary by salt grain. Source: Katz — The Art of Fermentation (p. 99, Brassicas).
How long to ferment kohlrabi?
10.0 days at 68°F (20°C). Cooler kitchens (60-65°F) slow fermentation; warmer kitchens (75-80°F) roughly halve the time per 10°F increase. Start tasting from day 5; target pH 3.50 or below indicates complete primary fermentation.
What's the best technique for fermenting kohlrabi?
Peel the tough outer skin (it can be thick — peel deep enough to remove all woody fibers). Cut into 1-cm matchsticks or 5-mm rounds. Pack into a jar with one bay leaf, a teaspoon of caraway seed, and a thin slice of horseradish or one crushed garlic clove per quart. Cover with 2.5% brine, weight, leave 1 inch headspace. Ferment 7-14 days at 65-72°F. Done when fully sour but still crisp at the bite. Refrigerate; will hold 4+ months.
What category is kohlrabi for fermentation?
Kohlrabi is a root vegetable. Kohlrabi — the German turnip — is a Brassica oleracea cultivar grown for its bulbous, swollen stem rather than its root. Crisp, mild, and slightly sweet raw, it ferments into a snappy, slightly tangy … Preferred fermentation style: brine-pickle, kimchi-component.
The kit for fermenting Kohlrabi
A short, honest kit for lacto-fermentation. The scale is the one that matters most — everything here is by weight.
Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)Salt % is by weight, not volume — a 0.1 g scale is what makes the math above accurate.View on Amazon →
Glass fermentation weightsKeep vegetables submerged under the brine line so they ferment safely without mould.View on Amazon →
Airlock fermentation lidsLet CO₂ escape while keeping oxygen out — wide-mouth lids that fit standard jars.View on Amazon →
Wide-mouth mason jarsThe workhorse vessel for kraut, kimchi and brine pickles — 1 qt and ½ gal sizes.View on Amazon →
Pickling / fine sea saltPure salt with no iodine or anti-caking agents, which can cloud brine and inhibit fermentation.View on Amazon →
Stoneware fermentation crockFor scaling past the jar — a water-sealed crock for 5 L+ batches with built-in weights.View on Amazon →
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