Markus Mead, Co-Founder and Farmer of Oregon Coast Wasabi. Jennifer's husband and business partner
“Harvesting”, “picking” the heart-shaped leaves and wasabi stalks from the garden wasabi that was last “harvested” on December 6(?) approximately 2017. The video shows the harvesting and leaf growth and some fertilizing. The photos then show the steps of how I prepared the heart-shaped leaves and wasabi stalks for a slow ferment (identical to sauerkraut process), as opposed to a quick ferment wasabi zuke-sytle. In another two weeks in a successive article, I’ll remove the vegetable (stalks and leaves) from the ferment and report on the taste. Thank you for your interest in our produce.
~Markus
Step 1 (not shown) Wash the wasabi very well in a colander. I recommend washing the leaves multiple times. Slugs can leave "waste" on the underside which shouldn't be fermented.
Step 2: separate the leaves and stalks (shown)
Step 3: cut leaves to desired size. This is my preferred size. The leaves will shrink naturally during fermentation from losing water.
Step 4: cut stalks into desired length. Mine are uneven, but 1/4 inch to 1 inch and includes flowers.
Step 4: place salt in the bowl and mascerate to release water (standard sauerkraut process). Place in a fermentation vessel and wait for your desired length of timm. Then, remove and eat!