From Garden to Pantry: Garlic, Onions, and the Quiet Joy of Fermentation

🧄 From Garden to Pantry: Garlic, Onions, and the Quiet Joy of Fermentation

The other morning, I walked out to the garden to check on the garlic and onions I planted earlier this season.
Both crops are coming along beautifully—green shoots standing tall, quietly gathering strength beneath the surface.

This year’s onion harvest, especially the “Keru onions,” has been a quiet triumph.

Four months have passed since we pulled them from the earth, and they’re still holding firm, their golden skins intact, their sweetness deepening with time.
We began by using the largest bulbs—those with the most moisture and shortest shelf life—and now we’re enjoying the medium-sized ones, just right for everyday cooking.
The smallest ones, no bigger than a plum, are perfect for soups.
I love simmering them whole until they melt into the broth, soft and translucent.

They’ll last a while longer, I think.

That’s the beauty of long-keeping vegetables like onions—they nourish us through the seasons and double as a kind of edible reserve.

🧄🧅 Fermentation as Preservation—and Pleasure

Garlic and onions, already staples in our kitchen, become something even more special when transformed into fermented seasonings.
Garlic koji and onion koji are two of my favorite preparations—simple, natural, and deeply flavorful.
I learned these recipes at a local fermentation class, and they’ve become part of our rhythm at home.

Garlic Koji

Ingredients:

• 100g rice koji (fresh or dried)
• 30g salt
• 50g garlic (grated or finely chopped)
• 130–140ml water (use 140ml for dried koji)

Instructions:

1. In a clean container, mix the rice koji, salt, and garlic.
2. Add water and stir until the mixture is moist and cohesive.
3. Cover and let ferment at room temperature for about a week, stirring once daily.
   Alternatively, use a yogurt maker at 60°C for 6 hours.
4. When the aroma softens and the texture becomes tender, it’s ready. Store in the fridge.

Onion Koji

Ingredients:

• 100g rice koji (fresh or dried)
• 30g salt
• 300g onion (grated or finely chopped)
• 100–140ml water (adjust depending on onion moisture)

Instructions:

1. Peel and grate or finely chop the onion.
2. Mix with rice koji and salt in a clean container.
3. Add water gradually until the mixture is moist but not watery.
4. Ferment at room temperature for about a week, stirring daily.
   Or use a yogurt maker at 60°C for 6 hours.
5. Once mellow in aroma and soft in texture, it’s done. Store in the fridge.

At home, I use a food processor to finely chop both garlic and onions—it saves time and gives a nice consistency.

🍖 Simple Meals, Deep Flavor

Garlic koji is especially good for marinating meat. One of our favorites is pork rolls: I season thin pork slices with garlic koji, then wrap them around green beans, carrots, and cheese.
A quick pan-fry and a final glaze of soy sauce and mirin (1:1) is all it takes.
No need for flour or starch—the koji brings out the umami beautifully.

Another go-to is grilled chicken thighs.
I place two thighs in a bag with 1 tablespoon of garlic koji, 1 teaspoon each of soy sauce and honey, then massage and let it rest.
Grilled until golden, it’s a dish that feels indulgent but takes almost no effort.

🥬 Winter’s Quiet Progress

Our Chinese cabbages are finally beginning to form tight, compact heads.
The outer leaves curl inward, gathering themselves into the familiar shape that signals winter’s arrival.

Soon, we’ll harvest the last of the green onions, daikon, and cabbages.
After that, it’s time to rest—and to dream.
Planning next year’s garden is one of the quiet joys of this season.
What shall we plant? What flavors will carry us through the next winter?