The first way that kimchi varies is based on the season. The season that the kimchi is made makes a difference. Kimchi is often made in the spring, summer, and fall. Based on the season, different vegetables and brining methods are used which can result in different textures and flavors. For example, in the summer seasonal ingredients like cucumber or perilla leaves can be used to make kimchi.
As you may know Cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables to make into kimchi, but there are so many other vegetables that you can use to make kimchi that offers different textures and flavors.
If you are trying to test out some vegetables to make other kinds of kimchi then a general rule is to use vegetables that are thick and dense with higher water content. Mild flavored vegetables work best for making kimchi.
If possible, for you and your family, I would recommend you use seasonal ingredients to make seasonal ingredients. Firstly, using seasonal ingredients can make your kimchi more flavorful because vegetables at their peak season are most flavorful. Another perk of using seasonal ingredients is that the ingredients you need will be more likely to be readily available to you.
You may not have access to all the different Korean vegetables used to make kimchi but there are a lot of common ingredients that are used that you should be able to find in your local market like green onion, cucumber, or mustard leaves. My recommendation is to google and search for
local farmers markets or local Asian vegetable farmers. I had previously lived in a small Texas town which did not sell a lot of ingredients I wanted to try but when I went to the local small farmers market, I was able to find perilla leaves, garlic chives, and peppers!
Seasonal Vegetables Commonly Used to Make Kimchi:
Spring (March, April, May)
- Garlic chives (부추 (bu-chu)
- Korean wild chive (달래 (dal-rae)
- Green Mustard leaf (청갓 (chong-gat)
- Red Mustard leaf (홍갓 (hong-gat)
- Ramp (명이나물/산마늘 (myong-ni-na-mul/san-ma-neul))
- Spring onion (파 (pa)
- Spring Cabbage 봄동 (bom-dong)
- Chrysanthemum/Crown daisy (쑥갓 (ssuk-kkat)
- Small green onion (쪽파 (jjok-pa))
Summer (June, July, August)
- Cucumber (오이 (o-ei)
- Tomato (토마토 (to-ma-to)
- Spring onion (파 (pa)
- Onion (양파 (yang-pa)
- Young summer radish (열무 (yol-mu))
- Perilla leaves (깻잎 (kkaet-nip)
Fall (September, October, November)
- Garlic chives (부추 bu-chu)
- Korean radish (무/조선무 (Mu/jo-son-mu))
- Sweet Potato Stems 고구마순 (go-gu-ma-sun)
- Napa Cabbage 배추 (bae-chu)
- Ponytail Radish (총각무/알타리 (chong-gakk-mu/al-ta-ri))
- Dongchimi radish (다발무 (da-bal-mu)
