Hi Diane, wow.. I wish I was there to see your mom’s reaction!! I hope it turns out well for you. Thank you so much and good luck!

Hello Tony, Thank you for trying to make Kimchi! So first Minari is not an absolute must ingredient so you can leave it out if you can’t find it. If you add it, it does add a refreshing zing to your Kimchi. I have a whole post dedicated to Minari here – https://kimchimari.com/minari-how-to-eat-grow/ I go into more detail there about what the plant is. I am not familiar with Thai flat leaf celery so I can’t say but I would rather not add it if you are unsure about it. Hope that helps!

Glad to hear the substitutes, options and reasons for each ingredient.. BUT..

..I thought I found the 미나리 Minari (oenanthe javanica) as the store worker said it’s probably Chinese Celery, but I think I actually got a Thai Flat Leaf Celery (apium graveolens var. secalinum).. also sometimes referred to as Chinese Celery..

They didn’t know the vegetable as Dropwort or Pennywort or Water Celery or Japanese Flat Leaf Parsley any of the synonyms I had written down for it (BTW, I’m in northern Sweden ATM.. only able to get black sweet rice flour, long skinny Japanese radish, and dried salted anchovies..:)

So what does Minari taste like? Should I throw in the Thai Leaf Celery? Looks soooo close, but has a distinct strong Celery smell (which I’m not a huge fan of anyway).. it’s actually possible it’s Minari because the stalks almost look more like the internet pics of ‘oenanthe javanica’ (Minari) than ‘apium graveolens var. secalinum’ (Leaf Celery)

Anyhoo, if someone has some knowledge on this I can’t search the internet anymore..

Yes, you can sprinkle more Korean sea salt on top for the most simple fix. You can also splash in some fish sauce too for extra flavor. Hope that helps.

You are welcome! Under ideal conditions (see my no crazy kimchi post for perfect temp) with all the ingredients being close to perfect (salt, cabbage, red chili powder), it can last for 1-3 years but realistically, it will last a good 2-3 months at least if you do everything right. Put in the fridge sooner than later and keep it at low temp. Read my No Crazy Kimchi post on how to ripen properly. Good luck! Let me know if you have more questions!

Hi Dillon, I assume you mean the clay jars and when they are buried in the ground? Once buried in the ground, they do maintain a cooler and more constant temperature and can store for years under ideal temperatures and salt content. Normally, it is hard to make it last thru summer. See my No Crazy Kimchi post for more discussions on this.