Preparing Kimchi In A Courtyard

Under a canopy of orange autumn leaves, a long wooden table holds the makings of a kimchi batch: bowls of shredded cabbage, mounds of red chili paste, sliced radish, and pale garlic cloves arranged beside tall clay jars. Whole heads of napa cabbage and bundles of white radish sit in baskets at the table's edge, ready for the next round. In the courtyard beyond, women in colorful hanbok gather around low tables and large basins, washing and salting cabbage leaves before a backdrop of traditional tiled houses and hazy mountains. Storage jars of every size stand in clusters across the yard, some empty and waiting, others already sealed. The scene moves from raw vegetables in the foreground to finished jars in the distance, tracing the whole process from harvest to storage in one unbroken line.