Food Storage Using Fermentation – Sauerkraut

When I was a kid, I couldn’t stand sauerkraut.  I equated sauerkraut with stringy, strong-smelling food that was created in Germany.  Well, that may be somewhat true of the canned sauerkraut that you find in the store; however, it’s not at all true of REAL sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut is believed to have been discovered by the Mongols in China.  Homemade sauerkraut isn’t that pale white, stringy, or strong smelling.  REAL sauerkraut is crispy with a great salty taste, and it doesn’t at all stink.

Making sauerkraut is actually incredibly easy!

Ingredients

Head of Cabbage

Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

Filtered water

Directions

1.)  Cut your cabbage in half, then in half again.  Remove the core.

2.) Take your 1/4 cabbage and cut small thin strips.  Place in a large, glass bowl.  Continue this until you’ve cut the whole cabbage into 1/4″ or smaller strips.

3.)  Sprinkle 1 T of salt over the cabbage.

4.)  Knead the cabbage for 1-3 minutes until it exudes enough moisture to cover the cabbage.

5.)  Place in a 1/2 gallon jar.  Make sure you push it down and release any air bubbles. If you need to add additional filtered water to make sure your cabbage is submerged, this is when you add it.  I use a weight in the mouth of my jar to keep the cabbage submerged below the level of the brine.

6.) Tightly cap your sauerkraut with a canning lid and band.  The first day, check it several times to make sure that your cabbage is completely submerged in the liquid.

7.)  You’ll need to remove the band and lid daily to ‘burp’ it.  As the sauerkraut ferments, it will create gas which will need to be released.  If you prefer not to burp it, you can alternately purchase these airlock lids.  They are INEXPENSIVE, silicone, BPA-free, mold-free, and safe to wash in the dishwasher.

What About You?

Have you ever tried making any ferments of your own?  Maybe you tried last week’s yogurt.  How did they turn out?  What areas do you feel like you can use some help troubleshooting your ferments?  I’d love to hear!  Leave a comment to this post or reply to this if you are getting it in e-mail form.

Remember, knowledge isn’t knowing something, it’s living it!

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