Hey there health seeker,
Lately I have been a little obsessed with fermentation. It’s like when you’re a kid and you discover a new skill, like riding a bike, and that’s what you want to do every day. I want to ferment everything. My kitchen is starting to look more like a science lab than a kitchen!! Once I figured out how easy and versatile fermenting was, I was hooked. So here is a recipe for you my friends. All you need is some high quality salt, purified water, cabbage, and some clean jars. This type of fermentation is called lacto-fermentation and the healthy bacteria produced are Lactobacillus. These healthy bacteria are especially beneficial to improve digestion and boost the immune system.
Sauerkraut is super easy and quick to make and it is an excellent and cost effective way to add some beneficial bacteria into your diet. You can add sauerkraut to salads and wraps, or have it as a side dish. You can use green or purple cabbage and play around with the flavours by adding other veggies and seasonings to your sauerkraut. To read more about the health benefits of healthy bacteria, check out my homemade coconut yogurt.
Here is how to make simple health boosting sauerkraut:
- Remove 3-4 of the large outer leaves of the cabbage and reserve.
- Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the heart (solid white part of the cabbage). Put through a slicer in the food processor or use a hand shredder. You can also use your knife to cut thin strips.
- Put cabbage and the juice from the cabbage into a large bowl.
- Add approximately ½ Tbsp of sea salt per 1lb of vegetables. Sprinkle as you mix, don’t put all the salt in at once. (ex. 2-3 cabbages use 2-3 Tbsp salt)
- Massage, mix and squeeze the salt into vegetables. This will release the juices which will be your brine. Do this for 2-3 minutes until you really start to see some juice.
- Layer cabbage into your jar or ceramic crock pot, packing it tightly and leaving an inch of room in the jar. Pour in the liquid.
- Use the reserved cabbage leaves to top the vegetables. Press down and add a weight (bag of beans, rock, etc.) to make sure the brine covers the vegetables. You can put a lightly screwed plastic lid or a clean kitchen towel to cover the jar so fruit flies don’t get to it.
- Place the jar in a spot that is not directly in the sunlight. Heat speeds up the fermentation process. After 24 hours, check to make sure the vegetables are submerged under liquid. If not, add some salted water.
- Check the fermentation process a few times along the way. Scrape off any foam that might form on the top.
- Ferment for 3-7 days. This depends on how strong you like your sauerkraut. Taste along the way. (5 days is a good time if you don’t like it very sour)
Extra Tips for success:
- Use a damp cloth on top of the jar/pot to keep fruit flies away.
- If you’re using a lid on the jar, release the pressure periodically.
- If mold and/or fermentation foam appears, scrape off and discard any discoloured vegetables. The rest is still fine to eat.
- Making sauerkraut in the basement, where its colder, will slow down the fermenting process. You can keep fermenting to increase the beneficial cultures growing for 1-4 weeks.
- Play around and add some different flavours to your sauerkraut!
Refrigerate and enjoy! Sauerkraut will preserve in the fridge for 3 months or longer.
