Why Eat Sauerkraut?
One of the simplest and most affordable ways to boost your gut health is by learning the skill of fermenting food. Many foods can be fermented. Dairy with products like yoghurt and kefir; sourdough breads ferment the grain to improve digestibility; and many vegetables can be fermented to both improve their shelf life but also use good bacteria to aid in digestion. Sauerkraut is one of the easiest to learn.
Many years ago my dear friend Jacinta came over for a visit one day with a box of cabbages and some mason jars. The children played while we chatted and I learnt to make sauerkraut. It was a lovely afternoon and one I am very grateful for. On that day, Jacinta not only encouraged me as she always did with her company, but she also gave me the gift of knowledge. I learnt a simple skill that has been with me ever since.
How to Make Simple Sauerkraut
I used to make sauerkraut regularly in Australia and it was a wonderful side to most dishes, giving a boost of probiotics to the meal. Unfortunately since moving to the States, life has been somewhat topsy turvy. A lot of good habits we had have fallen by the wayside, including sauerkraut.
Today I am bringing back the sauerkraut to my kitchen!
It is a super simple process. One day hopefully I will have homegrown cabbages but for now I picked up a couple at the supermarket in town. All I need is cabbages, some good salt and a couple of jars.
Ingredients:
Cabbages
Salt (good pure salt with no anti-caking agent)
Materials:
Glass jars with screw top lids
Bowl for mixing
Sharp knife
Method:
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and any dirt or decay. Finely chop the cabbages and place in bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of salt per head of cabbage. Massage in with your hands until salt is fully mixed and you begin to feel the salt drawing the moisture from the cabbage leaves.
Stuff the cabbage into the bottom of the jar. Pack down either with your knuckles or by using a wooden spoon to push the cabbage down and remove any air pockets. Do this incrementally, adding an inch or so of cabbage, packing it down, then adding more. Do this until you reach the top of the jar. As you do this, it will start to self brine and a liquid will be seen rising in the jar.
Use an outer leaf of the cabbage that you removed earlier, to create a cover and push it down on top of the cabbage until all chopped cabbage is submerged in the brine. Weigh this down with a fermenting weight, or a clean shot glass or something just the right size to keep the leaf pressed under the brine. You can also use the core of the cabbage to push the leaf down. Place lid on jar.
Put the jar in a shallow tray and store in a cool dark place to ferment. Check regularly and burp the jar by unscrewing the lid and releasing any pent up gas or extra brine.
The ideal temperature to ferment is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 22 degrees Celsius). You can still make sauerkraut at temperatures either lower or higher than this. You will just need to adjust the fermenting time depending on your climate and environmental factors. If you are in a very hot climate, check regularly to make sure your cabbage is not over fermenting and going mushy.
Taste test after a couple of weeks and then once it has reached the level of ferment that you prefer taste wise, store in the refrigerator.
You might also like this article on Easy Sourdough Bread
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