Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is easy to make, much less expensive than purchasing at the store, and supports healing in various ways. It’s abundant in healthy microbes, full of gut-healing glutamine, and contains many micronutrients. I’ll explain below the step-by-step process to making your own.
Materials
Organic cabbage
Sea salt
Glass jar (I use 1 qt or 2 qt mason jar)
Large bowl
Kitchen cloth
Rubberband
A weight (could be a smaller jar that fits inside the big one, or even a rock))
Instructions
Weigh your cabbage at the store, or using a kitchen scale. Reserve one to two of the outermost leaves for later in the process.
Measure out roughly 2 tsp of salt per pound of cabbage.
Chop your cabbage (excluding the 1-2 leaves) into small thin slices and place in the bowl
Sprinkle the measured salt over your cabbage and begin to mix, either using a large wooden spoon or with your hands.
Let the cabbage mixture rest for 10-20 minutes
Start to mix and stir again for 5-10 minutes. At this point you’ll notice the mixture becoming watery; this is good! Continue to mix and stir until the cabbage is quite wilted and a puddle of water forms in the bottom of the bowl.
Sterilize your jar by rinsing it with boiling or very hot water.
Fill your jar with the cabbage. As you fill, press the cabbage down with a spoon or with your hands—I use my fist. This will compact the cabbage, eliminating air bubbles and encouraging the water to ris up above the cabbage.
Place 1-2 outer leaves intact on top of the mixture, and weigh it down with something—I use a clean 8oz mason jar filled with water. The weight ensures most of the leaves remain submerged and less likely to develop mold.
Cover the jar with a small towel and rubberband. Label your jar with the date and contents. Set aside to begin fermenting out of direct sunlight.
After about 7 days, start tasting your sauerkraut. It’s done whenever you’re happy with the taste. Once you’re finished fermenting, cover with a lid and store in the fridge indefinitely.
Eat daily!
Notes
To prevent mold, ensure that all of the cabbage leaves are completely submerged under the brine.
If you don’t end up with enough liquid to cover your leaves, you can make extra 2% brine by dissolving 5 grams of sea salt (slightly less than 1 teaspoon) with ½ cup of water and pouring over the top leaves. Be sure to avoid tap water—it contains chlorine and fluoride which can inhibit the fermentation process
You can use something other than an 8oz mason jar for your weight (pretty sure I’ve used a large rock before) but make sure it’s not metal (except for steel, which is okay) or and non-plastic
Warmer ambient temperatures will lead to a faster fermentation. I usually ferment for 1-2 weeks, depending on the weather.
When I’m packing my jar, I use a wide kitchen funnel to speed up the process. The funnel I use is made of stainless steel, which is recognized as fine for fermentation.
Sometimes the mixture creates bubbling and more liquid over time; make sure you sit your jar on top of a bowl or plate to catch anything that might overflow. Leaving some breathing room at the top of the jar can help prevent this from happening.
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