Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage dish. In its simplest form, it is just cabbage and salt. But you can add other vegetables (or fruits) as well as your own seasonings. A traditional German preparation uses caraway seeds and juniper berries.
The dish is traditionally prepared in the autumn and then fermented at “earth temperature” (55°F/13°C) all winter long! If you make enough, you can draw from the mother batch while the rest ferments. If you don’t have a root cellar, or you just don’t want to wait that long, it will ferment in as little as 1 week.
After seeing how simple and delicious homemade sauerkraut is, you’ll never buy supermarket kraut again!
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- Seasonings and spices
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- This guy looks nervous…
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- Use food-grade plastic, glass or ceramic crock as fermenting vessel
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- Almost done
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- Weighing down with a lid
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- Day 6
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- Day 11
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- Day 21- Surface mold is normal!
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- Finished kraut for 4
- 5-6 lbs. red or green cabbage (2 medium to large heads)
- 3 Tablespoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- ½ teaspoon juniper berries
- (Optional) 1 cup sliced fruit or vegetable (try fennel bulb or tart apple)
- Slice cabbage in half lengthwise, so that stem keeps each half together. Shred each half into ¼” ribbons using v-slicer, mandoline, or chef’s knife.
- For each half-head, add shreds to a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ of the salt (about 2 teaspoons). Let sit while shredding the next half. Brine will form as salt draws water from cabbage.
- Add cabbage to a gallon-sized or larger glass jar or ceramic crock. (Food-grade plastic containers are also acceptable.)
- Repeat until all cabbage has been shredded.
- Add spices to cabbage. Mix thoroughly with tongs or clean hands.
- Pack down contents so that surface is even and flat.
- Place a plastic lid (or ceramic plate) that fits inside container. Add a weight such as a glass bottle filled with water.
- There should be enough brine to completely cover the contents when weighed down.
- Cover container with a dish towel or tea towel to keep out flies and dust. Secure with a rubber band, twist ties or elastic strap. Stash it in a cool, dark place– a cellar, under the stairs, or under the sink in the kitchen.
- Check on it every few days. Mold may form on the surface. Remove weight and lid, and wash them with warm soapy water. Scoop out any surface mold, getting as much as you can. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all. Then stir the contents and re-pack the surface. Any residual mold will quickly be killed in the acidic environment of the brine. The contents are safe under the brine.
- Cabbage will start to ferment within a few days. It’s up to you how long you want to keep it fermenting. Fermentation time varies with the seasons and the climate.
- Will last in refrigerator several months.
Sauerkraut, like all fermented vegetables, should be enjoyed like a condiment. Eat a little before each meal, and eat it often!
