Sauerkraut Basics

Fermented cabbage, most commonly known as sauerkraut, is one of the easiest ways to get a boost of probiotics from your diet. Cabbage is usually cheap and, like other cruciferous vegetables, play a role in reducing cancer risk. Add to that increased gut health and you can see its appeal as a dietary staple.

Sauerkraut uses one of the earliest food preservation methods — salt. Lactofermentation (fermenting in a saltwater brine) has a long, long history with records in Babylonian and Egyptian history.

Here’s a recipe I hope you don’t sour on.

Making sauerkraut is easy. You just need cabbage, salt, a sharp knife (or food processor), a vessel, and some time.

INGREDIENTS

• Cabbage (green or red)

• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pull off two to three outer leaves of cabbage. Set aside.

2. Chop the sauerkraut using a knife or a food processor. The food processor will make the 'kraut thin and even, while cutting by hand depends on your knife skill and preferences. I use a food processor to make it quick and easy.

3. Weigh the cabbage and then calculate 2% of that number. For example, if the cabbage weighs 749 grams, you would put in 14.98 grams of salt. I would round that up to 15 grams. There is some flexibility. Some recipes call for 1.5% salt. If you go slightly above 2% it makes the process slower, but not inedible.

4. Put the cabbage in a large bowl and add the allotted amount of salt. Squish it with your hands and until it is thoroughly mixed and the cabbage has started breaking down. Leave it for 30-60 minutes.

5. Squish and squeeze the cabbage some more. It should be coming quite watery. Encourage this by being rough with the cabbage. Some people will use a pickle packer or other tool to pound the cabbage.

6. Spoon the cabbage into a clean, preferably sanitized jar (see NOTE). A jar funnel really helps here.

7. Remove the thick vein from the leftover cabbage leaves and fold the leaves up. Put them in the jar, using them to push down the shredded cabbage. The goal is for all the cabbage to compacted together and the liquid to be on the surface. You don't want any of the shredded cabbage above the water.

8. Add a weight to the top of the folded cabbage leaves. This can be a clean stone, a purchased stone, or other heavy, clean item you have in your kitchen.

9. Add the lid and screw band to the jar, but do not tighten. You want the lid to move up and down slightly so that it can "self burp." Alternatively, you can buy lids that will allow you to easily burp the

10. Let the cabbage ferment for a week. You can unscrew the cap every now and then, to make sure it's burping and the gas is being removed. After a week, start testing it until it's at the desired sourness. I usually leave mine for two weeks.

11. Throw away the folded cabbage leaves, tighten the lid, and put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

NOTES

I clean my jars with the hottest, soapiest water I can handle, but it is recommended that you sterilize them. You can do this using bleach, the sanitize cycle in a dishwasher, or sanitizing tablets (sold for home brewers).

If you are worried about consuming too much salt, you can rinse your 'kraut before you eat it, but this will probably wash away some of the probiotics as well.

Troubleshooting

If something goes wrong, it's probably because the jar or utensils weren't clean, or the cabbage wasn't under the surface of the brine.

It is normal to have something called Kahm yeast grow on the top of ferments. It is white and thin, floating on the top of the brine. It often shows up in small spots, but can take over the top of the brine. This is fine. It's safe. You can skim it off the top.

Throw away the sauerkraut if it smells bad or has any other kind of mold on it. Sauerkraut should have a sour, tangy smell, that is unusual, but not offensive.