Making Homemade Sauerkraut may seem intimidating, but you can learn how to make this pro-biotic rich food in this tutorial.
One of the things that you will hear or read when you are starting to live a more healthful lifestyle is to include probiotics in your diet.
The easiest ways to do that is to consume fermented foods.
My favorite fermented food (besides sourdough bread) is sauerkraut. I have never met a kraut that I didn’t like.
Most people are familiar with the kind that comes in a jar or can at the grocery store, but if you have never had fresh fermented and unadulterated sauerkraut, you have had no idea what you have been missing.
Store-bought sauerkraut has been processed and those beneficial probiotics (good bacteria that your body needs for gut health) have been cooked out of it.
If your goal is the benefits…you want the real deal.
To Make Your Own Fermented Sauerkraut you will need:
- cabbage
- cutting board and knife
- non-iodized salt
- a large bowl
- tea towel
- kitchen scale
- mason jars
- sauerkraut pounder (pickle packer)
- fermenting lids
- fermenting weights
- a pan or tray
Choosing Your Cabbage for Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is traditionally made with green cabbage, but can be made with red cabbage as well.
Whichever cabbage you choose, you should always start with the freshest cabbage you can find.
If your cabbage is not fresh, you may not have enough liquid from the cabbage to create the brine for the sauerkraut. No water is added to this, as it all comes from the cabbage.
How to Make Fermented Sauerkraut
To begin, rinse the cabbage heads with cold water.
Red cabbage is beautiful and produces a sauerkraut with a slightly different flavor profile.
Carefully remove a few of the large outer leaves and set them aside for now. Discard any leaves that look limp or “icky.” Only use good, healthy leaves.
Thinly slice the cabbage, placing it into a large bowl. The amount of cabbage you will need will depend upon how much sauerkraut you are making.
Use a kitchen scale to measure exactly how much cabbage you have. I measure the cabbage in grams so that I can get a very precise measurement.
Take the weight of the cabbage and calculate 2% of that weight. That is the amount of salt that you will want to use.
Measure the salt and sprinkle it into the cabbage.
Begin working the salt into the cabbage with your hands. You will firmly press and massage the salt into the shredded leaves for about 10-15 minutes, or until liquid begins to release from the cabbage.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set it aside for a couple of hours.
Prepare your fermenting supplies, making sure everything is clean and sterile.
Begin scooping the shredded cabbage into your mason jar, just a couple inches to begin with. I use a canning funnel to get the cabbage into the jar easily.
Using your pickle packer, press very, very firmly down on the cabbage in the jar. This will cause it to release more of the juices.
Add a little more cabbage, pack it down again. Each time putting very firm pressure down on the packer.
As you are packing in the cabbage, more and more liquid will release from the leaves. This will also remove any air pockets in the cabbage.
Continue until the jar has been filled to 2-3 inches from the top of the jar. You will need to leave plenty of space for the liquid to expand and bubble as the fermentation process takes place.
Take the reserved outer leaves and cut them into a circle the size of the jar. I just set the jar or lid on top and trace it with a knife.
Carefully slide the leaf into the jar. Use the leaf to cover the shredded cabbage. This will help keep any bits from escaping and floating up.
Insert a fermentation weight into the jar. This will keep everything submerged while it ferments.
Close the jar with a fermenting lid and place the jar(s) in a tray or shallow pan.
The tray will catch any liquid that may escape