You might love sauerkraut on grilled hot dogs, homemade reubens and more, but did you know that it’s a fantastic source of Vitamins C, B and K; it’s been used to effectively treat stomach ulcers and is also loaded with fiber, folate, potassium, iron, copper and manganese as well?! Oh, did we mention that’s extremely easy to make at home, requiring just TWO ingredients? Here’s how . . .
Sauerkraut is fermented through a process called lacto-fermentation. Essentially, the cabbage naturally contains beneficial bacteria called Lactobacillus (which is also in yogurt), once it’s placed in a natural brine solution the healthy bacteria covert the natural sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid. This becomes a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of bad (or harmful) bacteria. Fermented veggies have a very long shelf life, but should always be stored at around 55F.
You’ll Need:
1 Medium Sized Cabbage, Washed
1 Tbs Himalayan Salt (or sea salt)
Do not use Iodized salt for this recipe.
Shred the cabbage (a food processor works great for this!) Then transfer half of it to a mixing bowl, sprinkle half of the salt over the cabbage in the bowl, add the remaining cabbage, sprinkle again with the remaining salt. Toss the cabbage and salt together ensuring that they are well combined. Transfer the salted cabbage to a vegetable fermenter.
If you don’t have a vegetable fermenter, you can place the cabbage in a stoneware fermentation crock. You want a jar fitted with an airlock to allow for proper anaerobic environment to attain the proper fermentation.
Pack the cabbage tightly into the jar to release the juices and all the air bubbles. The cabbage should be completely submerged by the natural juices. Cover it loosely and allow it to rest for about 10 days (depending on what type of fermentation jar you choose!). We use the Picklemeister.
canstock photo sierpniowka
