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Mains & Sides

Homemade Sauerkraut

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Ingredients
  • 1 large head organic cabbage*
  • 1-2 Tbsp high-quality salt (such as Himalayan or Celtic)
Instructions
  1. Peel off the top 2 layers of cabbage leaves and set aside. You're going to use these to top the sauerkraut with.
  2. Shred or chop the rest of the cabbage. You can use your food processor to speed things up (either the grating attachment or the "s" blade), and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle on 1-2 Tbsp of sea salt (use more salt for a crunchier kraut).
  3. Using your hands, massage the cabbage until you start to see the water being drawn out of the cabbage and it's softening. This will take a few minutes. This water becomes your brine and it's essential for sauerkraut to work.
  4. Using a clean wide mouth mason jar, begin to stuff the cabbage bit by bit into the jar and press down with your hands or a utensil (see my video). You want to pack down the cabbage, limiting the amount of air in the jar.
  5. As you work your way to the top of the jar, the brine should eventually be higher than the cabbage. Leave about 1-1.5 inches of space from the top of the cabbage and the lid.
  6. Using the cabbage leaf you set aside, fold it up and press it overtop of the shredded cabbage inside the jar, press it down. You don't eat this cabbage, it is to keep the kraut beneath the brine.
  7. Place lid on mason jar, it doesn't have to be tight (see my video). Place the jar out of direct sunlight on a plate in case the juices start to seep out of the jar.
  8. Depending how warm your home is, the kraut will take anywhere from 3-7 days. Give it a taste test after 3 days if it's tangy to your liking, seal the top and place in the fridge. The fermentation will stop and it will keep for months in your fridge.
  9. Whenever your serving the cabbage, always use a clean utensil when dipping into the jar otherwise you introduce new bacteria and this can spoil the kraut.
  10. EnJOY your kraut! You're now a fermenting goddess!!
Notes

The amount of cabbage this recipe makes really depends on the size of the cabbage you start with. As you can see in my video, I started with a very large cabbage and this filled a large mason jar (32 oz/1 quart). I would suggest you have a couple of sizes on hand. You could also do 2 x small 16oz jars. It's up to you!

*Please choose organic, there will be more good bacteria present on the cabbage to help it ferment.

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