Sauerkraut always sounded a little weird to me. Fermented cabbage, Yuk! I have since learned that not only is it good for you it is really yummy. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics (healthy bacteria) so they promote a healthy gut and digestion, which in turn will strengthen your immune system and may help control weight.
Fermentation is a process that has been used to preserve food for hundreds of years. Naturally occurring bacteria breaks down the sugars and starches in food, which produces lactic acid which then halts the bacteria that would make the food rot, thus preserving it.
Sauerkraut is a great fermented food that is really easy to make. With a little experimenting I have found many dishes that are greatly enhanced by adding some sauerkraut.
How to make sauerkraut
You will need:
- Cabbage
- Salt
- A jar with a wide mouth
- A plastic bag
Begin by shredding your cabbage finely.
Sprinkle with salt very liberally, about 1 1/2 Tbs for a head of cabbage. The salt is the preservative. It will break down the cabbage so that it releases the juices needed to ferment.
Knead the salt into the cabbage. Scrunch it with your hands and try to bruise the cabbage as much as possible.
Press the cabbage into a jar. Do it in layers and press it down hard. As you do this you will start to see juice building up.
Fermentation
When fermenting vegetables it is very important that it is not exposed to air. The vegetable must be completely submersed or it will rot. You will need some kind of weight to hold the cabbage under the juice. I have found the easiest and surest way to keep it submersed is to use a plastic bag full of water.
Press the cabbage down so that it is under the juice. Then place the bag of water on top of it. Use a spoon to go inside of the bag and make sure there are no air pockets between the cabbage and the bag.
Now let it ferment. It will take a week or two. At the beginning of the fermentation it might be kind of smelly. I find that the plastic bag on top helps keep the smell down, but you will see that as it ferments it will release gases. I call them little burps. Set your jar on a plate because when it burps it might spill over a little if you have a full jar. As it ferments it will fade from a fresh green color to a yellowish color.
You can try eating it anytime you like. I usually let it ferment for about 10 days before I start using it. Once you have it fermented to a point you like you can store it in the refrigerator and it will keep for a long time. If you have a cool basement or root cellar it will keep up to a year. Just be aware that it will become softer the longer it is stored.
I find that we are eating so much sauerkraut that I need to always keep a batch of it going. I like to keep a jar in the fridge for eating and one on the counter fermenting.
Ways to use Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is great with anything that has beans and tortillas.
Great refried beans with fried eggs and rice.
Bean and cheese quesadilla (We call them Bean Things), made with your own homemade refried beans.
