If you’re curious about making your own fermented vegetables, making sauerkraut is a great place to start. It’s easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of equipment. You do however need some brawn and a couple of anger issues.
Sauerkraut isn’t just a German thing. Sure, it has a German name (sauerkraut translates as sour cabbage) but it isn’t a German invention. All over Europe, people make and eat sauerkraut and have been doing so for ages. The fermenting of vegetables is very much a global phenomenon. Before the invention refrigeration, fermenting was one of the few ways in which you could preserve vegetables through the winter months.
So how exactly does fermentation work? Lactic acid bacteria naturally occur on vegetables like cabbage. These bacteria start feeding on the sugars in the cabbage. As they do that, they lower the pH. At the end of the fermentation process, the cabbage has become too acidic for harmful bacteria to grow. Especially clostridium botulinum, the toxins of which can cause botulism.
In other words, certain bacteria are encouraged to grow. Which then prevents harmful bacteria from doing the same.
Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables have a very long history. But they’ve only recently become popular as a health food. While sauerkraut contains a lot vitamins, it’s actually the fermentation bacteria, that are especially good for you. Those bacteria function as probiotics and are very good for your gut-flora. They inhibit the growth of unwanted bacteria and they help to digest the food you eat. In short, having a varied selection of gut bacteria, is absolutely essential for your health. So give them a helping hand and try some of our homemade sauerkraut.
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Ingredients
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- Clean your jar(s) with hot soapy water. Rinse well and leave to dry.
- Clean the cabbage by removing the bottom of the stem. Also remove any of the outer leaves that look wilted or dried out.
- Remove a couple of nice big outer leaves and save them for later.
- Cut the cabbage into quarters and trim out the core. Then cut the rest of the cabbage into thin ribbons, as finely as you can. You can do this by hand, with a knife or mandoline slicer. Or you can make it easy for yourself and use a food-processor.
- Weigh the cabbage, so you can calculate the amount of salt needed. You'll need 2.25% of the total cabbage weight. In other words, 22.5 g of salt per kg of cabbage.
- Mix the salt through the cabbage and add the caraway seeds. Then start massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. And with that I don't mean a lovely relaxing massage, accompanied by music with ocean sounds. What's needed here, is a bone cracking, deep tissue massage.
- Once the cabbage starts to release liquid, set it aside for a couple of minutes. Then massage it again. Repeat this until you have enough liquid to cover the cabbage.
- Pack the cabbage into the clean jar(s). Press it down firmly, then add the liquid. The cabbage should be completely covered. If you don't have enough liquid for that, you can add some salt water. Use water with 2.25% salt for this.
- Put the outer leaves you saved earlier on top of the cabbage. This will help to keep the cabbage submerged. Then weigh everything down with small plastic bags filled with salt water.
- Close the jar by putting a lid on with an airlock.
- Store the jar at room temperature, in a dry and dark place. Let the sauerkraut ferment for about 2 to 3 weeks.
- When the sauerkraut has the taste you want, store it in the fridge. It will keep for a very long time, though its flavour will start to deteriorate after a while. So don't keep it for too long.
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