389-Making Sauerkraut At Home

Making sauerkraut at home is a simple, fun and rewarding activity. Instead of paying for probiotics that may or may not be working you can eat your own SUPER POWERFUL probiotics contained in sauerkraut. Some laboratory tests have shown that homemade sauerkraut can contain trillions of gut-friendly bacteria in a 4-6 oz serving that is also delicious and versatile. Take it slow at first, eat only an ounce or so the first few days to allow your gut to get used to the superfood. You only need a suitable fermentation container, cabbage, salt and a few weeks time.....that is it!

We like to add onions and garlic to our kraut but others add carrots, red cabbage, caraway seeds etc. The cabbage needs to be finely shredded for best results, we use a mandoline or the shredding disc on the food processor to achieve the right cut. Then salt, onions, garlic are mixed in.

We add 2 tbsp kosher salt to each 2-3 lb cabbage. This salt ensures that the fermentation can start without the cabbage rotting first. We carefully squeeze and mix and let the cabbage stand at least an hour to start the process. Eventually, the lactic acid build up makes the environment not hospitable for bad bacteria to take hold, thus ensuring a successful fermentation.

During this time the cabbage will exude a bunch of moisture which is key to making great kraut. We then pack it into the sterilized crock and make sure it's packed down tightly, if the cabbage is covered by liquid we then add a few large cabbage leaves and the weights that came with our crock.

We usually make a few cups of extra brine by adding 2 tsp salt (kosher) to 2 cups purified water (no tap water) add pour it on top to make sure that cabbage is submerged. Then cover the crock, add water to the moat and leave it to sit at 65-72 degrees Fahrenheit.

We like to let it stay in the crock at least 4-5 weeks or longer to get the best flavor. To see additional information about how to make sauerkraut I suggest visiting this site.