Homemade sauerkraut is one of the easiest things to ferment. It is a wonderfully reliable ferment and doesn’t take any special skills or ingredients. Sauerkraut is a great source of probiotics. However, the main reason why you should make sauerkraut is that fermented sauerkraut is so much BETTER than the stuff you find in a jar at your local grocery store.
. A box grater would work too, though it would take a lot of time to grate a head of cabbage by hand.
However, when I first started fermenting I used the low tech method for making sauerkraut. I packed my kraut into mason jars and kept the vegetables below the brine with a weight. Cabbage (especially if it’s organic) has such naturally good culture that I have only ever had one failure with the low tech method.
If this is your first time fermenting something I recommend reading the Basic Fermentation Rules. It goes into detail about about cleanliness, ideal temperature for fermentation and more.
Grate the cabbage and any other vegetable or fruit additions.
Toss it with spices and salt.
Pack it into a wide mouth mason jar(s) leaving at least 2" of head room. Use a spoon to really pound all the cabbage into the jar. If you pack it down enough, liquid will be pressed out of the cabbage, and you want enough liquid to cover the cabbage. Also, it's important to fully pack the cabbage into the jar because air bubbles increase the risk of contamination. Don't worry if you don't have enough liquid right away, it should produce it within 24 hours. So you can to leave your cabbage to sweat a bit then pack it down again.
Leave the jar to ferment at room temperature (around 18 C if possible) and out of the sun. The goal is to have the cabbage kept from the air (by weights, fido or airlock), but still allow for the release of CO2. Even if I am using a weight I keep my jars loosely covered to prevent bugs from getting in.
The first three days the cabbage will bubble and liquid may over flow from the jar (so put a bowl underneath your jar to catch any liquid).
Sauerkraut is ready when you decide it is done (anywhere between 5 days to 7 weeks, though I often just permanently leave my kraut in a cupboard since I'm short on space in my fridge).
Store it in the fridge to stop the fermentation.
-There’s a whole science to how the “flora” in sauerkraut changes over time. However, it should never be moldy, yeasty or smelly. Keeping everything clean is necessary for a good ferment.
Adding a cup of grated apple, fennel, cranberries or carrot will sweeten the kraut.
Onion and garlic are savory additions.
For a spicy kraut add in 1 hot pepper finely diced.
My favourite spice combination is 1 tsp caraway seed, 1 tsp mustard seed and 10 juniper berries.
Another popular spice combo is 2 bay leaves and 5 black peppercorns.
Make a curry flavoured kraut with 2 tsp of mixed Indian curry spices and some grated onion and carrot.
If you want a dill pickle flavoured kraut add 1 tsp dill seed and 1 clove of garlic.
I have made this several times and I love it. It is so yummy and easy, I just made a batch for friends. I thought there may be a bad smell as it ferments but not at all.
I have found that making the kraut now, when the cabbage is fresh is the best and ferments well. I just made a batch with fennel and caraway seeds – delicious!
trying my first kraut right now!
Yea! Hope it works out.