Simple Sauerkraut




INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. green or red cabbage

(about 1 large head or 2 small)

4 tsp. sea salt

PREPARATION:

Rinse cabbage and remove the outer leaves.

Slice thinly, with either a knife or the shredding

attachment of a food processor. You may slice it

thin or thick, but the key is making it uniform in

size.

Place shredded cabbage in a large metal or glass

bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Massage salt into the

cabbage; it will start to release water. Continue

massaging until you have quite a bit of water

and cabbage starts to soften. This might take a

few minutes, and it does require some arm and

hand muscles!

Using a large glass jar or kraut crock, press

cabbage into the container. Do this slowly, with

just a cup or two at a time so you can really

press down. You want to compact the cabbage

as much as possible to eliminate air bubbles and

release more water.

Once all of the cabbage is in the jar or crock,

place something heavy on top (like another jar

filled with water) to weigh it down. Press down

hard on the jar until water covers the cabbage.

Ideally, you want at least 1 inch of water on top.

Cover jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber

band. Tip: Label jar with the date so you know

when it started to ferment. Place your kraut on

the counter or in a cabinet.

Every few days, check your kraut. Smell it and

maybe even take a little taste with a clean fork.

Mainly, you want to make sure it’s not smelling

funky (like garbage or old socks) and that water

still covers the cabbage. If the cabbage creeps up

above the water, press down on your small jar to

compact it more.

After a few days, it should get bubbly. That’s a

good thing! After a few more days, it should start

to smell and taste sour. You can eat your kraut

pretty much anytime, but letting it ferment for

2–6 weeks is usually ideal.

When you are ready to taste it, don’t be afraid.

As long as it smells like kraut, meaning a little

bit sour, you should be good. If it smells like old

socks or garbage, or if you see obvious signs of

mold (green or black), something likely went

wrong and you’ll want to start over.

If there is a white layer on top, that is normal.

You can simply scoop it out. If there’s a pink

layer on top, that is a type of mold but you can

scoop that out, too. You can eat everything

underneath.

When you are ready to taste it, smell it first.

If it smells good, take a small bite and swish

it around in your mouth but spit it out (don’t

swallow it). If it passes both of these tests, dig

in and enjoy your kraut. Transfer your kraut to

clean mason jars and store it in the fridge (it will

safetley keep for many months).

Serving size varies depending on the size of your

cabbage but should get 1 to 2 large mason jars of

sauerkraut.

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