A Beginners Sauerkraut Recipe

Sauerkraut is a great food for your gut health! its not everyones cup of tea but if you can include it in your diet it will certainly be beneficial to you gut health due to the probiotic content. The fermentation process allows a diverse  population of beneficial bacteria to thrive. Its simple to make, inexpensive and doesn't require to much equipment although there is plenty of equipment out there if you would prefer it. Here we are starting off simple.  

Equipment

A jar with a lid or lever jar
A sharp knife
A bowl
A chopping board
Stones (previously boiled), small jar full of water or weights

Make sure all the equipment is very clean. Use boiling water to sterilise everything and make sure your hands are clean. Choose a size jar that will fit the cabbage the liquid and the weight of your choosing.

Ingredients

Organic white cabbage
Pink himalayan salt (2% of the weight of the the cabbage)

Optional-1 tbsp Caraway seeds

Method

1  Slice the cabbage thinly with a sharp knife and put it in a large bowl
2 Add the salt
3 Massage and squeeze the cabbage for 5 minutes then leave to rest for another 5
4 Massage and squeeze the cabbage for another 5 minutes until there is plenty of liquid to cover the cabbage.
​5 Transfer the cabbage and liquid into the clean jar 

6 Pack the cabbage down firmly into the jar so the liquid (brine) submerges the cabbage. make sure no cabbage is above the brine.
7 Weight the cabbage down using the method that best suits you baring in mind that the weight will be in the brine and will leach contaminants .  If you don't have enough liquid to cover the cabbage you can make some to add brine. Make a 2% solution i.e. 1g salt to 50ml of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage.

8 Seal the lid and leave the sauerkraut in temperatures between 60 and 70F to allows for the correct speed of fermentation and leave out of direct sunlight.
9 leave the sauerkraut for up to 20 days according to your taste but no less than 5 days. The fermentation process needs at least 3 days and the flavour is allowed to develop with longer fermentation. Make sure the jar is opened once a day to release gases. 

10 Once the Sauerkraut is to your liking you can move it to the fridge to slow down the fermentation. ​​
Enjoy!

​This is a nice simple sauerkraut recipe for beginners. Once you have mastered this there is whole array of fermented foods to have a go at. You may also like to try making Kimchi, Kombucha, Kefir or even Sourdough breads. If you would like to feel the benefits of fermented foods but don't want to make it, there are jars available at Bawtry Natural Health's Shop.