Simply Sauerkraut

I have wanted to make sauerkraut for years and I have finally done it YAY! My friend Den came for a visit a few months back and showed me how. She whipped some up in no time. I’m so over all the fancy this and that that you can make these days. I’m sticking to the basic old-fashioned stuff from here on in. All she used was some cabbage, good salt and caraway seeds. I had the perfect container on hand that I bought especially for sauerkraut. I think it cost me $5 from our local second-hand shop. For recipe read the full post.

My op-shop find. This holds about 1/2 cabbage.

The idea is too shred the cabbage finely and add multiple layers to your container, each layer about 2inches/5cms deep. Sprinkle each layer with a little salt and some caraway seeds. Use a good grainy sea salt for this. Then you push/squash each layer down until the cabbage is bruised and a little transparent looking. I used my pestle for this. Keep adding layers until you are nearly at the top. I managed six.

The last layer ready to be pressed down with the pestle.

Pressing/squashing it down hard.

Wait for an hour or so then add just enough good clean water to cover the cabbage. Slide a knife down the edges to release air bubbles. I put a small saucer with a weight on top to keep the cabbage down under the liquid. If you like you can place a folded up cabbage leaf on top underneath the saucer and the weight. Lastly cover with a cloth or in my case with a lid which is not air-tight. For fermentation to happen you need air. Now you will leave your sauerkraut to do it’s thing for between 7-10 days. On the bench at room temperature is fine and you can give it a little jiggle occasionaly for the first few days. A few bubbles or white froth may appear on top and that is all perfectly normal. It’s fermentation! Once it’s done store in the fridge and Enjoy. It should last for a few months or until it starts to taste “funny”