Sauerkraut is one of my favorite fermented foods. The flavor is fairly neutral, so it goes with a lot of meals. My kids love it because it isn’t spicy like other ferments. It’s a great, easy way to get some good probiotics into your day!
Making sauerkraut at home can really save some money—a jar of fermented sauerkraut can cost upwards of $7 a jar! I can make organic sauerkraut for much less than that. And the process of making sauerkraut is quite simple, so the work involved doesn’t mitigate the savings. The only downside is the waiting: if you run out of sauerkraut, you’ll have to wait for your jar to ferment to enjoy it again. But it’s worth the wait!
Let me share my method of making sauerkraut at home!
Start with a head of cabbage. Before you do anything to it, weigh it. Write down the weight—you’ll need this to calculate how much salt to use later.
Peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. These tend to be dirty or damaged. You don’t want them in your sauerkraut!
Next, cut out the core of the cabbage.
I like to give the cabbage a good rinse at this point. Since you cut out the core, the water can flow into the leaves and wash them. Make sure to turn the cabbage upside down and shake out any water.
Peel off one more outer leaf and save it for later.
Shred your cabbage and place it in a large bowl. I usually do this the old-fashioned way with a knife, but you could use a food processor if you prefer. Lisa from the blog Farmhouse on Boone suggests shredding your cabbage through the grater blade on your food processor if you like your sauerkraut fine. I tried that and it makes slicing a breeze!
Now it’s time to calculate how much salt you need to use! It really depends on how salty you like your sauerkraut. If you like it nice and salty, use 2 teaspoons of salt per pound of cabbage. If you prefer a less salty kraut, use 1½ teaspoons of salt per pound of cabbage. I personally find that 2 teaspoons of salt per pound is too salty. I go for the 1½ teaspoons.
For example, if your cabbage is 2 ½ pounds, use 3 ¾ to 5 teaspoons salt. If your cabbage is 3 pounds, use 4 ½ to 6 teaspoons of salt.
Toss the cabbage with the salt and let it sit for 15 minutes.
After you let the cabbage rest, it’s time to massage it! This makes the cabbage release some of its liquid, which you’ll be using as your brine.
Knead the cabbage for 5 minutes. Your arms will get a workout, but it’s so worth it!
You should have a fair amount of liquid at the bottom of the bowl after kneading.
Now grab handfuls of cabbage and cram them into a very clean glass quart jar. You want to make sure to pack the cabbage down really well so you can fit it all in the jar!
Pour the liquid left in the bowl on top of the cabbage to cover. If you don’t have enough cabbage juice to cover the cabbage in the jar, you can mix together a 2% solution of salt water. This is equal to about 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of water.
Note: If your tap water contains fluoride or chlorine, make sure to use filtered water instead.
Remember that cabbage leaf that you saved earlier? Cut a circle out of it the same size as the opening of your jar.
Place the cabbage leaf on top of the shredded cabbage in the jar.
You want to weigh the cabbage down so that it stays below the brine. Any cabbage that’s exposed to the air is a potential mold grower. I invested in glass fermenting weights because I ferment veggies on a regular basis. But I have also used small glass bowls or jars for the job. Another suggestion from Lisa is to use rocks to weigh down the cabbage: Put clean rocks in a zip top bag, seal the bag, and place on top of the cabbage.
Screw a lid on top, and set the jar aside to ferment! I suggest using a plastic instead of a metal lid since metal lids can rust. This has happened to me before!
The time you let your sauerkraut ferment is really up to you. I like to let mine go for 2 weeks, but you might prefer the taste at 1 week or even 4 weeks! Keep an eye on your sauerkraut throughout the fermenting process. If the liquid gets too low, top it off with a 2% solution of salt water. If any scum forms on top of the liquid, skim it off.
Here’s a comparison of what a freshly made jar of sauerkraut looks like compared to a fermented jar. The cabbage definitely loses its green hue and becomes more dull or yellow as it ages.
When your sauerkraut is fermented to your liking, remove the weight and round of cabbage leaf. Store in the refrigerator. Sauerkraut can stay good in the fridge for months! It will have a better chance of not growing mold if the liquid covers the cabbage at all times. Again, you can always top off the liquid with a 2% salt water solution.
It’s also a good idea to make sure to use a clean fork when you dish up sauerkraut. And put the lid back on the jar as soon as possible to minimize the risk of bacteria getting into the jar.
Some people like to flavor their sauerkraut with herbs such as dill or caraway seeds. You can also add other veggies such as carrots, garlic, or ginger. I personally haven’t experimented with anything but salt and cabbage, but I’d like to give flavored sauerkraut a try!
How about you? Are you a sauerkraut fan? How do you like to serve it?
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