Sauerkraut

Recently, I renewed a practice I  had many years ago: homemade sauerkraut, or, naturally lacto-fermented veggies. More and more we are hearing of the powerful health benefits of lacto-fermented foods, and they are so easy to make! The Cultures for Health folks have a wonderful free eBook on the subject. I think I eat a scoop of sauerkraut with almost every meal… so yummy! Another excellent source of information on fermentation is Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz, which I use as my reference guide for measurements and seasonings. Check out his excellent series of workshops on YouTube!

The first step is to purchase fresh veggies. In this last batch, I found some beautiful locally grown organic cabbage and carrots, garlic, onions and rutabaga.

Next, wash and peel the veggies, reserving the large outside leaves of the cabbage to place on top of the veggies during fermentation. Shred the veggies by hand, or with the large shredding blade of a food processor.

Pound the shredded veggies until the juices start to flow (I use the tamper from my Vitamix) incorporating salt (3 tablespoons per 5 pounds cabbage) and seasonings. I use 1 tablespoon of my sauerkraut seasoning mix (2 parts whole black peppercorns, 2 parts juniper berries, 1 part dill seeds, coarsely ground in a coffee grinder) and 1/2 teaspoon crushed chili pepper.

Pack the shredded veggies into Mason jars, pressing into the jar until the juices cover the kraut. 1.9 litre Mason/Bernardin jars (available at Canadian Tire) work very well for this step. Place cabbage leaves over the packed kraut, press further, and add a bit of water to make sure all the veggies are submerged, leaving a couple of inches at the top for the release of gases, and for the water to rise as the veggies ferment. Close with Mason jar lids. Set aside in a dark place. I set the jars in a cupboard for about 1 week to 10 days. I always place the jar in a plastic container to catch any juices that may spill over during the initial fermentation stage.

UPDATE: I now use pickle pipes and pickle pebbles for all fermentation.

After 7-10 days of fermentation, remove the covering leaves, transfer to smaller (1 litre) jars if desired, and store in the refrigerator, or cool place. Fermentation time can vary, depending on temperature and personal taste. In the summertime, I find 6-7 days to be sufficient. Enjoy!