Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a finely cut fermented cabbage. It is essentially pickled with salt and its own brine. Once prepared it will stay ready to eat in the refrigerator for many weeks.
Ingredients
| - 1.5 kilo Medium Sized Cabbage | - 1½ tbsp Salt |
| - 1 tbsp Caraway Seeds |
Equipment
| - Large Mixing Bowl | - 2 litre Wide-Mouth Jar |
| - Cloth for covering the jar, such as a tea-towel | - Rubber band for securing the cloth |
| - Smaller jar that fits inside the larger jar |
Instructions
Make sure your jars are thoroughly clean. Wash your hands too.
Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage. Trim out the core. Cut the cabbage into small, very thin ribbons.
Place the cabbage into a bowl and sprinkle the salt over top. Massage the cabbage with your hands. The cabbage will become watery and limp over 5 to 10 minutes. Mix in the caraway seeds.
Pack the cabbage into the jar. Pour any liquid released by the cabbage while you were massaging it into the jar.
Once all the cabbage is packed into the jar, fill the smaller jar with water and slip it into the larger jar to weigh the cabbage down.
Cover the mouth of the jar with a cloth and secure it with the rubber band.
As the cabbage releases its liquid, it will compact. If after 24 hours, the liquid has not risen above the cabbage, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage.
Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 10 days away from direct sunlight and at a cool room temperature — ideally 18°C to 24°C. Check it daily and press it down if the cabbage is floating above the liquid.
Start tasting it after 3 days - when the sauerkraut tastes good, remove the weight, screw on the cap, and refrigerate.
While it’s fermenting, you may see bubbles coming through the cabbage, foam on the top, or white scum. This is normal. The scum can be skimmed off the top either during fermentation or before refrigerating.
Sauerkraut is a fermented product so it will keep for at least two months if refrigerated.