Fermented Sauerkraut
A German condiment tradition, fermented sauerkraut is simple to make and amazing for your gut health and overall well-being.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Passive Time
3days
Prep Time
20 minutes
Passive Time
3days
Ingredients
  • 1medium-large cabbage (green, red or white)
  • 1-1/2 – 2-1/2tbsp sea salt (or pickling salt)amount will depend on cabbage size
  • 2tbsp caraway seedsoptional
Instructions
  1. Using a kitchen scale weigh your cabbage. For this recipe mine was 3 pounds (which is large). Most are around 2lb or so. If you don’t have a kitchen scale that’s fine, you can just estimate based on the size.
  2. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and using a good knife quarter your cabbage and remove the woody core.
  3. Thinly slice your cabbage. Alternatively you can use a food processor or a mandolin. Place all of your sliced cabbage in a very large bowl or stainless steel pot.
  4. I measure my sea salt based on the weight of my cabbage. In general I use about 2.5% of the weight. So my cabbage was 3 pounds (1361 grams) and 2.5% of that is 34 grams of sea salt (which was 2.5 tbsp). If you have a medium to large sized cabbage it’s a safe bet to use 2 tbsp of sea salt if you don’t have a kitchen scale.
  5. Add your sea salt (and caraway if you’d like) to the sliced cabbage. Using a muddler, pickle packer, pestle etc. pound your cabbage for approximately 10 minutes, stirring every so often to mix things up well.
  6. You will know it’s ready to pack when your cabbage starts to become somewhat translucent and soggy. Pack your cabbage into your clean/sterilized mason jars. You will want to pack down your cabbage as tightly as possible causing all the liquid to rise above the cabbage. Ensure you leave at least one inch of space between the top of the jar and the cabbage/brine. I start packing using my muddler, but I find using my fist is much easier and more effective! It’s why I like using wide mouth mason jars.
  7. The key to successful ferments is keeping the veggies below the brine. I use a Pickle Pebble, but a large piece of cabbage leaf or steralized rock will do the trick. Using either a Pickle Pebble, cabbage leaf or sterilized large rocks, you will place that on top of the veggies to keep them below the brine.
  8. Screw on your Pickle Pipe or lid for your mason jar. If you are not using a Pickle Pipe you will need to burp your sauerkraut daily to avoid gas building up.
  9. Allow your sauerkraut to ferment at room temperature on the counter for three days. Then move to the fridge or cold room for long term storage.