Sauerkraut is so easy to make and I love it. I can’t believe it had taken me this long to make my own at home! I looked up a few recipes online and then went to making some. I am still perfecting it to my personal tastes. For example, one recipe used 2 Tablespoons of salt for one head of cabbage and that was way too much for me. I used one tablespoon for the last batch and I will continue cutting it down to determine the optimal amount for my taste. If you have some sauerkraut tips please share them.
Ingredients
1 head of cabbage, green or red.
1-2 Tablespoons salt
Clean glass jars with lids
Instructions
In a large food processor, grate the cabbage into shreds. I have an 11-cup food processor and it can almost hold the shredded cabbage from one head. Typically, once the processor bowl is full, I have to empty the contents in a large bowl before being able to finish shredding the remaining cabbage.
When the entire head is shredded, sprinkle a tablespoon of sea salt or more as desired on it and massage it together using clean hands. Let the cabbage sit for 15 minutes to soften.
Massage again to release the brine. Pack a glass jar with the shredded, salted cabbage. Press the cabbage down tight and leave about an inch of liquid at the top. The cabbage must be submerged in its own juices. Repeat with as many jars as necessary. You can use leftover cabbage in a stir fry or cabbage salad.
I started making sauerkraut without any special equipment or canning jars with lids. Now I use Wide Mouth Ball jars with Masontops Pickle Pipe Fermentation Airlocks and Masontops Pickle Pebbles*Plus+ Glass Fermentation weights that I find make the process a lot easier.
Cover the jars and place them in a cool, dark place. If you don’t have special jars and lids for fermenting that’s okay. I used to put the jars inside a plastic bag and set them in a deep bowl to catch any overflow in case they leaked. Then the next day I would open the lids and look inside, to make sure everything is clean and clear. I have never experienced it otherwise so I can’t make recommendations if it is gray. Now with my Masontops airlocks and weights, I put the jars in a cool, dark place and don’t have to check on them.
I leave the sauerkraut in ferment for a week. Then I put the jars in the refrigerator to enjoy.
Here is my first batch of Ruby Kraut with Red Cabbage.