Perfect for beginners, use this simple guide to make a small batch of homemade sauerkraut. Using just cabbage and salt you can make a delicious probiotic to add to your family’s meals. Or try this recipe as a base to add other fun flavorful mix-ins like garlic, dill, mustard seed, etc
Start with one head of cabbage, rinse well. Remove one large leaf and set aside. Cut away the inside stem
Chop up and add salt (and seeds and whatever mix ins if using) Leave for 10+minutes for the salt to draw out some of the liquid- this is our brine
Use your hands to smash, squish, knead, to get as much liquid as possible out of the cabbage. Transfer to a glass jar and press down to get a layer of liquid at the top, add the reserved leaf and keep pressing until everything is covered by the brine. Use a fermentation weight (or anything heavy inside a ziplock bag – see my fancy fizzy can?) Anything exposed to air will risk forming mold, so try to get it all under the brine.
Cover and leave on the counter out of direct sunlight for 10 days-3 weeks, opening every day to release gasses formed by the fermentation process. The longer it sits the more sour it will become, so begin tasting around 10 days to see if it’s reached the flavor you like. I go for 2 weeks. Remove leaf and transfer to smaller mason jar and store in the fridge. Add to salads, or just have a bit on the side of meals to add some probiotic goodness
and enjoy!
Homemade Sauerkraut
A quick and simple small batch guide to homemade sauerkraut- perfect for beginners, no fancy utensils or techniques. Provide your family with raw probiotics with this classic recipe using caraway seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage
- 1 tbsp sea salt or pink salt
- 1 tbsp caraway seed optional
Instructions
- Wash cabbage head thoroughly
- Remove 1 large leaf for covering the top during fermentation
- Slice out the core
- Chop cabbage to desired size (you can use a food processor or even a grater but for small batches I just chop with a good sharp knife)
- Add to large bowl and add salt and caraway seed
- Mix and let sit 10+ minutes (this will help draw out the liquid brine)
- Use your hands to smash, squeeze, knead to draw out as much brine as possible
- Transfer to a half gallon jar (or any large glass vessel)
- Press down as much as possible, we're trying to get the cabbage completely covered by the liquid brine
- Put the reserved leaf over the top and weight down with something, again trying to get everything covered but the layer of liquid (there are special fermentation weights but anything heavy inside a ziplock bag works)
- Cover and leave on the counter out of direct sunlight for 10 days to three weeks, opening the lid every day at least once to release gasses
- Begin to taste at 10 days to see if it's the right flavor for you family – it will continue to get more sour as days pass (I usually leave for 2 weeks)
- When flavor has been reached, remove large leaf and transfer to a glass jar and store in the fridge
Notes
- keep an eye out for mold, it could form if any bit is exposed to air, which is why we try to keep everything below the brine layer
- experiment with other add ins like fennel, garlic, dill, etc
- we add this to salads in lieu of dressing, or just a bit on the side of each meal