Basic Sauerkraut

Making sauerkraut requires as little as three ingredients: cabbage, salt and water. On top of that, you’ll need a few tools: a food grade container (a five gallon bucket works well), a weight (a full one gallon water jug will do) and a cheese cloth or plate to create a barrier between cabbage and weight.

The process that turns cabbage into kraut is called lactic acid fermentation. As the shredded cabbage leaves break down, the carbohydrates and proteins in the vegetable disintegrate. Lactic acid emerges. While lactic acid acts as a preservative, it seeps out too slow to prevent the vegetable from putrefying. This is why you need salt. Without salt, yeasts would form and the fermentation process would lead to alcohol rather than pickles. However, between .8 and 1.5% of the vegetable’s weight in salt holds off the rotting process until the lactic acid can take over.

The temperature range for optimal fermentation is sixty-four to seventy-one, which is an easily achieved environment in most of the world. Hence the widespread popularity of pickling in many cultures. Although sauerkraut is popular throughout most of Europe and North America, Germans have long loved it the most. This might be partially due to the fact that Germans also have long loved and perfected sauerkraut’s best friends – sausage and beer….

Ingredients:

Cabbage
Pickling salt or kosher salt
Brine (water and salt)

Shred your cabbage as thinly as you can. Use 3 TBSP of salt for each 5 lb of cabbage. Put the cabbage and salt into your bucket and mix thoroughly with your hands. Put your weight on top.

Within 24 hours, the cabbage should be submerged in its own brine. If it isn’t, dissolve 1 1/2 TBSP of salt in 1 quart of water and pour enough of this brine over the cabbage to fully cover it. Check the sauerkraut every day or two to see if scum has formed. If it has, it’s not a big deal, just remove it and wash your plate and weight before putting them back on.

Start tasting your sauerkraut latest after 2 weeks. It will be fully fermented in 2 to 4 weeks at 70 to 75 ? F or 5 to 6 weeks at 60 ? F. The kraut produces more vitamin C if it is fermented at a lower temperature. When it’s done, it will be pale gold with a tart, full flavor. But really, there is no hard rule about when your kraut will be done. It’s done whenever you like its flavor.

Store the finished kraut in the fridge or properly can it in a hot water canner for 20 to 25 min, depending on your jar size.

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