How to make your own Sauerkraut
Raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut delivers healthful probiotics to the digestive tract, increased body alkalinity, and increases nutrition absorption.
To make sauerkraut you will need a knife, cutting board, large mixing bowl, non-porous crock or Mason jar, and weighted jar.
Chop the cabbage into chunks of uniform size or shred into a bowl. Two heads of cabbage fill a 1/2 gallon jar nicely. Add any desired spices. Add coarse sea salt an mix throughout, using your hands to massage the mixture. The cabbage will begin to produce liquid (brine).
Using your fist or a wooden tamper, create an anaerboic environment by removing the air bubbles as you pack the vegetable mixture tightly into a crock or jar. Push until the brine starts to rise to the top of the veggies. Place a saucer or plate on top of the vegetables, covering them as closely to the edges as possible. Alternatively, use outer cabbage leaves to make a seal. Place a weight on top of the packed vegetables. A jar of water works well. Cover completely with a cloth and secure with a rubber band to keep bugs away.
During the first week, tamp the mixture down daily to help keep the veggies under the brine. Sometimes it takes a day or two to get the brine to stay above the veggies. This will help prevent mold from forming. Taste it after a week and see if you life it. You can let it ferment as long as you want, but most people prefer two to four weeks of fermentation in small batches. When it is too young, it will leave a carbonated feeling on your tongue, which disappears after about a week of fermentation.
The best temperature to ferment sauerkraut is 55-65 degrees. Put it in a pantry, root cellar, cupboard, or on your kitchen counter. A variation in this temperature is fine, but the best flavors develop within this range. When fermentation is complete, remove the weight, plate, or cabbage seal, scrape off the top layer, and enjoy the fresh healthy goodness below. Add essential oils after the sauerkraut is fermented.
Note: If mold forms, all is not lost. This is a test of your senses. Scrape off the mold and compost it. If the sauerkraut underneath smells okay, taste it. If it tastes “off”, spit it out, and discard the batch!
Check out all of these various sauerkraut recipes!
Hippocrates Sauerkraut
Yield: 4-5 Cups
1 head red cabbage, shredded
Kombu seaweed, soaked, as needed
1/2 apple, seeded
Outer cabbage leaves, as needed
Directions:
Place half of the shredded cabbage in a ceramic or glass container.
Press down firmly.
Place the apple in center of the cabbage.
Place the remaining 1/2 of the shredded cabbage on top, always pressing it down firmly.
Cover the top of the cabbage with a layer of hydrated kombu seaweed.
On top of the kombu, place a layer of cabbage leaves.
Place a heavy weight on top of the cabbage leaves, making sure that the entire container is covered so the no foreign matter can enter the kraut. The cabbage will begin to foam and bubble as a result of the fermentation process.
Leave out at room temperature.
After 3-5 days (if ready), discard the cabbage leaves, kombu and apple.
Store the sauerkraut in an airtight container or sealed glass jar in the refrigerator.
*Recipe from Hippocrates Institute
Basic Sauerkraut Recipe
1 to 1 1/2 heads of cabbage
1 tablespoon sea salt per pound of cabbage
1 onion
2-3 tablespoons dill
2-3 tablesppons caraway seeds
2 drops of doTERRA lemon essential oil to a pint a size container of sauerkraut (after fermentation)
Red Cabbage & Apple Sauerkraut
1 to 1 1/2 heads of red cabbage, finely shredded
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and shredded
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoon salt per pound of cabbage
5 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 cardamom pod
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
*Recipe from Essential Oil Life Book
Juniper Berry Sauerkraut
1 1/2 to 2 heads red or green cabbage, shredded
1 to 1 1/2 apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1 tablesppon caraway seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons juniper berries, crushed
1 tablespoon salt per pound of cabbage
*Recipe from Essential Oil Life Book
