Homemade Sauerkraut

Until I attended a workshop earlier this year learning to make sauerkraut, I had thought it was a German invention, but it actually originated in ancient China, where workers building the Great Wall fermented shredded cabbage in rice wine.  Sauerkraut adds tanginess and heightens the flavour of food, and that's more than Bratwurst!  Stir some into soups and stews; serve some with your tacos and burritos; pack them into sandwiches and burgers.  They are lovely for your breakfast fry-up too.  Sauerkraut is also healthy, full of probiotics and vitamin C.  You can make it at home using a mix of your favourite vegetables and spices. (Chop some fresh turmeric in for a good dose of antioxidant if you like.)  It is not a complicated process, requiring no specialist kitchen gadgets and most rewarding when your homemade sauerkraut tastes so much better than the shop-bought variety.

Makes 1-2 jars

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium head of white or red cabbage (about 1kg / 2lb 4 oz)
• a small mix of fresh vegetables for flavour and colour, such as carrot, cauliflower, beetroot, radish, kohlrabi, daikon, fennel, ginger, garlic, turmeric (optional)
• sea salt 
• whole spices such as black peppercorns, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds

EQUIPMENT

• a large mixing bowl
• a sharp knife 
• a cutting board
• a kitchen scale
• 1-2 large wide-mouth glass jars with lids
• a wooden spoon or tamper
• 1-2 glass fermentation weights or small zip-lock bags filled with water

METHOD

1.  Prep & shred

• Wash your glass jars and lids with hot soapy water.  Rinse well with hot water.  Sterilise by placing them onto a baking tray, then into a preheated 120°C/250°F oven for 20 minutes, or until it is dry and ready to be used.
• Put aside one clean outer cabbage leaf.  Cut a piece or two to fit the opening of your jar(s).
• Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice out the hard core.  Shred the cabbage thinly with knife.  Thinly slice a small mix of other vegetables of your choice.

2.  Salt & massage

• Note the weight of your cabbage on a kitchen scale.  Measure out the salt, which should be  2% of the total weight of the cabbage.  (If you've got 1 kg of cabbage, that's 20g or 2 teaspoons of salt).  
• Place cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle salt on top.  With clean hands, massage the cabbage firmly, rubbing the salt evenly into the cabbage.  
• After 5-10 minutes, the cabbage will start to go limp and emit some liquid or brine.   Let the cabbage sit in the bowl for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, massage the cabbage for another 3-5 minutes.  There should be a large pool of liquid forming at the bottom of the bowl.
• Add a quantity of whole spices, to taste.  Mix them with the cabbage.

3.  Pack the jar

• Place a few handfuls of cabbage in your clean, sterilised jar.  Press down hard with a wooden spoon or tamper to eliminate air pockets.
• Repeat until the jar is nearly filled up with cabbage.  Leave 4cm / 1½" of empty space at the top.
• Pour any remaining liquid from the bowl into the jar.  The cabbage should be completely submerged.
• Place your reserved piece of leaf on top of the cabbage to keep anything from floating up.
• Place a glass fermentation weight or a small zip-lock bag filled with water on top of the leaf so everything is pinned below the liquid line.
• Screw the jar lid on loosely so gases can escape during fermentation.

4.  Caring for your sauerkraut

• Day 1-3:  Place your jar on a small plate in a cupboard or a dark space.  The cabbage will bubble up and liquid might overflow onto the plate, which is a good sign that fermentation is happening.
• Day 4-14:  Open the jar slightly each day to 'burp' it, then close the lid loosely again.  This is very important so the gas can be released.  Ensure the cabbage stays submerged.
• Day 14+: Use a clean fork to taste your sauerkraut after 2 weeks.  If you are happy with the taste, remove the weight and the cabbage leaf and tighten the lid.  Move it to the fridge.  If you would like it sourer, let it ferment a little longer.

Notes:

• During the fermentation phase, the cabbage reabsorbs liquid as it sits.  If this happens, push down the weight to force the liquid back up.  If it is completely dry, top it up with brine (1 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 cup of water.)
• If a thin flat film starts to develop on top of the cabbage during fermentation, it is usually Kahm yeast, which is harmless.  Simply skim if off, rinse your weight, and keep fermenting.
• Sauerkraut can be kept in the fridge for 4- 6 months while keeping its best flavour and crisp texture.  It should smell pleasantly sour and tangy.  Discard and start again when it smells offensive, looks slimy or has furry green/black mold. 

I like to thank my friend Jools for teaching me how to make sauerkraut and sharing her knowledge so generously.