Sauerkraut: Simple Magic
Guest post and photos by Tye Ferrell. Tye is a member of the Sno-Isle Food Co-op Board of Trustees as well as a local consultant on community and organizational resilience.
I have been making my own sauerkraut for several years now. It is super easy to make and requires minimal equipment. I find the transformation that happens when cabbage turns into sauerkraut to be almost magical. If you’ve pickled, sauerkraut is really just another kind of pickle. Sauerkraut—German for sour cabbage—is full of microorganisms that can help to sustain the health of the microorganisms in your gut, which is also linked to greater mental and physical health. Mostly, I love the taste.
Sauerkraut is often on our family’s table as a side dish. We use it as a side with dishes as diverse as beans and rice, spaghetti, and tacos. After years of my dishing it on to his plate, my nine-year-old son began to ask for it last year as an accompaniment to some of his favorite foods. Now that he’s an expert, he tells me when the sauerkraut is done fermenting.
To make sauerkraut, you’ll need some basic equipment: a knife, cutting board, a large mixing bowl, a container for fermenting, something to compress the cabbage, and a way to keep oxygen out of the fermenting container. A small kitchen scale can also come in handy.
The ingredients are simple: cabbage (I use green cabbage) and fine sea salt. You can use other kinds of salt, just make sure it does not contain iodine.
To make the cabbage:
1. Cut the cabbage in half, starting at the stem, and then cut out the stem. If you have a kitchen scale, this would be a good time to weigh the cabbage. Slice the cabbage into thin strips with your knife, about 3-4 millimeters (1/8 or 3/16 inches) thick is about right, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
2. Place the cabbage in a large mixing bowl if you have one or into the fermenting container if not. Add 1 tablespoon of fine sea salt for every 2 pounds of cabbage. A little less will decrease the fermenting time and more will increase it (and make it saltier). Mix the salt in with the cabbage, cover it, and let it sit for a few hours.
4. Add the salted cabbage to the fermenting container. I use a large pickling crock, with a lid that does not fit too tightly. Weight the cabbage down. I use a plate to cover the cabbage, then pickling weights, and a jar filled with water. Over time, the juices will rise up to cover the cabbage, but you’ll need enough weight. Cover the crock with a plate or lid to keep the oxygen out, but don’t cover it so tightly that the gasses cannot escape. You can also use a Mason jar, with a simple airlock mechanism that keeps the oxygen out and lets gasses from the fermentation process escape. The fermentation process takes anywhere from a few days to a week. Taste it along the way to arrive at the taste and texture you prefer. Longer fermentation means more sour and complex sauerkraut, but too long and the cabbage can get mushy. I like mine with a little crunch.
5. Once it is just right, pack it in a covered container, I use Mason jars, ideally with some juice covering the cabbage, and refrigerate. The sauerkraut will continue to slowly ferment, but will last for weeks in the fridge, particularly if there is sufficient liquid to cover the cabbage. Enjoy!
