Simple sauerkraut

By Rebecca Mullins, RHN 

Fermented foods/beverages like yogurt, kefir, miso, tempeh and kombucha are becoming popular these days. Fermentation occurs when beneficial bacteria transform natural sugars in foods – the same bacteria that keep our immune and digestive systems healthy!

Simple sauerkraut

Ingredients:

• 1 cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

Gradually pack cabbage into a large food-grade container, tamping it down and sprinkling salt as you go; this forces water out of the cabbage creating the brine. Cover container, place clean weight on top to continually press down and force water out of cabbage and also to keep it submerged under brine. Cover entire container with towel. Check daily; the process will take one to four weeks – the longer, the tangier. Repack container each time you remove some, keeping remaining kraut submerged. (Consume “juice” as well – an unparalleled digestive tonic!)

Start new batch before current batch runs out – remove remaining kraut/juices from container, repeat above process, then pour remaining kraut/juices over new kraut, giving new batch an active culture starter.

Check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation – an excellent, up-to-date website providing information on all types of food preservation. http://nchfp.uga.edu/

Photo credit: © Ockra via Canva.com