I have a confession to make: I never did like sauerkraut. I never could understand why someone would do that to perfectly good cabbage…Until I started making it myself. I’d like to say it’s because my tastes matured, and that’s certainly part of it. I’d been reading about sauerkraut, thinking about the wonders of fermentation and was now ready to look at it with a much more open mind.
I think it’s also kind of like the guy who hates children…until he becomes a daddy. Now all children are special, but of course HIS kid is the best!
As I’ve learned more about fermentation I’ve come to appreciate foods like sauerkraut, and of course (to me) mine is the best! I eat some every day. I love its sour, crunchy, cabbage-y goodness. I credit my fondness for sauerkraut and other fermented foods with a dramatic improvement in my overall health over the past few years.
So, what IS sauerkraut, anyway? In its simplest form, It is chopped cabbage that has been salted and allowed to ferment. Generally this is done in a barrel or crock with a weight to press down the sauerkraut. However, this is Life in a Jar, not Life in a Barrel, so I am going to show how I’ve adapted it to making it in a canning jar.
The following recipe is the most basic recipe, and it really is extremely simple. There are only two ingredients! After describing the process I’ll explain a little of what is going on. Over the next few weeks I’ll give some historical and cultural background along with some (hopefully) intriguing variations on this basic recipe. After that I’ll address kim chi.
If you’ve never made sauerkraut before, I recommend you try this simplest method first. It’s cheap and easy to do and even if you’ve never been a fan of sauerkraut before you might learn to love this basic and healthy food as I have.
Ingredients:
1 or more heads of cabbage (green, red, or napa)
Salt, preferably non-iodized (kosher, sea salt, etc.) a few tbsp per head of cabbage.
Equipment:
Canning jars with lids and seals, quart and/or pint size
A large pot, tub, or bowl
1. Cut up your cabbage. I usually start by cutting into quarters uncored (I just cut the brown parts off.) Next you can cut it as fine or coarse as you wish. I like to cut it into pieces large enough to be interesting on a fork but small enough to pack easily into a jar.
2. Place cut cabbage into pot, tub, or bowl. Add salt, mixing it with your hands to coat the cabbage completely. Taste the cabbage. It should be salty. If it doesn’t taste salty enough, add a little more salt. At this point you can add other spices if you wish. Press and squeeze the cabbage a little bit to help rub in the salt and get it “sweating.” Once the cabbage is salted, some people let it sit for a little while, from 20 minutes to overnight.
3. Pack the sauerkraut-to-be into your jar(s.) Pack it in a bit tight, pushing it down. Fill jars right to the top. Any liquid in the container should be poured in as well. Seal the jars.
IMPORTANT: Be certain to completely fill your jars as much as possible. A gap in the top of up to an inch is okay, but no half filled jars! A half full jar will run risk of contamination, and contamination is just simply no fun. There are three things you can do with your extra cabbage: 1. Graduate to a smaller jar (i.e. from a quart to a pint); 2. Save the cabbage in a container for a few days and then stuff it into the other jar(s) as they start to “settle.” 3. Eat it. You can eat it plain, or stir fry or in a soup or on a sandwich. I generally do some combination of these three tactics.
Once your jars are sealed, place them in a quiet place for a few days. Check on it: when you open the jar it should “hissssss” from gas escaping. Taste a little bit…It’s not gonna bite you. After about three days it’ll start getting a little “tang” to the flavor. In a week it should be pretty sour, depending the temperature. Here in Southern California it’s officially sauerkraut after about a week. Well sealed it should continue to develop for months. You can keep sampling it, deciding how fermented you like it. Fermentation can be slowed by putting it in a refrigerator.
VARIATIONS/ADDITIONS: I like to add Korean red pepper flake and/or cracked black pepper. Try your favorite spices or spice blends. Caraway seeds and fresh cut dill are tasty, and you can try any fresh herbs that strike your fancy (I have not had great results with dried herbs, but maybe that’s just me.) You can grate carrots, beets, radishes, or mince some garlic, onion, chives, leeks, fennel etc. I understand that many people slice apple into it, and I see how that could work nicely, but I haven’t personally tried it.
I’ve explained the procedure, but what is happening here? Very simply we are encouraging some specific bacteria to develop, bacteria that is good for us. Let’s break it into the component parts and see what is happening:
1. The cabbage. Cabbage is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of vitamins K and C. Cabbage is also a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, vitamin B6 and folate, and a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, tryptophan, protein and magnesium. Consumption of cabbage has been linked to reduction of breast and certain other cancers. Cabbages, like other plants (and animals and people) have resident inside them a variety of bacteria, such as lactobacilli, that during fermentation can make many of these nutrients, especially the minerals, easier for our bodies to absorb.
2. The salt. Salt has been used since the beginning of history as a preservative. Here it serves two functions: It inhibits the growth of “bad” bacteria, allowing the beneficial bacteria to thrive. It also helps the cabbage retain its crunchiness so that the mature sauerkraut has that distinctive “squeaky” crunch. Too much salt is not a good thing, but too little can end up with soggy sauerkraut that is likely to go bad more quickly. The balance of salt is something that varies and is dependent on personal taste. I recommend non-iodized salt as the iodine can add a slightly bitter flavor. If you don’t care about that, then go ahead and use iodized. I personally use a sea salt because I believe there are some extra essential minerals that the fermentation process makes easier to absorb.
3. The jar. As I said, traditionally sauerkraut is done in barrels or crocks and pressed to limit the amount of air the cabbage is exposed to. I have read warnings against using canning jars because of risk of contamination. Certainly one must be careful, but I’ve had only one jar go bad, and that jar was filled halfway, with too much exposure to air before the lactobacilli had a chance to fully propagate. Canning jars are cheap (less than $10 per dozen,) reusable, and it’s easy to get replacement lids and seals. Also, the seals on canning jars are designed to keep things out, but not in, so if too much pressure builds up the seal “blows” instead of the entire jar exploding. It is comforting to know that when the weather gets warm I don’t have a cupboard full of glass shrapnel grenades.
4. The bacteria. You can’t see them, but they take center stage in this show. They process the minerals and nutrients in the cabbage that are harder for us to assimilate and make them easier for to absorb. They also combine to produce nutrients such as vitamin B, making the cabbage a more complete food.
In the process of protecting itself, the lactobacilli create lactic acid making the distinctive sour flavor. This mimics the natural acidic environment of our gastrointestinal system, making it easier on our digestive system. Also, the living bacteria aids our body in digestion and helps protect against unfriendly bacteria that can cause food poisoning and other illnesses. The juice is also a good tonic, filled with vitamins and minerals and stuff. I drink it straight or mixed with vegetable juice.
Okay, so that’s the basics. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send a comment. I will be happy to reply. Next week I’ll discuss history and give a couple more interesting recipes!
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