Tinned sauerkraut pales in comparison to the real thing. The real stuff is less, well, sauer and doesn’t have an overly strong vinegar taste. Also the probiotics created by the fermentation process are fabulous for digestion. You can easily make sauerkraut at home in a jar or crock with cabbage, salt, and filtered water.
Rural living blog Stumbling Homestead presents a simple method for making sauerkraut:
- Shred or slice your cabbage. You can also optionally pound it with a mallet to release the juices inside.
- Place a few handfuls of this cabbage in your jar or crock then sprinkle around 1tsp of salt on top.
- Rinse and repeat until your jar or crock is ¾ full then pack down the cabbage and add just enough filtered water to cover everything.
- Put the lid on tightly and place the jar or crock in a warm-ish room temperature location for a week or two.
- When it’s ready, place it in the fridge to stop the fermentation process.
You can also add caraway seeds with the salt at the beginning of the process for a more Bavarian-style kraut.
If you want the health benefits of fermented foods, but the awful stuff your aunt Edna served when you were a kid put you off sauerkraut, give this a try. I’ve found that homemade kraut is salty and crunchy instead of soggy and reeking of vinegar.
Easy Sauerkraut [Stumbling Homestead via Save Our Skills]
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