Make Your Own Sauerkraut

"Forget that store-bought stuff.  It's pasteurized," my Naturopathic Doctor said.  We were talking about sauerkraut.

I thought I was buying good stuff, with nothing more than cabbage and brine.  But she was right, it was pasteurized.  The bottling process sterilizes the jar and the product, killing off all that healthy bacteria.

So after years of putting it off, I took the plunge and made my first batch in September.  I was delighted with the results!  It was crunchy, snappy, tart, lively but not at all unpalatable.

Here's a beginner recipe to try:

1 small organic cabbage head

1 large carrot

dried dill weed

small palmful of sea salt (about 2 to 3 teaspoons)

Slice the cabbage thin.  Then chop the slices into small bits.

Wash the carrot with a nylon brush and grate it.  (I don't peel carrots.)

Combine the cabbage and carrot into a large mixing bowl.  Add the salt and dust with dill until it looks right.  Mix and pound with a blunt wooden spoon until a mash starts to form.

Place it into a 32oz straight neck jar, such as a clean, empty tomato sauce jar.

Pound it down, leaving about 1/2 inch room at the top.  Add water to completely cover the solids.  Cover the top with a coffee filter or strainer and leave it in a dark cool place for about two weeks.

After two weeks, remove the cover and skim any suspicious-looking stuff off the top.

At this point it's ready to eat.  Screw the cap on and refrigerate for longer term storage.

My special additions include seaweed (after soaking in water for while I prepare the cabbage and carrot) and the powder from a few probiotic capsules.

Check this web page for more ideas: http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/

#NaBloPoMo2019