Simple sauerkraut
From Andrea Beaman, Yorkville CSA, on her Life Is Delicious blog This classic ‘kraut recipe takes a long time to ferment, but is totally worth it to make your own.
Ingredients
- 2 heads green cabbage shredded
- 1 – 1 ½ TBS sea salt
- ½ TBS caraway seeds
- ½ TBS juniper berries
Instructions
- Combine shredded cabbage plus salt in a large bowl. Work the salt into the mixture by using pressure and squeezing as you work it in. If you have a mallet or something to pound the cabbage with, that works well too. The cabbage will begin releasing water. Toss in caraway seeds and juniper berries and mix together.
- Pack the cabbage, plus all of the liquid, into a mason jar or crock. Firmly press down so the cabbage is submerged underneath the salty brine. Place a whole cabbage leaf on top of the mixture and press down. Make sure all the vegetables are completely submerged under the salty liquid.
- If you are using a mason jar, open the jar quickly every day to let the gases escape. You can let the kraut ferment for 10 days to 6 weeks. The kraut must always be submerged underneath the liquid.
- After 7-10 days you can eat your fermented cabbage. The longer it sits, the more sour it gets. Remove the top leaf and discard. Also, discard any discolored cabbage. Refrigerate your kraut.