Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
Prepare your space and tools - When fermenting, make sure the area where you're preparing your cabbage is nice and clean. Sterilise your glass mason jars by simply boiling them carefully in hot water in a big pot on the stove - you don’t need to do this for long. After a few minutes, take them out carefully and let them cool.
Slice up your cabbage - Remove old outer leaves, and give it a rinse. If you have a big cabbage (like I do), cut it in half and keep the other half for other meals. Now, cut the core out and slice up your cabbage VERY finely. The first time I made sauerkraut I cut it far too thick and that made it more difficult to ferment. If you have a shredder, use that. If not, just slice it super thin. The thinner the cabbage is sliced/shredded the better.
Note: There is no specific measurement for the amount of cabbage or the size of jars. You just need to see what jars you can get, big or smaller, and how much cabbage fits. If it's your first time, I recommend just doing half the cabbage and seeing how it goes. My cabbage weighed about 1kg, and I used half of it. Have fun and just go with it!
Add salt and start breaking down your cabbage - Once all your cabbage is chopped finely, add it to a big bowl and add salt. The ratio of salt should be about 1.5%-2% of the weight of the cabbage OR 1.5 - 2tsp per 500g cabbage. I used 2 small teaspoons for my 500g of cabbage.
Note: There is no perfect amount of salt to add. Use the above as a guide. Start by adding a small amount of salt at a time, and then taste.
Massage massage massage - With your hands, mix the cabbage with the salt. Spend some time massaging it in - Really go for it and crunch the cabbage with your hands. The more you crush it, the more the cell walls break and release water that mixes with the salt and forms a brine. This is such an important step, so take the time to really give that cabbage the massage of its life. You'll notice the cabbage getting wetter and wetter.
Pack the cabbage into the jar - Pack the cabbage tightly into the mason jar, pushing it down as you pack. This will force any air pockets out and help the brine liquid rise and cover the surface to submerge the cabbage. Don't completely fill the jar - leave a little bit of space at the top, so that you can place the clean smaller glass jar on top and use it to press down on the cabbage to keep it submerged *See image
Prepare to store - With your cabbage in the jar, and the smaller jar pressed down on top, cover the top with cheesecloth or thick paper towel. Hold in place with an elastic band. Store in a cool dark cupboard.
Check your brine - It's important that the cabbage is submerged in brine liquid. Check on your jar 24 hours later. Push down on the smaller jar to force the liquid to rise up. If the cabbage is still not submerged in liquid, add a little filtered water or additional brine (salt and water) to the jar until it's fully submerged. Then place back in the cupboard.
Let your cabbage ferment - Leave your cabbage to ferment now. Check on it daily or every few days, and have a taste every week to see how it's transforming. Mine takes about 5-6 weeks until it tastes just right. You can start eating it much sooner, but I like to let it ferment for longer.
Refrigerate when it's ready - When you're happy with your sauerkraut, you can remove the cheesecloth/paper towel and close it with a lid, and store it in the fridge. In the fridge the fermentation slows down, so you can keep it just the way you like it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare your space and tools - When fermenting, make sure the area where you're preparing your cabbage is nice and clean. Sterilise your glass mason jars by simply boiling them carefully in hot water in a big pot on the stove - you don’t need to do this for long. After a few minutes, take them out carefully and let them cool.
Slice up your cabbage - Remove old outer leaves, and give it a rinse. If you have a big cabbage (like I do), cut it in half and keep the other half for other meals. Now, cut the core out and slice up your cabbage VERY finely. The first time I made sauerkraut I cut it far too thick and that made it more difficult to ferment. If you have a shredder, use that. If not, just slice it super thin. The thinner the cabbage is sliced/shredded the better.
Note: There is no specific measurement for the amount of cabbage or the size of jars. You just need to see what jars you can get, big or smaller, and how much cabbage fits. If it's your first time, I recommend just doing half the cabbage and seeing how it goes. My cabbage weighed about 1kg, and I used half of it. Have fun and just go with it!
Add salt and start breaking down your cabbage - Once all your cabbage is chopped finely, add it to a big bowl and add salt. The ratio of salt should be about 1.5%-2% of the weight of the cabbage OR 1.5 - 2tsp per 500g cabbage. I used 2 small teaspoons for my 500g of cabbage.
Note: There is no perfect amount of salt to add. Use the above as a guide. Start by adding a small amount of salt at a time, and then taste.
Massage massage massage - With your hands, mix the cabbage with the salt. Spend some time massaging it in - Really go for it and crunch the cabbage with your hands. The more you crush it, the more the cell walls break and release water that mixes with the salt and forms a brine. This is such an important step, so take the time to really give that cabbage the massage of its life. You'll notice the cabbage getting wetter and wetter.
Pack the cabbage into the jar - Pack the cabbage tightly into the mason jar, pushing it down as you pack. This will force any air pockets out and help the brine liquid rise and cover the surface to submerge the cabbage. Don't completely fill the jar - leave a little bit of space at the top, so that you can place the clean smaller glass jar on top and use it to press down on the cabbage to keep it submerged *See image
Prepare to store - With your cabbage in the jar, and the smaller jar pressed down on top, cover the top with cheesecloth or thick paper towel. Hold in place with an elastic band. Store in a cool dark cupboard.
Check your brine - It's important that the cabbage is submerged in brine liquid. Check on your jar 24 hours later. Push down on the smaller jar to force the liquid to rise up. If the cabbage is still not submerged in liquid, add a little filtered water or additional brine (salt and water) to the jar until it's fully submerged. Then place back in the cupboard.
Let your cabbage ferment - Leave your cabbage to ferment now. Check on it daily or every few days, and have a taste every week to see how it's transforming. Mine takes about 5-6 weeks until it tastes just right. You can start eating it much sooner, but I like to let it ferment for longer.
Refrigerate when it's ready - When you're happy with your sauerkraut, you can remove the cheesecloth/paper towel and close it with a lid, and store it in the fridge. In the fridge the fermentation slows down, so you can keep it just the way you like it. Enjoy!
