Make sauerkraut… it’s easy and delicious!

Up until a couple of months ago, I had never made sauerkraut before. I’m not sure why…

I guess because my grandmother never made it, and my mother never made it. So I didn’t either.

If I had known how ridiculously easy it would be, I would have been making it myself all along.

You start by coring and shredding one head of cabbage.

Add 1 TBSP of caraway seeds. (This is optional, but adds an excellent flavor. Try it!)

Add 1 TBSP of sea salt and 4 TBSP of whey. If you don’t have whey, no worries. Just add 1 extra TBSP of sea salt.

Then pound it with a wooden pounder for about 10 minutes to release the juices.

There’s an actual tool for this, but I used my wooden spoon since I don’t have one.

This is what it will look like after pounding. I didn’t add any water at all.

My spoon was a little weak for the pounding, so half way through the process I squeezed with my hands.

This is what the sauerkraut will look like after it ages some. See how the green has faded?

Store the sauerkraut in mason jars. My medium sized head of cabbage filled 1 quart and 2 pint jars.

Be sure that you press down the sauerkraut in the jars until the brine covers it completely.

Also leave 1 inch of head space in the jars. Leave them at room temperature for 1 week before putting them in the fridge.

You can eat sauerkraut at any point, but it improves with age. After one month, my sauerkraut is divine!

I’m enjoying this tasty, tangy condiment on just about everything. Collard greens, pinto beans, hotdogs…

Lacto-fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut, have numerous health benefits which you can read about here.

This recipe was adapted from my Nourishing Traditions cookbook. It’s in my sidebar if you’re interested.