For those who haven’t yet tried this fermented delicacy, the words “fermented cabbage” might not be selling it. The name ‘sauerkraut’ doesn’t sound that attractive either. But this humble superfood, which regained popularity in recent years with the rise of the macrobiotic movement, has health benefits that should persuade even the most cabbage averse foodie to give it a go. It’s really straightforward to make too.
What’s so special about fermented cabbage?
Fermented foods preserve nutrients. Fermentation organisms produce alcohol, lactic acid and acetic acid, all ‘bio preservatives’ that retain nutrients and prevent food from going rotten. Cabbage is packed with nutrients and is especially high in vitamin C and vitamin K which are preserved during the fermentation process.
Sauerkraut has even saved lives. Captain James Cook, the eighteenth-century explorer, was credited for having conquered scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) among his crew by sailing with large quantities of sauerkraut for consumption. On his second round-the-world voyage in the 1770’s, sixty barrels of kraut lasted for twenty-seven months and not a single crew member developed scurvy, which had previously killed huge numbers of the crews on long sea voyages. Pretty impressive stuff.
In modern times, most of us can enjoy access to plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, making vitamin C deficiency less of a concern.
Nevertheless, for those concerned about food waste, inspired by self-sufficiency or who are simply keen to eat a more seasonal and locally grown diet, preserving food is an important skill to rediscover. Preserving summer and autumn harvests in a way that retains their nutrients over the winter months is a rewarding process and can be done at home for a fraction of the cost of store-bought alternatives.
Fermentation also breaks down foods into more easily digestible forms. This is a key part of the macrobiotic diet that has been popular in recent years and which emphasises the daily consumption of unpasteurised live cultures like miso, sauerkraut and pickles alongside simply prepared grains and vegetables. Provided sauerkraut is unpasteurized and uncooked, it contains a whole load of lactobacilli and beneficial microbes. The fibre and probiotics in sauerkraut improve digestion and promote the growth of healthy gut flora.
Fermentation also increases the bioavailability of nutrients. This makes sauerkraut more nutritious than the original cabbage. And it’s much tastier too. Win-win.
Why DIY?
Although commercial products are available, often these have been pasteurised (heated to the point that the microorganisms die) and where raw, unpasteurised versions are available, they’re often expensive. For only the price of a couple of cabbages and a jar of salt you can make several litres of sauerkraut, enough to last for weeks! Plus, with homemade sauerkraut, you get to control the flavour. You can add any other vegetables that you are fond of to the mix, and you can also choose to ferment the kraut for as little or as long as you wish, depending on your tastebuds.
What Special Equipment Do I Need?
The main equipment you need for fermenting is suitable fermenting containers to contain the ferments while they do they thing. Heavy ceramic crocks are a traditional method, though they are expensive and can be a challenge to source. If you’re going to get really into fermenting it’s worthwhile investing in these, but for starting out you can use whatever you have to hand. Don’t use metallic containers as the metal can react with the salt as well as with the acids produced during fermentation. Glass, ceramic or food-grade plastic containers are a good choice.
Once you’ve filled your crock or other container with the ingredients you want to ferment, you need to find a cover that fits inside of it. Left to their own devices the veggies will float up to the top, where exposure to the air will make them mould. To keep them submerged under the protection of the brine, they need a cover and a weight. For a cover you can use a plate that fits inside the fermentation container and then you can use a glass jar or jug, filled with water, to sit on the top and weigh the plate down. A scrubbed and boiled rock also works well! Another method is to use a wide mouth jar to hold the fermenting vegetables and a smaller jar that fits into the bottom jar, filled with water as a weight.
What Type of Salt Is Best to Use?
The salt pulls the water out of the cabbage and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting. Salt inhibits many organisms, but up to a point is tolerated by Lacotbacilli, a type of bacteria important in many fermentation processes. The best salt for making sauerkraut is unprocessed salt that still has it’s natural profile of minerals, such as unprocessed sea salt or rock salt. It’s best to avoid refined table salt, especially ones which have additives and anti-caking agents added. The more salt you use, the slower the fermentation will be and the sourer (more acidic) the resulting ferment. It’s also possible to make a low-salt and even no salt sauerkraut.
Recipe
Time frame: 1 to 4 weeks (or more)
Special Equipment:
Ceramic crock or other fermenting vessel (e.g. 4 litre food-grade plastic bucket)
Plate that fits inside the crock or bucket
4 litre jug filled with water or a scrubbed, boiled rock to use as a weight
Cloth cover
Ingredients:
2kg cabbage
3 tablespoons salt
Process:
- Chop or grate the cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without the hearts, however you like it. To add some colour, you can include red cabbage as well as white which will make a bright pink kraut! As you chop the cabbage, place it into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle salt onto the cabbage as you add it to the bowl. The salt pulls the water out of the cabbage.
- Add other vegetables if you like. You might want to add grated carrots or experiment with different vegetables such as onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, beetroot. You can also stick to plain cabbage.
- Mix the ingredients together and then add them to the crock or fermenting bucket. Pack just a little bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down using your fist or a sturdy kitchen implement (the end of a rolling pin works well!)
- Cover the kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight on top of the plate (to keep the cabbage submerged below the brine) and then cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.
- Press down on the weight to help force the water out of the cabbage. Continue doing this every few hours until the brine rises above the level of the plate. This can take up to 24 hours as the salt slowly draws the water out of the cabbage. Some cabbage, especially if it’s old, contains less water. If the brine doesn’t rise above the level of the plate by the next day, add enough brine to bring the level above the plate. To make brine, add about 1 tablespoon to 1 cup (250ml) of water and stir well, until it’s completely dissolved.
- That’s it! Now just leave the crock to ferment and do it’s thing. You can keep it on top of a fridge or on a kitchen shelf, tucked somewhere out of the way but not so hidden that you forget to check on it!
How do I know when it’s ready?
Check the kraut every day or two. The cabbage sinks down as the fermentation proceeds and occasionally some mould can appear on the surface. If this happens, skim off what you can and throw it out but don’t worry too much, it’s just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine.
Rinse of the plate and the weight and taste the kraut. It should start tasting tangy after a few days and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In cool temperatures, kraut can keep improving for months but in the summer or in a heated room, it ferments more rapidly. Eventually it becomes soft and the taste not so pleasant, so you want to eat it before that happens!
You can scoop out a jar or a bowlful at a time and keep it in the fridge, starting when the Kraut is young and enjoying it’s maturing flavour over a few weeks. Drink the juice too! It’s a great digestive tonic. Each time you remove some kraut from the crock, make sure you repack it carefully, so that the kraut is tightly packed together, the surface is level and the plate and weight are clean. If the brine evaporates you can just top it up with some more.
To ensure a never-ending supply, it’s a good idea to start a new batch of kraut before the previous batch runs out. Remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with fresh salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and it’s juices over the new kraut. This gives the new batch a boost with an active culture starter.
There you have it! A fermented superfood packed with vitamins, fibre and probiotics. If you make your own sauerkraut or have any other DIY fermentation projects on the go, do get in touch and share your top-tips!
References and Further Reading:
Ellix, S., 2003. Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, And Craft Of Live-culture Foods. Chelsea Green Publishing.