How To Make Your Own Sauerkraut in a Jar!
with Berthalila Avila, Private Chef and Nutritional Health Coach
The Bodytree team are big fans of Sauerkraut! It’s packed with vitamins, fibre and probiotics, aids digestion and helps combat inflammation. Why not make your own?
INGREDIENTS :
- Salt (I like to use pink Himalayan or Real Salt from Utah )
- Cabbage (any color)
UTENSILS:
- Large Mason Jar or any glass container
- Mandolin or grater
- Wooden spoon
- Cheese cloth
- Large mixing bowl
- Scale
STEPS:
- Clean your ingredients and utensils properly, especially the mason jar. (It is not necessary to boil or sterilise.)
2. Very carefully, grate or cut the cabbage thinly and transfer to the mixing bowl.
3. Measure the cabbage and add 25 grams of salt for every kilo you have, I strongly recommend to use two large heads of cabbage; sauerkraut only gets better with time so don’t be afraid of expiration dates.
5. Place the cabbage with the water in a mason jar and push the cabbage all the way down – the juice should cover the cabbage.
6. Cover the mason jar with a cheese cloth and tie it to one side of the jar so it doesn’t move, place it in a fresh and dark place in your kitchen.
7. For the next 7 days, using a wooden spoon you are going gently to push down the cabbage into the juices so it remains covered, if you forget one day, don’t panic, your Sauerkraut is going to be fine. (Just make sure you PUSH the cabbage down, DON’T mix it, this could ruin the fermentation process and bring unwanted bacteria into the mix)
8. After 7 days I like to place the sauerkraut in the fridge, it is ready to be used at this point. If you prefer a stronger fermented taste, feel free to leave it out an extra couple of days and don’t forget to push the cabbage down into the juices. If you live in a colder place, I would leave the sauerkraut out for fermentation between 12 to 15 days and then move to the fridge.
How long will it to last in the fridge? Several months, as long as you like the texture and the taste.
DID SOMETHING GO WRONG?
- If your cabbage is not fully covered by the juices, a white veil-like substance or bubbles may appear but don’t worry, everything is fine! it’s part of the fermentation.
- The substance can be skimmed off during fermentation or before refrigerating.
- If you see any mold ABOVE the juice, skim it off immediately carefully not to mix it in and make sure the cabbage is fully submerged. Your Sauerkraut is still fine to continue fermenting.
- If the mold has gone into the juice, something went wrong and it got contaminated, You need to start over, making sure to be gentle when pushing the cabbage down every day.
Berthalila works in Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi as Nutritional Health Coach and Private Chef. She also runs a “Clean your Pantry” programme, helping people make better choices when it comes to buying ingredients and reading labels. Follow Berthalila on instagram – @mejores.decisiones – and be inspired by real food.
Image via Taste. com
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