Cabbage & Salt

an illustrated recipe for simple sauerkraut

Ingredients:

• 1 green cabbage (medium, about 3 pounds), cored and finely chopped
• 1.5-2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1-2 whole cabbages leaves
• Extra salt and water for additional brine, if needed

Equipment:

• 1 large (1/2 gallon) widemouth canning jar, or 2 quart jars, cleaned and dried
• a muddler or other mashing tool
• small glass or jelly jar that fits inside mouth of larger jar(s)

• clean marbles, rocks, etc. for weighing down glass or jar
• clean cloth to cover jar
• rubber band or twine

Process:

• Add small handfuls of cabbage to jar, sprinkle with a little salt and then muddle/pound with muddler to break up the cabbage and release the juices. You may also use hands to mix and squeeze the cabbage.
• Continue to add small amounts of cabbage and salt, muddling until the salted, pounded cabbage is 2 inches from the top of the jar and well-packed with no pockets of air. You want the cabbage to be softened, but still maintain its shape— don’t pound it into mush. Depending upon the water content of the cabbage and the ferocity of muddling, there may be sufficient brine to cover the chopped cabbage. If not, add a little more brine (1.5tsp salt per 1 cup water) to cover.

• Place a whole cabbage leaf over the packed cabbage to form a little lid, and place a weighted glass or jar on top of the leaf to press the cabbage down into the brine. It is important that the cabbage be submerged completely. Add more brine if needed to bring the level up to at least 1" above the cabbage. Leave top 1/2" of jar empty for fermentation gasses and bubbling.
• Cover with clean cloth and use rubber band or twine to hold cloth on the jar. Place jar on a plate in the event the jar overflows during fermentation.
• Leave at room temperature, out of sunlight, to ferment for 3-10 days (or longer if you prefer.)
• Check your ferment daily to make sure brine is always covering the cabbage. Add fresh brine if needed. If mold develops on the surface remove the mold and any discolored cabbage. (If it becomes slimy, pink, or smells bad, toss the whole batch.)
• When you are pleased with the taste of your sauerkraut, put a lid on it and move it to the refrigerator.

Why does this work? You’re harnessing the power of the Lactobacillus bacteria which are already living on the cabbage. A salty, anaerobic (no oxygen) environment is perfect for encouraging their growth and allowing them to greatly increase the nutritional benefits of the cabbage.