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How To Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut

Follow these simple instructions on how to make your own healthy, probiotic rich sauerkraut. Makes a great addition to salads, sandwiches, eggs, hot dogs, beef sausages or on it's own as a delicious side dish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 Half Gallon Jar

Equipment

  • half gallon size glass mason jar with metal ring
  • fermenting glass weight
  • fermenting lid
  • kraut pounder
  • plastic mason jar lid
  • kitchen scale

Ingredients
  

  • 3 small to medium organic green cabbages
  • Salt must be a non-iodized salt; quantity to be calculated by weight

Instructions
 

  • Remove outer leaves of cabbage and wash thoroughly
  • Cut cabbage in half and remove core. Slice cabbage into thin strips about an 1/8inch thick
    This doesn't need to be precise, but the thinner you slice the cabbage, the faster it will ferment. It will also change the texture of your kraut, so slice according to your preference.
  • Weigh cabbage in a bowl to calculate the amount of salt needed. Calculate salt weight to be 2% of cabbage's weight.
    Place a large bowl on your kitchen scale. Remember to press TARE to clear the weight. Then, add sliced cabbage and get your weight in grams. Multiply weight of cabbage by 2% (0.02). This number is the grams of salt you will need to sprinkle over the cabbage. For example: If your cabbage weighs 500grams you will calculate as follows... 500grams of cabbage X .02 = 10grams of salt. See note 1 below.
  • Sprinkle salt over cabbage and massage with hands to fully incorporate
    The salt allows the cabbage to release it's juices to make it own brine so no need to add any extra water when making sauerkraut.
  • Let it rest for 10 minutes to allow juices to release. Then, pound with a kraut pounder for a few minutes to release more juices.
    This allows more juices to be released and makes packing into the jar much easier. You can use the extra liquid in the bowl to top off your jars once they are filled. This will ensure the cabbage is completely submerged. If you don't have a kraut pounder see note 2 below.
  • Pack cabbage into glass jars and push down with kraut pounder to allow juices to fully cover cabbage. Top off with extra juices from bowl.
    Add cabbage a little at a time and use kraut pounder (or fist) to push down firmly making sure cabbage is fully submerged under brine. Leave about 1 inch headspace from the top of the jar.
  • Place fermenting weight in jar and make sure cabbage is fully submerged under brine
    If you don't have a fermenting weight see note 3 below.
  • Place fermenting lid on jar and secure with mason jar ring
    If you don't have a fermenting lid see note 4 below.
  • Allow to sit out of direct sunlight and at room temperature for 3-7 days.
    The warmer your house is the quicker it will ferment and vice versa. You will notice fizzy bubbles forming during this time which is what you want to see! This means the fermentation process is taking place. It is a good idea to place your jar on a plate or bowl to catch any liquid that leaks from the top. You can give it a taste after 3 days. If it isn't sour enough to your liking, leave it out for a few more days and recheck. Remember your sauerkraut will continue to ferment in cold storage, just at a much slower pace.
  • Cap with a normal lid and move to cold storage
    Once you are happy with the taste, remove the fermenting weight and fermenting lid. Place a regular plastic lid on the jar and move to cold storage. You can start enjoying your sauerkraut immediately or let it sit in the refrigerator to continue slowly fermenting for up to another year! The longer it sits, the more sour it will taste. Enjoy! See note 5 below.

Notes

  1. Some recipes will give you an amount of salt to add per cabbage head instead of weighing, which is great if you want to skip the math part. But since cabbage sizes vary so drastically, I prefer to calculate my salt to cabbage ratio this way because it is more exact and will give more consistent results.  I like the taste of the final product using a 2% ratio, but a range of 1.5%-2.5% is also considered acceptable.
  2. If you don't have a kraut pounder, don't worry!  When I first started making sauerkraut I didn't own one so I used a free weight (weight for exercising) covered in a plastic zip lock bag to pound the cabbage. You can also use your fist or a flat sided rolling pin.
  3. If you don't have a glass fermenting weight don't worry! You can use discarded cabbage leaves and the core to keep everything submerged. You can also use a plastic zip lock back filled with rocks or a 4oz mason jar to act as a weight as well. Whatever you choose to use, just make sure everything stays under the brine to avoid molding issues.
  4. If you don't have a fermenting lid don't worry! You can use a regular metal lid with a ring on your mason jar, but you MUST remember to "burp" your jars everyday. "Burping" your jars just means you slightly unscrew the ring to allow the gas to release. Do this very slowly, otherwise the brine will ferociously spray out of your jar from all the built up pressure and you will have a big mess on your hands.
  5. Storage options include the refrigerator, underground pumphouse, cold basement, root cellar, etc. Also, I only use plastic mason jar lids now, because I had an issue with the metal lids and rings rusting during long term storage.