Fermented Sauerkraut Recipe
Shared by: Plan to Eat Blog
Source: Monica Corrado
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients
Directions
1. Using a very sharp knife or mandolin, cut cabbage fine. Retain an outer leaf of the cabbage to cover it after you have packed it in the jar.
2. Place shredded cabbage in a large, stainless steel bowl.
3. Add salt or salt and whey if you are using it.
4. Pound with a meat pounder or massage between your clean hands for 10 minutes. The cabbage will become limp and very bright in color as the water is drawn out of the leaves and into the bowl. Alternatively, you may sprinkle the cabbage with the salt, cover with a plate, and let it sit on the counter for 6-8 hours or so. The salt will draw out the water from the cabbage and into the bowl.
5. Place the cabbage and all the liquid in a wide-mouth quart jar, leaving 2 inches of space from the top. Be sure cabbage is submerged below the liquid. Cover the cabbage with the reserved cabbage leaves, to help keep it under the brine. (You may also use fermentation weights if you have them.)
6. Cap with lid and seal tightly.
7. Leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F) a minimum of 3–5 days, or until the lid becomes taut under the pressure of your finger. (If you prefer a milder sauerkraut, you may leave it for up to 2 weeks.) When it is done, place in the refrigerator—top shelf, or in other cold storage, at about 40°F.
Note: do not over-pack the cabbage because it will expand as it ferments. Leave about 2 inches of space between the cabbage and the lid, and it will have plenty of room. This will prevent the jar from leaking onto your counter, as well as the need to “burp” your ferment.
Fermentation is an anaerobic process—lactobacilli do not like oxygen, so be sure to tighten the cap well when you put it up on your counter.
The longer cabbage ferments, the milder the kraut. You can leave unopened jars of sauerkraut in your refrigerator for several months to a year or more.