Sauerkraut – yes it can be yummy!

I grew up in a Polish kitchen where sauerkraut was a staple. The problem was that my Polish grandma and great aunt no longer made their sauerkraut…they bought it from the grocery store. Yuck! I could not stand to eat it. Fast forward almost 30 years, and sauerkraut is in my life again. This time I am making it, and it is yummy!

Why did I choose to overcome my childhood sauerkraut trauma and eat it as an adult? It is one of the foods that boosts the immune system, which in turn aids in the healing of my over-extended body. Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions (NT), has written a great article on lacto-fermentation of sauerkraut and other vegetables: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/lacto.html. Her sauerkraut recipe is found in NT.

While I enjoy NT sauerkraut, my husband and son do not like it. Fortunately, Maria, my neighbor from Russia, introduced me to another recipe. My husband accepts this sauerkraut (I like this one a lot), but I am still encouraging my son to try it. He was ready to sample it when I named it coleslaw. Then I let the sauerkraut word slip and the game was over. Once husband and son are on board with Maria’s sauerkraut, I will try again to introduce the NT version.

Maria calls the NT sauerkraut winter sauerkraut. It is much stronger than the kind that she makes, which she calls summer sauerkraut. I can only eat a couple of tablespoons at a time of the NT version, but I can eat a substantial handful of Maria’s. Here is the recipe that she uses:

SAUERKRAUT RECIPE

1 large head of organic cabbage – cut finely to shred

3 or 4 organic carrots shredded

2-3 T salt

Place all ingredients in a large glass bowl. With your hands, smash and mix the ingredients well. Don’t worry about being too tough on the cabbage. Add filtered or distilled water until almost covering the ingredients. Place some heavy plates or other heavy, non-reactive item on the mixture to weigh it down into the water. Make sure that there is about ½ inch between water and top of bowl, as the mixture will grow due to fermentation. Leave the bowl on the counter.

Drain the juice if it gets too juicy due to fermentation. You can drink the juice – it is good for you. After 12 hours or so poke the mixture with the handle of a wooden spoon or other wooden utensil to release the fermentation gas and beat your sauerkraut back away from the top of the bowl. Let it ferment again and poke again as needed. The length of fermentation time depends on the climate. I leave mine on the counter for two to three days. If you put it in the refrigerator prematurely, take it back out again and it will take right off and ferment. Remember to watch the juice and spoon it off to ensure it does not overflow the container.

When the sauerkraut is done fermenting on the counter, pack it tightly into glass jars, refrigerate it and eat it within about 3 weeks. You can start eating immediately.

**Make sure all of your utensils and hands are clean, as you don’t want any bad bacteria to get into the mix and ruin your kraut.

**Make sure to use organic cabbage and carrots, or you will be making a toxic soup instead of a healthy and yummy food.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Andrea]

Thank you for this recipe. I'll have to try this soon.