Homemade Sauerkraut

There are a lot of good recipes for sauerkraut on the internet - and I highly recommend you check them out! I did my research before I attempted this recipe on my own. I employ my husband to pound the cabbage, and then he gets to enjoy the delicious taste of homemade sauerkraut 7 days later. This is a fun project for the family - and so highly nutritious and delicious!

Ingredients

1 organic cabbage (green or red)
1 mason quart jar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (liquid drained from good organic plain yogurt)

Procedure

It should be at least about 72-degrees in your house over the next 7 days. Carefully peel off the first couple of outer cabbage leaves and reserve these . Wash the cabbage in filtered water (including the reserved outer leaves)- or wash it in tap water but let it set for several hours to let the chlorination evaporate before processing it.

Put the cabbage through food processor (or use a shredder) and put into a large bowl. Add the caraways seeds and salt and pound the cabbage with a mallet for about 10-20 minutes. As you pound you will begin to see the cabbage break down and liquid emerge. Add the whey.

When all the cabbage has been well broken down, add the whey and stir well. Begin to spoon the cabbage into the mason jar a bit at a time, mashing the cabbage well to the bottom. As you do, more liquid will come to the surface covering the cabbage - this is what you want! Continue to add the cabbage and press it down firmly below all the liquid.

Fold up the reserved and washed outer cabbage leaves and press them firmly on top of the cabbage. Liquid will rise above the folded cabbage leaf. Leave about an inch from the top for the fermentation liquid. Seal with the lid and leave for 7 days on the counter with paper towels under the jar to catch any liquid that might leak out. Check the top of the lid to see if some of the pressure of the fermentation needs to be released over the 7 days.

After 7 days, taste it, then refrigerate.

Health Benefits

To aid my digestion with my meals, I generally will eat 1-2 tablespoons of my homemade sauerkraut, especially with protein meals. Since adding this to my daily diet, I have no issues with my digestion and all of my pain is gone! This stuff works!!