{homemade sauerkraut}

i’ve been wanting to try to make my own sauerkraut for a while now… as i’ve mentioned in the past, i’ll get on these kicks where i’m all like, “i can make that!” and i think that i can make TIME multiply and have more of it so i can actually MAKE all the stuff i say i can make… silly me.

anyway, luckily this whole sauerkraut making process is super easy and not nearly as time consuming as one may think.  well, the actual “making” of it takes a little while, but preparing it does not.  it’s quite fun, too. you get your hands involved and you get to “play” with your food, which i always enjoy. 😉  plus, it’s oktoberfest!! and i’m part german, so it’s high time i learn how to make this amazing stuff so every october i can eat it. just kidding, that’s not my only motive.  sauerkraut is one of the oldest fermented foods out there.  and it’s one of those things that is actually pretty inexpensive to make on your own, but for whatever reason, can be kind of expensive to buy. this small batch didn’t cost me much. i had the salt at home, and this head of organic cabbage was $2. it’s loaded with probiotics and because it’s cabbage, it naturally contains a prebiotic as well. it’s just really awesome stuff. we should all eat more sauerkraut… in my humble opinion.

i digress.

as i said, the process is very simple.  and so are the ingredients :

– one medium head of cabbage {organic, if possible}

– 1 1/2 tbsp salt {i chose himalayan pink salt}

– large glass container or fermenting crock {as clean as you can get it}

begin by quartering cabbage and then chopping into “ribbons.”  add salt and begin to work in the salt using your hands.  this is the fun part.  you can literally {with clean hands, of course} squish and squeeze the cabbage all around. this will eventually cause the cabbage to wilt from working the salt in.

it’s quite amazing how it works, and it’s just oh-so-fun.

once the cabbage has created its own juices, you can transfer it into a mason jar or glass container. i followed the recipe from the kitchn, although i omitted the caraway seeds.  they suggested saving a cabbage leaf and putting it on top to ensure the juices stay in.  you can use something heavy to put on top, as well.  i opted not to, and i just check on mine about every 6-8 hours, and squished everything down under the liquid using a large wooden spoon or spatula.

i didn’t lock in the seal on this thing all the way, as it’s important to allow airflow but use a band and cloth or something to seal out any pests.  you can ferment for a minimum of 3 days, ensuring to check on the kraut frequently and keeping it all squished down under the liquid. i did mine for about 5 days, but i would like to try another batch with a longer fermentation time.  this turned out great, but just a little salty.  i think my cabbage was a little smaller than average… but the kraut was still very tasty!  and it was fun to experiment with this. it would be so awesome to be able to make my own sauerkraut from my own garden!  i hope to be able to do that next year! 😀

i ate my sauerkraut with some beer bratwurst and purple sweet potatoes {which i will write about soon!} and i washed it down with an oktoberfest lager… my favey-fave this time of year.

Tags: audrey michelle, autumn, cooking, DIY, easy, eating, fall foods, fermenting, food, food and foto, food photography, foodography, kiss, october, octoberfest, oktoberfest, organic, photography, recipes, sauerkraut, simple