{what goes great with oktoberfest beer?? — homemade sauerkraut!!}

ownin’ my german roots! 😉

i love love looooove making my own food. i especially love making things that are expensive to buy, but cheap to make. case and point : sauerkraut.

sauerkraut is one of my favourite things ever. it’s so good for you, and it’s been around for centuries… it’s one of those ancestral foods like homemade bone broth that has proven to be a staple for health in many ancient cultures for ages.

sauerkraut is FULL of healthy probiotics, which are essential for maintaining a healthy gut.

and it’s so super easy to make.

start by chopping up your cabbage, as thin as you want/can get it… i find it helps to quarter the cabbage first, then cut into strips. you want about 1.5 pounds per 1 tablespoon of salt. once that is complete, add it to a large bowl and begin “squishing” the cabbage and salt together using your hands.

this is another reason i love making sauerkraut – you get to play with your food! 😉

as the cabbage begins to wilt, it will create its own brine… you can make a little more using salt/water combo, or you can do what i do – which is save a little of your bubbies sauerkraut brine and pour it on top! they are one of my all-time favourite brands for sauerkraut! you can use another brand, of course. the nice thing about doing this is you add a little extra boost of the already-made probiotics from the brine.

once it’s ready, add your cabbage and brine to a large clean glass jar and cover with cheesecloth. this allows the kraut to breathe while keeping out any pests or debris. make sure your cabbage is fully covered with the brine, and “pack” it into the jar, but not too tightly.

during the fermentation process, if you notice any “scum” on the surface, simply skim it off and toss it. i’ve personally never had this issue but i’ve read other articles that mention it, so i thought i would as well.

you can taste your kraut after about a week, but the longer you allow it to ferment, the better it gets!  the one i’m working on now has been fermenting for about 3 weeks… i’m going to try to wait until the end of the month to eat it. 🙂

i’m not yet to the point where i want to get creative by adding in other ingredients like cucumbers, caraway, or other spices… but i hope to continue to make kraut because as i mentioned earlier, it’s so inexpensive to make but can be upwards of $8 a jar to purchase! this batch here cost me 90 cents! i just bought a smaller {organic} cabbage and caught it on sale!

have a great weekend!

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do you make your own sauerkraut? please comment below and share any tips you may have! 

Tags: ancestral foods, DIY, easy, eating, fermented foods, fermenting, food, food photography, health, healthy eating, healthy food, make your own food, photography, probiotics, raw diet, recipes, sauerkraut, simple, vegan, vegetarian