Saurkraut
Sauerkraut can be made in
several different ways. The traditional recipe involves shredding and pounding
fresh cabbage, adding salt, and submerging it under water for several days. The
natural bacteria in the cabbage, such as lactobacillus plantarum, will natural
begin to ferment the cabbage while the salt inhibits other microbes. You can
eliminate the use of salt altogether by innoculating the shredded cabbage and
water solution with yogurt starter or Kefir grains. A traditional recipe
follows:
Ingredients:
- 1 Fresh Medium Cabbage (red or green)
- 2 Tablespoons Pickling Salt
(Please no iodine, it will kill the bacteria)
- Distilled Water (or filtered
and non-chlorinated)
Method:
- Shred the cabbage.
- In a large bowl, mix shredded
cabbage and salt together.
- Pound the cabbage mixture to expel the juices.
- Place
pounded cabbage and juices in a medium sized glass jar (1 Quart Sized).
- Press
down firmly on the cabbage.
- Add distilled water until cabbage is fully
submerged.
- Solution should be at least one inch from the top of the jar.
- Cover
the jar and let sit for 3 to 7 days at room temperature.
- Store in the
refrigerator.
- Alternatively, one can use Kefir grains to ferment the
cabbage, just
eliminate the use of salt.
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