DIY Sauerkraut (or how I spent two hours chopping cabbage)

The recipe said I'd only need to 'massage' the cabbage for 5-10 minutes. If I had known it would have taken two hours to chop, squish, scrunch and press a whole head of cabbage into two jars, I would have just bought it. Yet two hours and five days later I now have some delicious fermented sauerkraut with its lovely salty, vinegary taste.

I had nearly a whole red cabbage leftover from another recipe and I've always wanted to try my hand at making my own sauerkraut. In 2017 I'd fallen in love with the stuff and I'd always be using it in place of gravy on top of meats or as a side with some poached eggs.

So I scoured the net til I found a recipe and tried my hand at it. If I was to make it again, I'd definitely use a food processor to quicken up the process. That being said it's still a very hands on process since you have to wring your hands around the cabbage until it releases enough brine to cover itself. I probably did this for 30 minutes before getting a rolling pin and bashing it into some jars.

Will I make it again? Unlikely. Still, it's my first time making sauerkraut and I feel such a sense of accomplishment.

Ingredients:

1 whole cabbage

1.5 tbsp salt

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1. Chop/process the cabbage into fine slices.

2. Toss salt through cabbage and leave for 10 minutes so it can draw out the liquid.

3. Boil water and sterilise your storage jars.

4. 'Massage' the cabbage for as long as it takes to get enough brine to cover the cabbage or until your hands start hurting (whichever comes first).

5. Add cumin seeds.

6. Pack the cabbage down into jars (I had to use small jars but you could easily use three jars for a whole head of cabbage).

7. Weigh down the cabbage so that it all covered by liquid (I used a shot glass filled with water to weigh down mine).

8. Cover the jar with a tea towel and leave on top of the fridge for 3-5 days or until it suits your taste.

9. Enjoy!

#sauerkraut #fermentation #ferment #probiotic #diy