Makes approx. 2 Litres
- 1 medium-size head of white cabbage, cored and shredded
- 4 large red bell peppers, diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup of fresh Pineapple, diced - 1 Tablespoon sea salt, Himalayan salt - Optional: 1- 2 Tablespoons of yogurt whey liquid, water kefir, milk kefir whey, or probiotic pickle juice/brine.
Preparation: Place every ingredient in a bowl, crock or pot and pound with a wooden pounder, meat tenderizer, or mortar to release juices for about 10 minutes (Some people massage the veggies with their hands) Alternatively, I let the ingredients sit for several hours after mixing it a bit; this allows the salt and the whey to do most of the wilting, which helps release the juices to benefit for less pounding.
Place in a quart-sized glass jar and press down firmly with the pounder until juices come up to the top of the cabbage. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar to allow for expansion and C02 expression.
Close lid tightly and keep at room temperature to FERMENT in a dark pantry or covered with a towel for about 3-5 days depending on the temperature of your storage. It will take longer in the winter with colder storage and also a longer time with more salt being added to the recipe. If it tastes too salty after 3 days, put it back on the shelf and taste it until it is the flavour that you prefer, the longer it sits the more sour tasting it should become. Place the jars in the fridge or cold room storage once you enjoy the salty sour flavour, to slow the fermentation process down.
Any time during cold storage, you can remove your ferment to ‘sour’ longer for a stronger taste on the counter. It is fine to open the jar throughout the process to taste it and to be sure it’s to your taste. It is strongly recommended to ‘burp’ the jars every day; just open the lid to let the air out, the water may be fizzy and this is a good sign! Be aware of it ‘fizzing over’; hold it over a sink when opening, for this reason; this phase normally only lasts 3 days.
Remember this is a lactic acid ferment; it has stronger anti-pathogenic properties than acetic acid, which is vinegar!! It is very difficult to mess this up! It will look like a moldy spore growing mess and smell like garbage if it doesn’t take off properly or goes off, just like rotting food sitting in water.
Home Use: Traditionally sauerkraut is eaten with rich meats, starchy foods such as perogies and bacon. It also has an affinity to hotdogs and hamburgers, from which the BBQing effect renders the meat carcinogenic; ferments will offer antioxidants, enzymes & probiotics for digestive health and repair.
I prefer to use sauerkraut as a condiment in many savoury meals; with rice and beans, curries, in pitas or wraps, it is great with meats, on top of stews, and it makes for a pleasing addition to salads with avocado. This “Salsa-Kraut” version is ideal on a holiday snack platter with chips or crackers.
Sauerkraut has a famous reputation from its long history of use (6000 years ago, China) and from world voyagers, such as Captain Cook. He loaded his ship with 60 barrels of sauerkraut for 27 months at sea and they stayed perfectly preserved despite changes of temperature and the rocking of the ship; the entire ship crew was free from scurvy (vitamin C deficiency).