Diving into Fermentation: Sauerkraut

I've been reading Sally Fallon's book, "Nurturing Traditions" for some time now, making the occasional batch of yogurt or beverage like ginger ale.  Much of what Sally Fallon preaches I was already into or very ready to do. Go completely organic whenever possible, use only grass fed meats, free range organic poultry, fresh pasture butter, raw milk and cheese.  Most of the changes were simple, but taking the leap into fermenting foods was rough, and I dragged my feet.  My aversion to certain tastes was stronger than my desire to clean up my dietary act.

While every year without fail I make a variety of pickled foods to add to my Christmas gift baskets, I don't really care for sour pickles - and really dislike sauerkraut.

So I just kept reading and thinking about it.  I read more, another book by Sally Fallon and High Raw by Kevin Gianni. I even fermented a batch of tri colored beans fresh from my garden.  They looked pretty in the jar.  For months.  Until I tossed them.  That was wasteful and cowardly.  Ticked me off as a matter of fact, so I resolved to take the plunge and get fermenting.

This Sauerkraut is lacto fermented naturally rather than pickled with harsh vinegar.  This is how kraut USED to be made before mass production, convenience foods and shelf life burst into the kitchen.

As it turns out, fermented Sauerkraut tastes nothing like the store bought junk in a jar my mother used to force us to eat with hot dogs.  Sour mushy cabbage, no wonder I was so turned off.  Another fact: Fermented cabbage and other vegetables provide many health benefits and should not be under estimated for their healing powers. Sally Fallon in her book, Nourishing Traditions provides some excellent instructions on the fermentation of vegetables and fruits, in addition to grains, nuts, seeds, fish and meat.  In my opinion she goes a bit heavy on the salt so keep that in mind should you pick up any of her books.  I also added the mustard seeds, Sally calls for caraway alone, but I like a little zip - the mustard seeds are a nice touch if I do say so myself:-)

Basic Recipe for Sauerkraut

1 wide mouth quart glass canning jar with lid
1 Cabbage, medium sized
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (or add another tablespoon of salt)
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

Grate cabbage with a hand grater or process in a food processor, then mix in a large non reactive bowl with the seeds, salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder of some kind. You may want to begin the process by hand, digging your impeccably clean hands into the bowl, crushing and mixing until the seeds are well distributed and the cabbage's cell walls begin to break down. Pound with a wooden mallet until the juices are visible and cause suction when you pull the pounder out of the mix.

Press the mixture into a clean glass jar using a wooden spoon. Press firmly, really pack it in until the juice rises to the top and covers the mixture, which it will do when it is pounded enough.
Amazingly enough, one medium cabbage broke down enough to fit into one jar - tightly packed!

Leave at least one inch or more of space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion, place jar on a pan or plate to catch potential leaks.  You may also use a big crock, using a weighted plate to keep the cabbage under the liquid.  I plan to switch to this method.  A brick wrapped in plastic layers makes a good weight.


Cover the kraut and store the jar in a cupboard for 3-5 days (depending on the ambient temperature) before transferring to the refrigerator. The sauerkraut may be consumed immediately, but after a couple of weeks, the flavor is even better as the fermentation process continues in the fridge.  This tightly packed 2 quart jar holds enough kraut for several meals and snacks and will continue to improve in flavor for 6 months!

As with all fermenting, follow your nose. If it smells putrid or you have any doubts about the quality, then discard the sauerkraut and start again.