How To Make Sauerkraut
Ever Want To Learn How To Make Sauerkraut At Home?
Why would we want to learn how to make sauerkraut at home? Well, if you are a lover of this potent, vinegary cabbage dish, you will benefit from knowing that it doesn’t take a bunch of preservatives and chemicals in order to enjoy it for a couple of months at a time. If you are not a huge fan, but would like to try it the natural way in order to determine the difference, you may also be impressed by this natural process. Both parties will definitely be impressed with the health benefits provided by sauerkraut, as the natural bacteria present is excellent for the digestive tract and for your stomach.
We begin learning how to make sauerkraut the old fashioned way by choosing a wonderfully green, firm head of cabbage that is crisp and free of rotten, rusty, or mushy parts. Pull a few of the large outer leaves off of the head of cabbage, carefully as not to rip them, and set them aside for your last step. Rinse the entire head of cabbage and pat dry with a lint free, clean cloth. Once this is done, you will be ready to quarter the cabbage, making four equal parts. It is easiest to start cutting at the thick stem area, leaving a piece of it on each quarter as using this for a handle will help when you begin to shred the cabbage.
Your next step on how to make sauerkraut will be the shredding or chopping of it. Remember that the larger your chunks are, the more fermentation time it will need. Aside from this tip, you can make it as fine or as thick as you like, but for a fine consistency, the slicing hole on a cheese grater will work well. If you don’t have one, that’s fine, just lay the cabbage on one of the flat sides and begin slicing finely against the pattern of the leaves. One whole cabbage head will yield 6 to 8 cups of finished product.
The final steps you will take when learning how to make sauerkraut are quite simply. Put all of your cut cabbage in a large bowl or jar and pack it down firmly. Place the leaves that you set aside earlier on top of the packed cabbage and place a heavy weight on top of them. A smaller bowl filled with rice or beans is a good weight. Cover the entire package with cheesecloth and let it cure at room temperature for 3 days. All of the cabbage should be translucent and the juices should smell like vinegar. If it isn’t ready, let it cure up to 4 days more. Once it is to your liking, you can store it in the fridge for up to months.