Sauerkraut

Fermentation is an interesting process.  It is also one that we started a little tentatively.  Since then we have really appreciated the knowledge that we have gained from it.

It can be a little scary, in the modern food climate, where we are informed how food needs to be refrigerated, otherwise it will go bad.  I can remember a time when I was profoundly confused that refrigeration, in the methods we use today, have only existed since electricity became widely available.  I knew that canning was a often used preservation technique, and that some food remained stable at room temperature; but there were so many things that, according to my understanding, required refrigeration.  I remember asking myself 'How was it possible for previous generations to keep food from rotting without this essential tool?' Over time I have learned that there are many methods of food preservation that most of us have never heard of.  Some of these are smoking and curing meats, brining, salting, and you guessed it, fermenting.

All of these methods have become more interesting to us, as we have been learning to be more self reliant.  When we started fermenting we experimented with several different foods.  We started in small batches, so we would be able to get the process right.  A few of the foods that we prepared through this process were kimchi, homemade soda with a ginger bug, and sauerkraut.  Eventually I'll have to post about our explosive apple beer...

After experimenting a bit, until we got it right, we learned how good homemade sauerkraut is.  It's delicious!  It has been quite a while since we've made it.  This year, however, we grew lots of purple cabbage, and needed to preserve it.  We really haven't heard of anyone making sauerkraut from purple cabbage before, but we decided that we would give it a try.  (We are getting a lot of purple out of our garden this year.)

Now that I'm done pontificating, lets get to how it's made.

When making sauerkraut, it is important to note that normal city tap water can ruin the fermenting process.  Because of the chlorine content of the water, the bacteria cultures that are needed to cause fermentation can be killed by rinsing the leaves of the cabbage.  Because of this we will peal away the outer leaves of the cabbage, and will directly process it without washing the produce.  Any foreign material is wiped away to avoid contamination.  The vinegar that is produced during fermentation also will kill harmful bacteria, so it is safe for consumption.  Well water is typically alright though.

Simple sauerkraut basically consists of only cabbage and salt.  The type of salt is also important, normal table salt won't work, it will prevent fermentation.  It is best to use natural sea salt.  When we started, we didn't want to take any chances, so we ordered some imported raw French sea salt.  This probably wasn't entirely necessary, but it works well, and we are quirky like that. 

Once the ingredients are gathered, and the cabbage is shredded, (we used our food processor.)  starting the sauerkraut is quite simple.  It basically consists of mixing a few tablespoons of salt with the shredded cabbage, until liquid starts to seep out.  We will typically press the cabbage by hand while mixing to maximize the liquid that comes out.  The salt draws the liquid out.  Be careful not to over salt, but add enough for the liquid to accumulate.

We use a large crock for this process.  We also have a lid that we made, out of a plastic cutting board, to fit into the crock.  It presses the cabbage below the liquid level, which prevents waste. 

 

 

Once the liquid level is slightly above that of the cabbage, it is ready to start fermentation.

 

We then place a clean quart jar or two on top of the lid as a weight.

 

We cover the crock with a black trash bag, securing it with rubber bands.  This keeps foreign materials from entering the crock, while still allowing for air pressure to build up inside the crock as it ferments.

 

We put it in the basement, and place a towel on top to further block out any light, and let it do its thing.  It takes a couple of weeks for sauerkraut to ferment.  

 

For those who would like to know how our purple sauerkraut works, we will post an update when it is done.  We will also likely be learning how best to process it to make it shelf stable.  

Here are a few more pictures that we took as we harvested out cabbage.  Thanks for reading!