DIY Raw Sauerkraut

I’m going to tell you how to make your own raw sauerkraut. First I’m have to warn you that I know nothing about fermenting things, or raw food and to be honest I don’t generally eat sauerkraut. I do happen to live with someone who really likes it though. In any case, if my instructions are awful, you might be better off looking elsewhere because I’m pretty sure there are more detailed recipes somewhere else. On the other hand, this batch turned out just fine and was ridiculously easy. So let’s get to it.

First you want to take some cabbage. I used two heads. It may seem like a lot but it will turn out to be less in the end. You might as well make a bunch of sauerkraut.

Shred your cabbage. It’s easiest to do this in a food processor. You could technically do this with regular grater by hand, but that would not be fun.

Start puting your shredded cabbage in a large jar. Mine was about a gallon. I highly recommend using something with a wide mouth (unlike mine) as it makes it way easier to not spill shredded veggies all over your kitchen. As you put in the cabbage, you want to add 3 tablespoons of salt. Mix it in a bit but more importantly, pack down the cabbage tightly into the bottom of the jar.

Now if you want to get a little crazy, you can put in some other veggies, like beets and carrots, which will give your kraut some extra flavor and color. Just make sure you press everything down as tightly as possible.

Ok so there you go. It’s all in the jar, you probably want to pack it a bit better than in the photo above. Then just set it aside in your kitchen somewhere and let it do it’s thing for oh a couple of weeks. Make sure it’s not too hot or cold, just comfortable. If the veggies inside are above the level of brine water they might brown or get some “bloom” but not to worry just take the yucky part out and the rest should be fine. If it’s extra moldy you might just want to scratch the whole thing, I really have no idea. The longer you let it all sit, the stronger the flavor.

There you have it ladies and gents, raw sauerkraut. Very little work, lots of patience and a delicious reward.