Sauerkraut is a very healthy, delicious food that we especially like to eat in winter. You can find out here how you can easily make sauerkraut yourself!
Making sauerkraut yourself is a tradition several thousand years old – and not invented by the Germans, even if it is known worldwide as a traditional German dish. Making sauerkraut is a preservation process also known as fermentation.
Make sauerkraut yourself: that's how it works
Ingredients:
- White cabbage (fresh, preferably organic)
- Salt (without trickle aid)
- If you like: caraway seeds, pepper, bay berries and juniper berries
Quantity: Depending on your taste, you will need at least 1 percent salt per kilogram of white cabbage; This means that there is at least 10 grams of salt for 1 kilogram of white cabbage – a little more can be added if desired.
Utils:
- Large fermentation pot with weight stone or twist-off glasses
- Vegetable slicer or sharp knife and cutting board
- bowl
- Potato masher
Make sauerkraut yourself with a fermentation pot
For a fermentation pot with a capacity of 10 liters, we recommend 8 kilograms of white cabbage and 160 grams of salt.
- Rinse the clay pot thoroughly with hot water and let it dry well.
- Remove several of the outer leaves of the cabbage and set them aside.
- Cut the cabbage in half and remove the stalk.
- Grate the cabbage small with the vegetable slicer or alternatively use a knife and cutting board.
- Put everything in a bowl and mix it with the spices and salt.
- Knead everything vigorously for 5 to 6 minutes with your hands or the potato masher until sufficient liquid has been exuded.
- Place a few of the cabbage leaves at the bottom of the jar. Fill the white cabbage into the fermentation pot and press the mass well with the potato masher. Important: No air layers may be enclosed. The collected liquid is then poured onto it and should completely cover the herb by a few centimeters. Make sure that the jar is about 4/5 full.
- Now use the cabbage leaves that were initially set aside and then place them over the contents of the pot. Then comes the weighting stone. Clean the edge of the jar well and seal everything airtight with a lid.
- You fill the water channel of the fermentation pot with boiled and cooled salt water (40 grams of salt to 200 milliliters of water).
- Place the fermentation vessel in a place at room temperature for a week and then in a dark and cool place for 4 to 6 weeks. Then the sauerkraut is ready!
Tip: It is best to adjust the temperature slowly when changing over, otherwise a vacuum could arise in the fermentation pot when it cools down quickly, which draws the water from the inside of the fermentation pot into the inside of the pot.
Make sauerkraut yourself in a glass
If you don't have a fermentation pot, the screw-top version is a good alternative!
- Wash the glasses with hot water.
- Grate the cabbage or cut it into fine strips.
- Put the cabbage in a bowl, mix everything with salt and knead it vigorously for 5 to 6 minutes until the juice comes out.
- Put the cabbage in glasses and press it firmly so that there is still 2 centimeters to the edge. No air layers may be enclosed! Cover the contents with juice. If you have a small, flat object to weigh down (such as a small clay plate), place it over the herb. Clean the edge of the jar with a clean cloth and seal the jars airtight.
- During the fermentation process, water can leak out of the glasses, so it is better to place them in a large bowl or in a deep tray.
- Store the jars in a room at room temperature for up to a week. As soon as you see bubbles rising, the herb is fermenting. If no more bubbles can be seen, the fermentation is complete. Clean the edge of leaked juice again and then place the glasses in a cool and dark place (e.g. refrigerator or cellar) for at least two to three weeks. Then the sauerkraut is ready to eat! If stored in a dark and cool place, it can be kept for several months.
Fermentation process of sauerkraut: what happens there?
When preparing sauerkraut, lactic acid fermentation takes place. This is a fermentation process: the sugar contained in the cabbage in the form of carbohydrates is converted into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria, which is why the sauerkraut tastes so slightly sour. The fermentation process makes the sauerkraut long-lasting.
Why should you make sauerkraut yourself?
Sauerkraut from the supermarket is often pasteurized, which means that many valuable nutrients are lost. With homemade sauerkraut, on the other hand, you get the full load of vitamins A, B and C as well as minerals.
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Here we explain to you how to prepare sauerkraut. And here we have put together the most delicious sauerkraut recipes for you. You can find all information about fermenting here.
If you would like to exchange ideas about recipes and preparation methods, then take a look at our Brigitte Community!