sauerkraut, three ways

Ahh… gleaming jars of sauerkraut, full of the promise of tangy raw vegetables in the middle of winter. Despite how frequent my posts on fermentation are I’ve somehow managed to skip sauerkraut. Oh yeah, it’s a fall food. It’s fall?! Damn.

The process for sauerkraut is basically the same, although the spices and ingredients can be played with. Remove the tougher outer leaves, checking carefully for worms and remnants of soil as you go. Shred. Pack tightly into jars or a crock, sprinkling 2-3 TBSP of salt over the cabbage as you go. Press or pound the cabbage until it starts to release its juices, and top up the brine if need be with unchlorinated water. It is imperative that the cabbage be submerged below brine at all times. If using a crock you’ll need either a lid or a plate weighed down with something; I use a quart jar filled with water.

Sauerkraut takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months to develop, depending on the temperature. I’m aiming for a longer fermentation so I can keep lots in storage for the winter, so it’s currently down in the chilly, unfinished basement. Check on it every couple of days to make sure the cabbage is submerged and skim any foam that develops.

Batch number one: crock, cabbage + toasted caraway seeds.

Batch number two: jars + cabbage.

Batch number three: jars, cabbage + spices. A few cloves, bay, peppercorns, cumin seeds, dill seeds and  juniper berries, crushed with a pestle.