Pink Sauerkraut Recipe.
Sauerkraut is a foundational food recipe that has supported better digestive health for myself. To read more about how I learned about the importance of fermented foods, click here. It is easy to make and an affordable source of probiotics, vitamin C, and a perfect topping for most any meal. Once you make it a few times, you’ll be able to make it by taste it is that simple to make. Allow yourself a beginners curve, my first few batches were a fail.
By using red cabbage mixed with green cabbage, this will result in a beautiful pink color. I like to think of it as a real food giving a nod of support to those choosing food choice as a level of treatment for breast cancer. So many individuals and families are pioneering a new way of cancer treatment that has been almost forgotten, turning to nature for our answers. In our Facebook group, Alkaline Diet Support, we have several members using food choice as treatment for improved quality of health. You’re most welcome to come join us!
The Recipe.
Ingredients:
1 organic red cabbage
1 organic green cabbage
STEP 1.
Save and set aside a few whole cabbage leaves for covering the kraut in the jar as a plug. I record using a kitchen scale the weight in grams
STEP 2.
Once I have the total weight of the vegetables I do a little bit of multiplication to solve for how much sea salt is needed. I prefer the taste of unrefined sea salt over other types of salt, natural unfiltered sea salt is so delicious you will want to eat it. (I also use this salt to make salt sole.) If my vegetables weigh 1500g, this number is multiplied by .018 (1.8%) and this equals 27g of total salt needed.
Total weight of vegetables X .018 = Amount of salt needed
STEP 3.
This step is when you get to exercise the strength of your hands. With all of the ingredients in your large mixing container, squeeze, massage, and wring together the ingredients until the juices begin releasing from the chopped cabbage. Stop to taste the cabbage and salt mixture, if you memorize this taste you can use this to measure how much salt to add in future batches. I made several batches, exactly measuring the added salt and tasting. Now when I make a batch of sauerkraut I add the salt to taste. The more you squeeze the cabbage and release the liquid, the better. This begins the digestion process for the bacteria in the cabbage and will help it to ferment well.
STEP 4.
Stuff the cabbage into clean glass jars, filling to about 80% full. As you fill them, press the cabbage down tightly, checking that you have enough liquid to completely cover the cabbage. When you are finished filling the jars, if there is not enough liquid covering to the top when applying pressure on the cabbage, you can top it off with a bit more salted water. I use a ratio of 2tsp / 1 cup spring water. Never use unfiltered city tap water, the treatment chemicals will kill the bacteria in your ferment. Distilled or spring water is the best option. It may be possible to skip adding water if the mixture was blended well enough to activate the bacteria to begin fermentation. As the cabbage ferments, it releases more of it’s own natural juices.
STEP 5.
The whole leaves that were saved from the beginning are now used to finish off the sauerkraut by plugging the top of the jar. Fold up the leaf to fit inside of the jar covering the chopped sauerkraut, pressing down to ensure all of the chopped sauerkraut is below the liquid line. The whole leaf plug protects the sauerkraut from being exposed to air and molding. I prefer to make my ferments in a glass jar with a metal ring and lid that are used for canning. Cover each jar with a lid and ring then place the jar into a plastic or other liquid safe bin for storage. This is to catch any liquid that they may leak out of the top of the jar as the cabbage ferments. The best way to avoid leaky jars is to burp your jar on typically the third day. You will need to monitor them, depending upon your climate. If you see the water line rising to the top, burp the jar by barely opening the lid to release some of the pressure and tighten the lid to continue fermenting.
STEP 6.
I mark on my calendar or the top of the jar lid when the jars began fermenting, and wait for an excruciating amount of time before they can be reopened and devoured. The longer the wait the more sour and bacteria abundant the sauerkraut becomes. If they are stored in a warm place to ferment, like the kitchen cabinet, you may start eating as soon as a week (though it won’t be that sour). The colder the place they are stored the longer the fermentation process will take. If I have enough jars ready to eat, I store the new batch in the basement where it is cool. If I didn’t start a new batch to keep a constant supply, then I will ferment them in the under-counter kitchen cabinet near the stove for the extra warmth.
FERMENTING TIPS.
I know that it seems like a lot of steps to making sauerkraut when you are first beginning, but it really is a simple process. I realized after having a few successful ferments that most likely the reason my initial attempts failed is because there was not enough salt added to them. Which could seem inaccurate because it is possible to ferment without salt, but I like to include the salt because it helps to draw out and transform the bacterium to make a desired ferment.
Not having the appropriate ratio of salt to vegetables was corrected by purchasing a kitchen scale
Another tip that helped me to become successful at fermenting sauerkraut was watching a variety of videos on YouTube explaining how to make it. There was something special about watching this video that helped push me to finally have a successful batch.
I’m wishing you happy fermentation batches and lots of good tummy bugs. Let me see your creations by tagging them #curingvision on Instagram or over at the Curing Vision page on Facebook.
You can read about my reasons for adding fermented foods as a part of my alkaline diet by following this link. To briefly read about the benefits of fermented foods, click here.
Happy Fermenting!
Suggested Fermentation Products and Literature:
Etekcity 11lb 5kg Digital Multifunction Food Kitchen Scale with Removable Bowl 2.15L Liquid Volume Room Temperature and Timer, Backlight LCD Display
Light Grey Celtic coarse sea salt, 1 lb. bag
Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, 2nd Edition
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