{Meatless Monday} Sauerkraut; good food for your gut!

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Photo credit: gkristo’s, via flickr

I don’t know about you but I love sauerkraut or anything fermented that it is. Let me explain… I didn’t really know what sauerkraut tasted like until a year and a half ago. After dealing with thrush I learned a lot about the foods that contribute to yeast and support a  healthy gut to kill off bad bacteria. Since the eco tot had thrush from the start my midwife and I thought it would be a good idea to start taking probiotics with Clark and eat foods named on the candida diet. Sauerkraut happens to be one of those foods.

Why Sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is one of the most commonly fermented vegetable products.  It is made using red or green cabbage (or both). Cabbage is a good candidate for fermenting because it has the highest amount of lactic acid {good bacteria}.  Sauerkraut is high in friendly bacteria which helps keep your digestive system in balance.  You can find it in the grocery store but most often it will be filled with preservatives, unwanted sugar and whatever other additives  to keep it “fresh” on the shelf.  Since store bought sauerkraut contains preservatives and is usually pasteurized it  is more than likely robbed of it’s beneficial lactic acid and friendly bacteria’s. Preserving vegetables in this manner has several health advantages. Fermented veggies are known to strengthen the immune system and fight back sugar cravings.

A.K.A. Raw Cultured Veggies or Pickled Veggies

Because pasteurization destroys precious enzymes it’s best to make your raw cultured or “pickled” veggies at home! It’s super easy & HEALTHY  + you’ll be super satisfied. Not only that, you’ll save a ton of money. Believe it or not sauerkraut isn’t cheap. Cabbage is pretty darn inexpensive and so is sea salt …especially bought in bulk AND that’s all you need. A veggie of your choice and some sea salt= raw cultured veggies.  You can spice up your cultured/fermented veggies by adding in onions, garlic and other common spices. It’s all up to you!

The process

Before you begin make sure the surface you’re working with is sanitized and clean including your hands and all equipment. Then take your head of cabbage and cut it up into quarters. Be sure to cut off the tough stem. Next, shred the cabbage using a food processor with shredding tool or box grater. {Shredding the veggies will help quicken the fermentation process}. After you’ve done so transfer shredded cabbage into a bowl.

Now take 1- 1 1/2 tsp of sea salt and sprinkle it in over the cabbage.  When making fermented vegetables, the salinity requirement is 1 to 11/2 teaspoons of salt per 2 pounds of vegetables. Saline water (1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water) should be added to cover the vegetables by at least an inch if your jars begin to dry out.  We did a 4lb head of cabbage.

::The hard part begins::

Beat massage cabbage with your hands until it starts to wilt and the natural juices release… this will take some time so sit down, pour a glass of wine (or beverage of choice) and be prepared to have stained hands!

Once it’s wilted down and looks much like this (glossy)…( the hub probably could have done it longer but it was WAY past bedtime.)

Now, start stuffing it into a mason jar… we used a quart mason jar (4 cups)

Pack it down tightly until it is covered in it’s own juices.  We used a kitchen aid utensil we received with the mixer and it’s made specifically for packing down. Next time, I think we’ll use a smaller jar just because plastic is weird. I know…I know… it’s may sound snobby…but plastic just scares me! Even if it’s #5 plastic.

{Anywho}

Fill the jar to the top and place the lid on. Don’t screw on too tightly though. During the initial fermenting process lightly screw on the lids. Gases will build up so it’s best to wait to tighten until after the initial process. Push down on lids to release any pressure. The pickeling process can vary from jar to jar as they will experience a different fermentation rate. Just be aware of this and don’t let it stop you either. I like to put mine into a bowl first before opening the lids on them. No problems thus far!

Store jars away from sunlight in a cool dry spot.

The HARDEST part of the entire process… is waiting… and waiting! The fermentation process can take anywhere from 3-5 days to a week … to three weeks. It just depends on you and the flavor you’re looking for.  In any case, it will keep indefinitely.

Do not be alarmed if mold begins to occur. Just carefully scoop it out when you see it.

I usually check on ours after about a week and start digging in! The longer the better that’s for sure. ;p

{Food this good usually doesn’t last long enough to make it another week.}

A Little More Flavor

For more flavor you can always add in some spices including dill, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, coriander etc.

For a few great recipes and a video on fermenting veggies check out Earth Mother’s blog post over at In The Raw!

Ready to Eat

Once it’s done and you’re ready to devour you’re homemade goodness…

You can add it to salads, eat it as a side dish, make veggie wraps with nori and add in your fav raw cultured veggies…  put it on top of crackers…

it’s all good… for your gut! LOL!