If you've read any of my other posts before, you know I love quick, cheap, easy recipes that aren't really recipes at all. I like the freedom of knowing the rules and ratios so I know where I can break the rules and experiment with different flavors and what I have on hand. This helps me use up food that would otherwise be wasted.
For fermented foods, or in this case cabbage, it couldn't be easier. Simply process your veggies, I used a mandolin to get thinly shredded cabbage, but you could use just about any vegetable. Want pickled carrots? Slice them thinly on the bias. The possibilities are endless.
Once your vegetables are chopped, simply weigh them so you can make a 2% brine. If you have 2 pounds of cabbage, you'll need 0.64 oz of salt to create a salty brine for your cabbage to ferment in.
Then it's time to smash your cabbage.
The salt will pull out the moisture from your cabbage so that your brine is a mixture of salt and "cabbage water". If you're fermenting a vegetable that doesn't have as much moisture, you can use enough filtered water to cover the veg, and dissolve the salt in it. You can add in some slices of garlic, ginger, caraway seeds, whatever you have on hand.
Put your sauerkraut in a clean, sterile mason jar with a airlock system, or be prepared to "burp" your jar once and awhile as pressure builds. In just two weeks, you'll be ready to enjoy your homemade kraut!
The Chopping Block's Owner/Chef Shelley Young demonstrated how to make sauerkraut at the Green City Market last year. Check out her recipe.