How To Make Real Sauerkraut

You may freeze and thaw the raw vegetables for your kraut to make them easier to work with and ferment faster, if you like.

(Use whey when you first begin to make sauerkraut. It will help to prevent a bad ferment. After you have made a successful batch, switch to using leftover sauerkraut juice from the last batch. In summer or very hot weather, you may wish to not use an innoculant at all and just add brine (salt water) at a ratio of 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 pint of water, to slow down the rate of fermentation in the heat. Some experienced sauerkraut makers prefer using only brine all the time because they feel it gives it a better flavor.)

Add water to cover.

Gather a large handful of leaves such as oak, maple, or leaves from food plants. Wash the leaves and push them into jar.

The purpose of the leaves is to keep the kraut under the water level, which prevents it from forming mold.  I use leaves, but other methods are: using a plastic bag filled with water, using a ceramic plate with a weight on top, and putting a large cabbage leaf on top and covering it with marbles or smooth, round stones.

Cover with plastic and secure with sturdy rubber band (i.e., an airlock, but do not use biodegradable plastic). Leave in a place that is room to warm room temperature. The top of the refrigerator is often a good spot, but put it on a saucer of some kind to catch any overflows.

As fermentation begins, some of the water may foam out. After it has stopped bubbling up, replace any water that was lost and then re-secure the top.

Leave the jar at room temperature for about 4 weeks. (In moderate temperatures I wrap the jars in plastic and leave outside so as not to attract flies into the house.)

After 4 weeks, when you open the jar, the leaves at the top may be covered in a harmless white mold called "kahm". You can throw the leaves away or wash and re-use them, as you prefer.

Re-pack the kraut or kimchi into smaller glass jars, if desired.

There is no need to wash the empty jar if you are going to re-use it to make another batch of sauerkraut. The liquid and any vegetables remaining in the jar will help start the next batch.

. Things you can do with leftover sauerkraut liquid: 

Use it to make sourdough bread, beet kvass or another batch of sauerkraut
Add to salad dressing with a little olive oil to extend the salad dressing.
Use it as a marinade to tenderize meat. Add salt, spices or garlic to taste.
Put chopped vegetables in it, leave in fridge. Eat as snacks or add to crudité platter.
Put sliced onions in it and use wherever you would use a raw onion slice.
Drink it plain or with lemon and salt after meals as a digestive aid.
Use it to make gazpacho (cold soup).
Mix it with tomato juice and drink.


Sauerkraut is best eaten raw, but if you should want to do something else with it:
Fry pork chops or sausages in frying pan in bacon grease or lard. Add some sliced apples to the pan and continue to cook. When meat is cooked and ready to serve, add sauerkraut to pan and cook just long enough to heat it up.



*Culture starter is raw sauerkraut juice, kvass, whey or kombucha. Salt brine is salt water in a ratio of 1 teaspoon of full-array salt to 1 pint of water.

(Green tomatoes can also be ripened by wrapping them in newspaper and leaveing in a cool, dark place undisturbed for a few months.)


What is the difference between pickling with whey or brine as opposed to pickling with vinegar?

A:  Vinegar kills all bacteria good and bad. It renders the food preserved but dead. Pickling with whey or brine preserves and creates live beneficial bacteria, also known as "probiotics".

 Increasing nutrient value of pasteurized sauerkraut 

To "re-raw" cooked sauerkraut, transfer the kraut to a glass jar, add some whey or pickle brine and mix in some sliced onions and/or garlic. Cover and let it set for a few days on the counter at room temperature to re-start the fermentation process.

I would divide this in half in another 16 ounce glass jar, add some finely chopped onions, apples and a few cucumber slices to both jars along with a half teaspoon of salt per jar. If you like spicy foods, add some hot peppers, lemon grass, garlic etc. to taste. Fill the jars with whey or raw pickle juice if you have either, plain water if you don't and cover loosely or put airlocks on the jars. Leave them on the counter at room temperature for a day and then transfer to the fridge for 3 days before eating. If you couldn't make your own, this would give you a good  quality, all-natural sauerkraut with some probiotic enzymes restored.)