🥬 Sauerkraut — Traditional Fermentation

Sauerkraut is one of the simplest traditional ferments you can make at home. For centuries, people preserved cabbage this way, relying on time, salt, and natural bacteria to transform crisp leaves into a tangy, cultured food used in kitchens around the world.

According to Dr. Axe, fermented foods have many health benefits which include improving digestion/gut health, boosting immunity, helping treat GI issues like irritable bowel disease, providing minerals that build bone density, helping fight allergies, supporting heart and metabolic health, and killing harmful yeast and microbes that cause issues like candida.

🌾 Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cabbage

• 1 tbsp quality salt (per 1 medium cabbage)

  • pink Himalayan or Celtic salt is good; bleached white table salt has been stripped of all its minerals, but it will work, too

    
    

🌿 Preparing the Cabbage

1. Shred or chop the cabbage. A food processor works, but a knife is perfectly fine.

2. Place the cabbage in a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over it.

3. Let it rest for about an hour. The salt will begin drawing moisture from the cabbage.

🍃 Creating the Brine

After the cabbage has rested, use your hands to massage and squeeze it. As you work the cabbage, it will release more liquid—this becomes your brine.

Let it sit another 30–60 minutes, then squeeze again. The more you work it, the more brine you’ll have.

🫙 Packing the Jars

1. Pack the cabbage tightly into clean jars.

2. Press down firmly so the brine rises above the cabbage.

3. Once you have it packed, the cabbage must stay submerged to ferment properly.

   • If needed, use a glass weight to keep it under the brine.

⏳ Fermentation

• Place the jars on the counter, away from heat.

• Ferment for 7–10 days.

• Bubbling is normal and a sign that fermentation is underway.

• Check daily to ensure the cabbage stays under the brine. If it has risen above the brine, use a wooden spoon and press it back down firmly.

  
  

Two medium heads of cabbage typically yield about 3½ pint jars.

⚠️ Caution

• If you see mold, unusual colors, or an off‑smell, discard the batch and start fresh.

  
  

🌿 Enjoying Your Sauerkraut

After a week or so, you’ll have a tangy, traditional fermented food made right in your own kitchen.