Homemade Sauerkraut

Method

1. Shred: remove a couple of outer leaves and keep them. Quarter and core the cabbage and slice it very finely.
2. Salt and massage: in a large bowl, sprinkle the cabbage with the salt and squeeze and scrunch it firmly with your hands for 5–10 minutes, until it softens and releases a pool of salty liquid (brine). Mix in the caraway.
3. Pack: pack it tightly into a clean 1-litre jar a handful at a time, pressing down hard so the brine rises above the cabbage. Leave a few centimetres of space at the top.
4. Keep it under: fold a saved outer leaf over the top and weigh it down (a small jar filled with water, or a clean stone in a bag), so everything stays under the brine. Cover loosely.
5. Ferment: leave at cool room temperature (18–22°C) for 1–4 weeks. Press it down every day or two. Start tasting after 5–7 days and refrigerate when it is as tangy as you like.
6. Store: kept in the fridge, under its brine, sauerkraut stores well for many months, slowly growing tangier.

Why it's good for you: Raw, homemade sauerkraut is alive with lactic acid bacteria and can contain many times more of them, often billions in a few forkfuls, than the shelf-stable jars in shops, most of which are pasteurised and so contain none. Fermentation also makes cabbage easier to digest and keeps much of its vitamin C, which is how sauerkraut famously protected sailors from scurvy. A forkful with a meal is all you need. Read more in The Master Regulator.

Good to know: A white film on the surface is a harmless yeast (kahm): skim it off. Fuzzy, coloured mould or a rotten smell means something has gone wrong: throw it away and start again. Start with a forkful a day. Sauerkraut is salty and rich in histamine, so if you are sensitive to histamine or watching your salt intake, please speak to a qualified practitioner.