We are huge fans of sauerkraut in my house. In fact, if I don’t have it on hand all the time, at least one of my girls will be asking me over and over to get some made already. I’m so glad they like it so because it is one of the healthiest foods on planet earth. Homemade sauerkraut is full of probiotics and healing nutrition. I’m going to show you how to make easy sauerkraut in a mason jar!
When making sauerkraut, I highly recommend fermenting and not canning. I love the taste of canned sauerkraut but you will lose a lot of nutrition that way. When you ferment the cabbage, you don’t just have plain ol’ sauerkraut, you have miracle food in a jar. Not only is it a wonderful source of probiotics, it also heals the digestive tract, and acts as a healing medicine in the body. Try a few sips of the sauerkraut juice the next time you’re sick and see how well you improve! You will also likely find that you don’t get sick as often if you are eating it on a regular basis.
Fermented foods are preserved by a process called lactofermentation. This is a process in which bacteria feeds on the sugar and starch in food, creating beneficial vitamins, enzymes, Omega-3 fatty acids, and several different strains of probiotics. Food fermentation is something cultures have practiced from all over the world for hundreds of years. Besides delivering top nutrients, fermentation also breaks food down in an easily digestible form. This greatly improves a person’s digestion, gut health, and overall well-being.
There are 3 different ways to ferment vegetables:
- With whey
- With a culture starter packet
- With salt
I have only used the salt method so that’s what I’ll be sharing today.
There are a few different containers you can use for fermenting vegetables:
- Crock or container with clamp-down lid
- A jar with an airlock lid
- A mason jar with a tight lid
While I have had great results making sauerkraut with a plain canning lid, I’ve also had a few times that it didn’t turn out so well. This is likely due to the temperature changes in the house and oxygen seeping into the ferment. Oxygen is the enemy of fermentation and sometimes the canning lids don’t keep the air out so well.
I highly recommend using a fermenting lid which will create the perfect environment in the jar for fermenting for more consistent results. I use Kraut Kaps here. You can experiment yourself and see what works for you!
Another great optional tool is a fermentation weight. I have made lots of sauerkraut without any weights, but they are very convenient to keep the cabbage under the liquid so it doesn’t turn brown or mold. You can buy glass weight here and plastic weights here. You just simply place them on top of the cabbage before you screw the lid on!
How To Make Sauerkraut In A Mason Jar
This recipe makes a half gallon of sauerkraut. Simply cut the recipe down if you wish to make smaller amounts.
Ingredients
1 large head cabbage (about 3 or 4 pounds)
3 tablespoons of Real Sea Salt (buy here)
Filtered Water
1/2 gallon Mason Jar, wide-mouth (buy here)
Fermenting Lid, optional (buy here)
Fermenting Weights, optional (buy here)
Directions
- Finely chop/shred the cabbage. Though not necessary (but such a time saver!!), make the chopping super fast and easy, by using a food processor (this is the one I have)!
- Toss salt and shredded cabbage in a bowl until well combined.
- Pack cabbage into a jar.
- Pour water into the jar until the cabbage is well covered. Leave at least a 2 inch head-space for cabbage to expand.
- Cover with lid.
- Set in cool dark cabinet for 7 days.
- Refrigerate
- Keeps in refrigerator for 9 months.
When you remove the lid, you should find it nice and bubbly. This jar below was the bubbliest I’ve ever made. If any of the vegetables have risen above the water/salt mixture {also known as brine}, they will likely be discolored. Just scoop out the top layer and throw it away.
- 1 large head cabbage (about 3 or 4 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons of Real Sea Salt
- Filtered Water
- 1/2 gallon Mason Jar, wide-mouth
- Fermenting Lid, optional
- Fermenting Weights, optional
- Finely chop/shred the cabbage. To make it fast and easy, shred it in a food processor if you have one!
- Toss salt and shredded cabbage in a bowl until well combined.
- Pack cabbage into a jar.
- Pour water into the jar until the cabbage is well covered. Leave at least a 2 inch head-space for cabbage to expand.
- Cover with lid.
- Set in cool dark cabinet for 7 days.
- Refrigerate.
- Keeps in refrigerator for 9 months.
Have you ever made sauerkraut? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!
RESOURCES
Health Benefits of Fermented Foods – Wellness Mama. (2011, April 7). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://wellnessmama.com/2245/health-benefits-fermented-foods/