When my daughter was a toddler, she LOVED sauerkraut. (She still does.) She called it “sauercrap” and we laughed our heads off every time she said it.

Any sauerkraut fans out there? 

Sauerkraut seems to be having a resurgence in the last few years as people are learning how beneficial sauerkraut and other fermented foods can be for your gut health.

If you’ve only tried the bottled sauerkraut from the grocery store, you really need to give the homemade version a shot.

When I was in my 20s I spent 18 months as a representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Austria.

(Yes, the hills are alive, my friends.)

When I returned home, I was shocked by two things — 1) Wienerschnitzel Restaurants (hot dogs are neither schnitzel, nor are they “Wiener” aka Viennese.) and 2) How gross grocery-store sauerkraut was.

I have fond memories of seeing older Austrians spreading cabbage out on their countertops. I’m not sure what method they used for making sauerkraut (and I regret finding out), but I found an easy method (that takes up much less counterspace).

It just takes a little patience, as all fermented products do!

How to Make Sauerkraut

To make 2 quarts of sauerkraut, shred 5 pounds of cabbage.

I used the shredding attachment on my food processor. If you have something similar (like the slicing/shredding attachment on a Kitchen-Aid mixer) I’d highly recommend it.

Next, you’ll need some pickling salt, which is just plain salt. (No iodine or anything added.)

It’s cheap and available at just about every grocery store. 

Sprinkle it on your cabbage, give it a good mix, and go do something else for a couple of hours — like sterilizing a couple of quart-sized mason jars. I just run mine through the dishwasher.

When you get back your cabbage will have wilted slightly.

Now take out your potato masher, a meat pounder, or a large, heavy-bottomed glass and smash that cabbage to smithereens.

You really want to release as much moisture from the cabbage as you can.

See how the cabbage’s volume has reduced significantly? That’s a good thing.

You’ll want to keep smashing it until you can see liquid collecting at the bottom when you press hard with your masher.

Now, transfer the smashed cabbage (and juices!) to the quart jars. (I really love my canning funnel.)

Really smash it in. It’ll fit.

You’ll know you pounded the cabbage enough if it releases enough of its own liquid to cover the cabbage once pressed into the jars. If it’s close, just add a little salt water until the jars are full. (There are notes about this in the recipe.)

Put lids on the jars (loosely) and place them on a plate or a tray to catch any juices that will most likely escape from the jars. Not most likely. Juices will come out. I’m not sure why but it happens and it’s messy.

As you wait, yo

Now we wait.

For a couple of weeks.

No, really.

As the days go by, check on it. If foam starts forming at the top, just skim it off. Bubbles will start to form inside the jar and rise to the top. And the cabbage will change from it’s pretty spring green color to a warmer, yellow-green hue.

After two weeks, start tasting it. If it tastes more salty than pickled, then it’s not ready yet. The process could take anywhere from 2-6 weeks, depending on the temperature. I had a batch finish in 2 weeks once and 5 weeks another time.

If the sauerkraut still tastes pretty salty, try rinsing a little off first, but not more than you plan on eating right then.

Sauerkraut will last in the refrigerator for several months! It was so nice to have the real stuff after ahem . . 10 years without.

And, do me a favor and grill up your favorite sausage or brat and eat it with a side of sauerkraut and some whole-grain mustard — that’s a real German/Austrian culinary experience right there.

Recipes Using Sauerkraut

I have a few recipes using sauerkraut on my site, but I plan on making more! 

Hot German Potato Salad with Sauerkraut

Sausage & Sauerkraut Soup

By the way, there are a lot of health benefits from eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and sourdough. Good fermentation = good bacteria for the gut!

 

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