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Red Cabbage Sauerkraut

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A vibrant, crunchy red cabbage sauerkraut made through natural lactic acid fermentation with just cabbage and salt. Its tangy flavor and striking purple color make it a flavorful addition to sandwiches, grain bowls, salads, potatoes, and hearty meals.

Ingredients

  • Fresh red cabbage
  • Non-iodized salt, such as pickling or canning salt, equal to approximately 2% of the prepared cabbage weight
  • Caraway seeds, optional
  • Juniper berries, optional
  • Black peppercorns, optional
  • Garlic, optional
  • Shredded carrots, optional
  • Fresh ginger, optional
  • Red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

  1. Thoroughly wash your hands and clean the fermentation jar, fermentation weight, cutting board, knife, bowl, and other equipment. Rinse everything well.
  2. Remove damaged outer leaves from the red cabbage. Quarter the cabbage, remove the tough core, and finely shred the leaves with a sharp knife or mandoline.
  3. Weigh the prepared cabbage and calculate salt equal to approximately 2% of its weight. For example, use about 20 grams of salt for 1,000 grams of prepared cabbage.
  4. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the shredded cabbage. Massage and squeeze firmly with clean hands for several minutes until the cabbage softens and releases enough liquid to begin forming a brine.
  5. Add any optional flavorings if desired. Transfer the cabbage to a clean fermentation jar a handful at a time, firmly pressing down each layer to remove trapped air. Pour any remaining liquid from the bowl into the jar.
  6. Place a fermentation weight over the cabbage and press it beneath the brine. Keep all shredded cabbage submerged throughout fermentation.
  7. Cover the jar with a suitable fermentation lid or another fermentation setup that allows gases to escape. Keep the jar away from direct sunlight at approximately 70–75°F (21–24°C), with a plate underneath to catch possible overflow.
  8. Check the sauerkraut regularly to ensure the cabbage remains submerged. Bubbles, increasing acidity, and changes in aroma are expected during fermentation.
  9. Begin tasting after several days using a clean utensil. Continue fermenting until the desired sourness and texture develop, typically about 3–4 weeks for a well-developed flavor.
  10. Once the desired flavor is reached, cover the jar and transfer it to the refrigerator to dramatically slow further fermentation.

Notes

  • Use a kitchen scale for consistent results and calculate non-iodized salt at approximately 2% of the total prepared vegetable weight.
  • For red cabbage and carrot sauerkraut, weigh the cabbage and carrots together before calculating the salt.
  • Fresh ginger, caraway seeds, garlic, juniper berries, black peppercorns, or chili can be added before fermentation for additional flavor.
  • Keep the cabbage submerged beneath its brine throughout fermentation to maintain the appropriate low-oxygen environment.
  • If the cabbage does not produce enough brine after thorough massaging and packing, use a reliable fermentation method for preparing appropriately salted supplemental brine rather than adding plain water.
  • Fermentation speed varies with temperature and other conditions, so use acidity, aroma, texture, and flavor along with time to determine when the sauerkraut is ready.
  • Store finished sauerkraut refrigerated in a clean, covered container, keeping the cabbage beneath its brine as much as possible and using a clean utensil for serving.
  • Properly fermented and continuously refrigerated sauerkraut can maintain good quality for several months, although its flavor and texture will gradually change.
  • Discard the batch without tasting if you notice a clearly rotten odor, extensive unusual discoloration, fuzzy mold, or other obvious signs of spoilage.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thefamilycooking.com/red-cabbage-sauerkraut/