Making the Best Sauerkraut on Earth in Four Simple Steps: Chop, Salt, Pack, Wait

making sauerkraut

Make your own delicious, healthy, probiotic sauerkraut! Four easy steps are all you need to turn fresh garden veggies into a long-lasting, tangy, pungent condiment.

The following excerpt is from The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. It has been adapted for the web.


4 Simple Steps to Making Sauerkraut

The English language does not have its own word for fermented vegetables. It would not be inaccurate to describe fermented vegetables as “pickled,” but pickling covers much ground beyond fermentation.

Pickles are anything preserved by acidity. Most contemporary pickles are not fermented at all; instead they rely upon highly acidic vinegar (a product of fermentation), usually heated in order to sterilize vegetables, preserving them by destroying rather than cultivating microorganisms.

“For pickles, fermentation was the primary means of preservation until the 1940s, when direct acidification and pasteurization of cucumber pickles was introduced,” writes Fred Breidt of the USDA.

Vegetable Ferments

sauerkraut My vegetable ferments are usually concoctions that do not fit any homogeneous traditional ideal of either German sauerkraut or Korean kimchi.

But of course, everything I’ve learned about sauerkraut and kimchi reveal that neither of them constitutes a homogeneous tradition.

They are highly varied, from regional specialties to family secrets.

Nonetheless, certain techniques underlie both (and many other related) traditions, and my practice is a rather free-form application of these basic techniques rather than an attempt to reproduce any particular notion of authenticity.

Steps for Fermenting Vegetables

In a nutshell, the steps I typically follow when I ferment vegetables are:

  1. Chop or grate vegetables.
  2. Lightly salt the chopped veggies (add more as necessary to taste), and pound or squeeze until moist; alternatively, soak the veggies in a brine solution for a few hours.
  3. Pack the vegetables into a jar or other vessel, tightly, so that they are forced below the liquid. Add water, if necessary.
  4. Wait, taste frequently, and enjoy!

Of course, there is more information and nuance, but really, “Chop, Salt, Pack, Wait” is what most of it amounts to.


Recommended Reads

Raw Fermentation: How to Make Apple Scraps Vinegar

Fermentation 101: Just Add Salt

Read The Book

The Art of Fermentation

New York Times Bestseller

$39.95

Recent Articles

urban gardening

Urban Gardening Tips: No Space? No Problem!

Do you want to learn how to transform your balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens? Try urban gardening! Choosing the right crops based on climate and light conditions, along with creating a companion planting strategy to prevent pests and attract pollinators, can help maximize food production with limited space. The following is an excerpt…

Read More
spring curry

Forager’s Spring Curry: A Wild, Seasonal Recipe

Nothing says “spring” like a fresh, foraged meal! Savor the flavors of the season with this mouth-watering spring curry recipe. The following is an excerpt from Forage, Harvest, Feast by Marie Viljoen. It has a been adapted for the web. Forager’s Spring Curry This boldly flavored spring stew evolved from a forager’s version of fridge…

Read More
ginger carrots

Ginger Carrots for a Healthy Gut

Looking for something to munch on that’s both tasty and good for you? These ginger carrots are a healthy snack that are easy to make at home! The following excerpt is from The Heal Your Gut Cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G. Brackett. It has been adapted for the web. Ginger Carrots Recipe Several…

Read More
pesto

Make a Foraged, Immune-Boosting Pesto for Spring

Spring is finally here! Put your cooking and foraging skills to the test with this seasonal, delicious garlic mustard pesto recipe. The following is an excerpt from The Fruit Forager’s Companion by Sara Bir. It has been adapted for the web. (Heading photo credit: Phil Moore. All other photos courtesy of Sarah Bir unless otherwise…

Read More
maple roasted nuts

Maple Roasted Nuts: A Sweet, Seasonal Treat

Craving something sweet? These delicious maple roasted nuts are the perfect treat to help you push through those end-of-winter blues. The following is an excerpt from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. It has been adapted for the web. The Magic of Maple: A Rich History Following the Hunger Moon, just before the first thaw…

Read More