This two ingredient Fermented Cabbage / Sauerkraut is just that. It’s a simple, straightforward way to make Fermented Cabbage (Sauerkraut) from finely shredded cabbage and salt! Fermented Cabbage is ready in less than a week. Eat it raw as a side dish or snack, or use it as an ingredient in a cabbage based side dish.
Fermented Cabbage is a member of the fermented foods group that boasts probiotic goodness for our bodies. It also contains vitamins C and K and plenty of fiber.
In Germany, Sauerkraut is eaten on New Year’s Eve in anticipation of good fortune. Oftentimes, it is an ingredient stirred into sautéed onions and apples, then garnished with crumbled bacon. This means it is no longer raw but rather cooked. It no longer contains its previous probiotic characteristics, but it is still delicious.
Click on this recipe Lacto Fermented Pickles for another dish full of probiotics.
Ingredients
Ingredients for this recipe are easy:
- Cabbage, choose firm, fresh green cabbages, preferably organic.
- Salt, use any non iodized type of course salt. I recommend Celtic sea salt. https://www.celticseasalt.com
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Remove the outer leaves. Wash them and leave them aside for later.
Cut the cabbages into quarters and cut out the core (the hard, white center.)
Shred the cabbage using a food processor, or a hand grater. If making a bulk recipe, then use a large wooden slaw shredder as I did, (or rather my husband who stepped in to help.)
Add salt to the shredded cabbage. Mix the cabbage and salt together. Let the cabbage and salt sit for 30 minutes, covered with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap.
After 30 minutes, juice will start to appear. Mix again, cover and wait another 30 minutes.
Remove the cover from the bowl of shredded cabbage and place the cabbage inside a pickling crock. This is a ‘no pound’ recipe. The salt is going to do all the work! The pounder was only used to push the cabbage down to leave a flat surface. Put the washed outer cabbage leaves on top of the shredded cabbage. Place ceramic weights inside the crock and cover the crock with a lid.
Fermentation
Leave at room temperature (around 60 – 70 degrees F) for about 3-7 days. Check the cabbage after 3 days. The brine should be cloudy and bubbly, the cabbage should taste sour, and the texture should still be crunchy (but not as crunchy as raw cabbage.)
If on day 3 it is not ready, check again on day 4 and so on. Fermentation time will vary. My two ingredient Fermented Cabbage / Sauerkraut was ready on day 5.
When fermentation is complete, and sauerkraut has been made, then it is time to transfer it to mason / canning jars for storage. Before doing that, I like to run jars and lids through a high temp dishwasher cycle with no detergent added, even if they are new. Place cabbage in the jars making sure all the shreds are under the juices. No need to leave head-room as fermentation has already occurred. Make sure the lid forms a good seal with the jar. This part of the process takes about 30 minutes.
Store the fermented cabbage, once it is ready, in mason jars. Place in the refrigerator, where it will continue to age.
Flexibility with Ingredients
Even though this recipe is for two ingredient Fermented Cabbage / Sauerkraut, there is flexibility in this recipe!
Add pickling spices, seeds and fruit peels to enhance the flavor of the fermented cabbage. Consider adding juniper berries, caraway, fennel or celery seeds, raw ginger slices, or lemon peel. The flavor of the sauerkraut will change depending on what additions have occurred.
Flexibility with Quantity
Make as much or as little sauerkraut as you would like at any time. The amount of space in your refrigerator, and the frequency of consumption, will determine how much to make.
This particular recipe is for bulk production of Fermented cabbage. Use a mason jar for smaller quantities. Use the same method but scale down the quantity of cabbage and salt used.
If using mason jars for both fermentation and storage, then be sure to fill each jar to within 1 inch of the rim. Screw on the lid. Burp each jar daily to remove pent-up gases. (Burping a jar means to open it to let any gases out and then screw on the lid again.)
During the first 24 hours, open the jar a few times, and using the back of a teaspoon, press the cabbage down below the cabbage juices.
Uses
Fermented cabbage is a main ingredient in a Reuben sandwich, you’ll find it nestled between corned beef and Swiss cheese. It is also an interesting side dish due to its crispy texture and subtle vinegary flavor. Pair it with sausages, chicken, avocado toast, and tuna salad. It can even be a Kimchi substitute in some recipes! Make sure you have enough for the day after St. Patrick’s Day! Why? Because it is a fantastic ingredient to add in these Reuben Egg Rolls. This recipe takes leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage and wraps them in an Egg Roll, then serves them with a homemade Reuben sauce.
Equipment
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Storage
Fermented Cabbage or Sauerkraut will store in well sealed mason jars for up to 6 months. It is best enjoyed within 2-3 months of fermentation.
Sauerkraut will not freeze well. The texture becomes compromised. Freezing it will decrease the beneficial probiotic population.
Similar Recipes
A Tip From Me
If fermentation is an area you are interested in because you like Sauerkraut, Lacto Fermented Pickles or other foods, then consider investing in a pickling crock with lid, and ceramic weights. Mason jars are also invaluable in this process. Use them also for keeping foods fresh and storing leftovers.
Another ‘Tip From Me’ is to wear disposable gloves. The fermentation of the cabbage relies on lactic acid bacteria from the cabbage. Any introduction of foreign microbes will affect the lacto fermentation process.
Got Questions?
I have answers – hopefully!
- Is Fermented Cabbage the same as Kimchi? No. While both of these dishes go through a fermentation process and use shredded cabbage as their base, they are quite different. Kimchi uses Napa cabbage whereas Fermented Cabbage uses green cabbage. Kimchi includes more ingredients such as Korean chili powder, spring onions, garlic, ginger and salted seafood. They look different as a result of the added ingredients in Kimchi. They differ in taste too. Sauerkraut has a tangy, acidic taste, whereas kimchi tastes spicy and salty.
- Can I drink the Sauerkraut juice? By all means! It is full of probiotics and will be slightly effervescent.
- Should Sauerkraut be eaten raw or cooked? Either, but in order to gain from the probiotic contents, eat it raw. When it is cooked with other ingredients such as onions, stock and bacon, it becomes less crunchy and will have a lesser Fermented Cabbage flavor.
- How do I know if my Sauerkraut has gone bad? The smell will tell you. It will be pungent and smell like rotting broccoli.
Recipe for Two Ingredient Fermented Cabbage / Sauerkraut
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 medium green cabbages
- 6 tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbages. Wash them and leave them aside for later.
- Cut each cabbage into quarters and cut out the core (the hard, white center.)
- Shred the cabbage using a food processor, hand grater, or a large wooden slaw shredder. Place the cabbage in a large bowl.
- Add the salt to the shredded cabbage. Mix the cabbage and salt together. Then let the cabbage and salt sit for 30 minutes, covered with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap.
- After 30 minutes mix the cabbage and salt again. Then cover the bowl again and wait another 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover from the bowl of shredded cabbage and place the cabbage inside a pickling crock. Push it down to leave a flat surface. Put the washed outer cabbage leaves on top of the shredded cabbage. Place ceramic weights inside the crock and cover the crock with a lid.
- Place the pickling crock in an area where the temperature is between 60 – 70 degrees F for about 3-7 days. Check the cabbage after 3 days. The brine should be cloudy and bubbly, the cabbage should taste sour, and the texture should still be crunchy (but not as crunchy as raw cabbage.)
- If on day 3 it is not ready, check again on day 4 and so on. Fermentation time will vary.
- When fermentation is complete, transfer the Sauerkraut into pre washed mason / canning jars for storage. Place cabbage in the jars making sure all the shreds are under the juices. Screw on lids tightly.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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