Easy Red Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients:

1 red cabbage

1 fennel bulb

Fine sea salt (calculated by weight)

Tools needed:

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Large mixing bowl

Digit kitchen scale

Half gallon size mason jar

Ziplock bag

Glass dish for catching over spill

How to make it:

Cut the cabbage into quarters, removing the core. Cut cabbage as thinly as possible. Keep 1 leaf for later.

Cut top off fennel, slice as thinly as possible.

Place mixing bowl onto your scale. Set to grams and zero (tare) the scale. Add the cabbage and fennel. Record that weight and multiply it by 2.5%. This is the amount of fine sea salt you will need.

Ex: 1930 g x 2.5% = 48.25 g. Round to the nearest whole number if your scale doesn't read decimal points.

Place a small dish on your scale, tare it and add the calculated amount of salt.

Add salt over the cabbage and fennel, massage it with your hands to pull out the water content. Once you start getting some water, place the cabbage and fennel into a half gallon size mason jar. Using a muddler of some sort (I use a rolling pin) to crush the cabbage down until the water level just covers the3 ingredients.

Fill up a ziplock bag filled with water. Place the leaf over the cabbage, place water bag over the leaf. This is to keep the cabbage submerged underneath the brine level….VERY important. Gently push down the bag to keep the cabbage under the brine level as needed throughout the fermentation process. If the cabbage or fennel is allowed to touch the air, mold will most likely grow and you will need to discard the batch. Place jar on a glass container just in case there is any overspill.

Let ferment for 2-3 weeks in your pantry or counter top away from direct sunlight. This will ferment best at temperatures around 69-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

After 1 week, check the pH of the brine. It should be under 4.6 at this time for it to be safe to keep fermenting. Once done, the pH should be under 4.0. This is to be kept in the refrigerator after fermenting and will stay good for minimum 6 months so long as the cabbage is kept under the brine level. I’m sure you will use it all by then…it is delicious.

I like this as a side, on burgers and sandwiches. Use your imagination and have fun. It is healthy and delicious.

Enjoy!

Logan