The Benefits of Fermented Foods
If you like cabbage and want better gut health, you’re in luck. Sauerkraut is not only tasty, and very inexpensive, but it also works as a great probiotic. Like other fermented foods, it can boost your intestinal flora by adding it to your diet.
I was surprised to see how easy it is to make a batch of sauerkraut. And, it can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for months. If you’re not the biggest fan of sauerkraut yet, the benefits of adding fermented foods could possibly change your mind.
The recipe I’m sharing calls for Himalayan salt. But, you can use whatever salt you prefer. Years ago, Pink Himalayan salt wasn’t trending. So, you would have had to travel to the caves to find it. Fortunately, most grocery stores carry it now, making it easy to find. I opted to use it, because it’s thought of as a cleaner salt. Also, many claim that it’s healthier for the digestive system due to its mineral-rich traits.
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The use of probiotics is on the rise. You don’t have to search in health food stores for supplements anymore. They are everywhere. However, they are quite expensive! So, many people are sticking with, or turning to fermented foods.
Fermented foods are created through a process of lacto-fermentation. This is when the natural bacteria feeds on the starch and sugar of the food that is creating the lactic acid. And here is why these foods are so healthy and beneficial to us:
Along with the above benefits, it’s also far less expensive than probiotic supplements and more proficient, especially if you make your own.
So, why not make your own probiotic with an easy batch of homemade sauerkraut?
This recipe is really easy and I believe everyone should give it a try. These are the steps that need to be followed:
#1. Slice the cabbage into about 8 sections, discarding the core.
#2. Either shred the cabbage with a food processor or grater, or cut into thin ribbons with a knife.
#3. Place the shredded cabbage into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle salt over the top.
#4. Start kneading the salt into the cabbage by squeezing and mixing with your hands. If it’s not beginning to wilt or generate water, add more salt. Do this for approximately 4 minutes, then let it sit for another 10 minutes. Now is the time to add other seasonings if you want, such as black pepper, caraway seeds, or garlic.
#5. Start packing the wilted cabbage into a canning jar. I used a small cabbage, and a quart jar was a perfect fit. Push the cabbage down with a spoon as you go along. Pour any leftover water from the bowl into the jar. Make sure the cabbage is submerged in liquid. If it’s not, add a little salt water to make sure the liquid is covering the cabbage.
#6. Place the lid on the jar and let it sit in a room where the temperature is between 65°and 75° F.
Over the next 24 hours, open the jar and press the cabbage down occasionally, and add extra liquid if necessary. The fermentation process should take about 10-14 days, but check on it daily to make sure the cabbage is fully submerged. You may notice some foam or bubbles during this time, but that is normal. And a good sign that it’s working. But, if you see mold, make sure to take it out and discard it.
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Start tasting it after 10 days. When it tastes good to you, place it in the refrigerator. It should last for about 6 months when refrigerated.
If you don’t eat too many fermented foods, then start adding this to your diet slowly. Start with a tablespoon of fermented foods a day, and gradually increase it until you are up to ¼ to ½ cup a day. Perhaps you don’t want to eat sauerkraut every day. No problem. Just mix it up with other fermented vegetables on the days you want a break from sauerkraut.
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Sauerkraut also provides Vitamin C which is absolutely necessary to prevent scurvy, a miserable disease which leads to death. Scurvy and other vitamin deficiency conditions will be of prime concern to preppers in an EOTW situation.
I love getting this link!
I use a crock to put my sauerkraut in, I use 1/4 cup of salt to every 5 lb. I knead it till it’s juicy n add it to the batch before for the desired amount. I made 140 lb last year and got 60 quart bags to put in the freezer. Best you will ever taste! My Mom and Grammy’s recipe. In the crock for 18 days.
You added the new cabbage to an older batch?
Hello,
So you age your sauerkraut in a big crock, then put it into bags?? Then freeze? The freezing process does not hurt the probiotics?
Toby, not aging the ‘kraut. There are slow methods (winter ‘kraut) and fast (summer). Both do the same thing, but winter kraut needs a lot of salt to stave off molds when fermenting. You cannot age ‘kraut because the bacteria turn it to mush. The colder the weather, the slower it works so you can ‘keep’ it longer if you don’t freeze it. To us, summer ‘kraut is a lot better than winter ‘kraut. Freezing the ‘kraut won’t hurt the bacteria.We have a pot on now of summer ‘kraut. The dachshund is ‘guarding’ the stove. 🙂 niio
HI
A recipe that makes a larger quantity made in crocks, wine pails with air locks, etc, and then put in jars and canned would be nice to see. Add a bit about red cabbage and green cabbage and if they should be made separately. Canning keeps them much longer than in refrigerator only. Joe
Joe
Joe, while you could can the sauerkraut, doing so ‘kills’ the probiotic qualities of the ferment, thereby defeating the purpose of fermenting. I beilieve there might be easier methods if all you want is canned kraut.
Joe, while you ‘could’ can the sauerkraut, the canning process would ‘kill’ the probiotics, negating the added benefits of fermentation. There are likely quicker and easier recipes for cannin kraut.
We couldn’t raise cabbage organicly due to the cabbage loopers feasting on our cabbage babies. We tried every thing for years and came up with a GREAT solution.
Grow red top turnups, easy to do, clean them, shred them, salt them and pack in a crock just like cabbage sauerkraut. You get all the probiotic benefits when used fresh. Enjoy and can for winter use.
Bugs hate agricultural lime. A thin dust of lime or wood ashes over cabbage knocked them off. redo after every rain. We used to grow cabbage by the acre and huckster it by the pickup load in an area everybody raised cabbage, and we always sold out. Back then, DDT was legal, but it was a waste because everything was getting immune to it.. Here, where I live now, it’s grasshoppers. They even gnaw scars in squash. Lime stops them, as well.
This is a stupid question, but here it is. Can store bought
sauerkraut be used ?
Store bought sauerkraut is pasteurized thus killing off all the good things that were originally in the sauerkraut. Enzymes , probiotics ,etc
Where is your evidence proving that sauerkraut is the best Probiotic?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-super-healthy-probiotic-foods
Given, more and more people are coming up dairy intolerant. There’s a lot of gut problems dairy can cause, but not ‘kraut. ‘Kraut heals.
I’ve read about sauerkraut “juice”, the liquid, being studied in regards to healing stomach ulcers. Apparently about a tablespoon full a day helped to heal them.
Cabbage is also a good source of vitamin c, and sauerkraut was used by the German military to stave off scurvy, leading to the pejorative term “Krauts”. (Like the English being referred to as “limeys” – the British navy used limes to treat/prevent scurvy in sailors.)
I can’t find a link, to ask a general question. Many “back up” wild edibles contain calcium oxalate. These can crystalize in kidneys, causing severe damage. The usual recommendation is to throw out the water after cooking, along with any water soluable vitamin content, and to drink plenty of water to avoid kidney crystal formation. THE QUESTION: Would introducing vinegar, or some other houshold edible, chemically change the oxalate? If you don’t know, say so, or ask someone who does. Thank you.
Hi Steve – I guess the jury is out on whether or not ACV chemically changes (dissolves?) the oxalate – seems like links I find don’t want to definitively confirm yes on whether it does – maybe out of fear of being sued or something by the FDA?
I passed my first kidney stone almost a decade ago. An acquaintance had told me her husband also has a history of passing stones, so he tried drinking raw, organic, unfiltered ACV in response. It must’ve worked.
I tried it myself (4 teaspoons/20mL) in a 16 oz. water bottle, sweetened to taste with liquid stevia to make it drinkable, but only took it 1-2X/week. It wasn’t enough, as I passed my last stone about 4 years ago. Since then, I’ve been taking it at least 5 days/week, and haven’t had a problem since.
There’s some foods high in oxalate that I’m not willing to cut out of my life (except for nuts), so it’s much easier to take ACV daily.
My doctor told me that at any given time, I will always have several stones present in my kidneys – he showed me I had 7 in both kidneys when I saw him
The stones are tiny enough that they eventually pass without being noticed when I urinate, and its my belief ACV is responsible for keeping them small enough. And I do drink plenty of liquids as well.
Drinking lemon water should also accomplish the same thing.
I hope I answered the question – good luck.
I’ve read about sauerkraut “juice”, the liquid, being studied in regards to healing stomach ulcers. Apparently about a tablespoon full a day helped to heal them.
Cabbage is also a good source of vitamin c, and sauerkraut was used by the German military to stave off scurvy, leading to the pejorative term “Krauts”. (Like the English being referred to as “limeys” – the British navy used limes to treat/prevent scurvy in sailors.)
I read that cooking the greens crystallizes the oxalate. Eating pulses every day (peas, lentils, beans) puts a lot of soluble fiber in the urine, which helps prevent stones. Anything that acidifies the urine should break up stones, or at least erode them to the point they can be passed. I have one, thanks to two long trips across country and no exercise. Our water here and up there, Penna, is loaded with calcium and other minerals. I eat a lot of purslane in season, and Japanese knotweed when in Penna.Both are bad for oxalate acid. I also use a lot of cider vinegar and lemon juice, and that’s kept the stone from growing. No, it’s not a problem, it’s that small now. Usual method to stop them, acidify your diet by eating like the old-timers did, plenty of juice and exercise. People used to take a jug of water flavored with cider vinegar to work, to drink along with their cooked greens and ham fat. Jackie wrote an excellent post on stones.
I am glad to get this recipe. I just completed a 5 day fast per idmprogram.com to get my blood sugar under control, and I had an intense craving for fermented cabbage afterward, but didn’t know how to make it. I can’t find any in the store without sodium benzoate. I am making this tonight!
Look for Bubbies brand in the refrigerated case at health food store.
I love sauerkraut! (especially Bavarian style). Now I learn that canned ‘kraut from the grocery store is not good as a probiotic? Rats! I have no way of making it for myself due to a handicap. Is the Bubbies brand as good as homemade?
Don’t want to seem nosy, but why can’t you make ‘kraut? If you cut the cabbage small enough to put thru the potato slicer on a food processor, then pack in jars, you get ‘kraut. You can pack carrots, cucumbers and so on in the bottom to ferment, as well. If you don’t have a food processor, make Russian-style. They coarse cut the cabbage and pack it. ‘Kraut has a lot of lactic acid. The acid can eat metal from the cans. ‘Fresh’ ‘kraut from the stores has a lot of preservatives in it, as well. niio
I love sauerkraut, never occurred to me it was so easy to make. One of my big disappointments in life was finding out that probiotics are a myth, one of the great examples of placebo effect. My Doctor is a real D.O. but her practice is completely alternative, built on acupuncture and Chinese herbal tradition. One fine day I punched my sparring partner in the knee with my face which led to dental work and a major course of antibiotics. I feared for the health of my intestinal biota and started taking probiotics, and bragged about it to my Doctor. She surprised me by pronouncing it a waste of time. Turns out the ecosystem of little critters in our intestines is so complex nobody knows what really goes on in there, and the only way anybody has found to restore that biota after it is damaged is by fecal transplant. No, I didn’t…
I eat a lot of ‘kraut. Where I was raised, it’s a sort of soul food and goes with pretty much every meal. What I can’t hack is salt, tho I live in Arizona. When I make ‘summer ‘kraut’, a half-gallon (or one gallon), use the family shredder (been in the family since someone made it over a century ago), and just pack it in the jars. Top with distilled water (ours has a lot of copper, which kills the bacteria). It should stay under 80 degrees to ferment right, to keep it crispy. If you can smell the stench, it’s not working right. Check it several times a day. No mold should form on it this way, but check it and top the water. What isn’t eaten raw or cooked freezes well and stays crispy. In Mexico, I had it dried and reconstituted. In Penna, Dominican neighbors would smell it cooking and come to the house. I gave away a lot and taught them how to make it. A sister-in-law in Ohio now makes summer ‘kraut, saying it’s the best she ever had.
Cabbage cores: Peel and ferment, if you like Japanese pickles. Better, eat raw and save a piece for my dachshund, who loves to eat them, especially if he can sneak them on the bed, under the covers where you find them when tired and worn out. Hey, at least he’s not a cat. they seem to like hiding them under the blankets just for you… niio
Gonna need to tap into that stockpiled TP
I prefer kimchi. I developed a love for it when I lived in South Korea.
I’m with you! I love kimchi…Do you have a good recipe to share?
joe
There are several Kimchi recipes on the web. Look them up.
Just one thing I would like to point out- salt is salt. Pink salt, himalayan salt, sea salt, table salt…. they are ALL approx 98% Sodium Chloride, so the differences are infinitesimal. I don’t care what the label says, or frankly what other people say- just because it claims to be more healthy or whatnot, DOESN’T change its chemical composition. Which is 98% Sodium Chloride. If you want a real healthy alternative- use Potassium Chloride. ZERO salt, but tastes the same and is high in Potassium.
It just drives me nuts when people think one salt is “more healthy” or “better” than another….
Then don’t use use it. I don’t, but I live in the desert and sodium is common in all water, even rain (from sodium in the dust the water droplet forms around). I like vinegar and other acidic things as flavoring. But, in the old days people used a pinch of wood ashes to give food a salty flavor–potassium and calcium. For preserving, we luck out. Low humidity makes drying a snap. For pickles, if the air is hot enough, no need for salt. Vegetables will ferment in water, no salt needed, if done right. Some people put a tablespoon of raw yogurt in each gallon of water used to ferment. I don’t because temps in the house are usually perfect for fermenting, between 75 and 85 degrees. niio
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