make sauerkraut

I shredded 1/4 of a big head of purple cabbage and put it in a covered bowl of water with sea salt on the counter.
The last time I did it I used a nice covered jar from Ikea, but I’m using that for something else now. Hopefully the bowl will work just as well as the jar.

The Benefits of Cultured Vegetables

• Raw cultured vegetables help reestablish your inner ecosystem.

• The friendly bacteria in raw cultured vegetables are a less expensive alternative to probiotics….

• They improve digestion.

• Knowing the benefits of raw foods, you may have decided to include raw vegetables with each meal. Cultured vegetables eliminate this concern, since they are already pre-digested. This means that even before they enter your mouth, the friendly bacteria have already converted the natural sugars and starches in the vegetables into lactic acid, a job your own saliva and digestive enzymes would do anyway.

• The enzymes in the cultured vegetables also help digest other foods eaten with them.

• They increase longevity.

• You could think of the friendly bacteria in raw cultured vegetables as little enzyme powerhouses. By eating the vegetables, you will maintain your own enzyme reserve and use it to eliminate toxins, rejuvenate your cells, and strengthen your immune system—which all adds up to a longer, healthier life.

• They control cravings.

• Homemade cultured vegetables are ideal for appetite control and thus weight control. The veggies help take away cravings for the sweet taste in pastries, colas, bread, pasta, dairy, fruit, and other expansive foods not on the Diet.

• They are ideal for pregnant and nursing women.

• Pregnant women should eat cultured vegetables to ensure their ecosystems will be rich in friendly bacteria. The vegetables also help alleviate morning sickness during the early part of the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, the mother should continue eating the vegetables and drinking the juice. And the liquid from the cultured vegetables can be fed to the baby in tiny spoonfuls to relieve colic.

• Raw cultured vegetables are alkaline and very cleansing.

• They help restore balance if your body is in a toxic, acidic condition. Because they do trigger cleansing, you may have an increase in intestinal gas initially as the vegetables stir up waste and toxins in the intestinal tract. Soon, however, you will notice an improvement in your stools. To ease the discomfort of the gas, colonics and enemas are very useful during this period.

• Babies love the juice or liquid found in salt-free cultured vegetables….A child who is fed in this manner never has digestive problems.

• One way to combat your sweet tooth [is to eat] lots of cultured vegetables. Besides providing an abundance of friendly bacteria, these enzyme-rich foods are a high-quality, alkaline, expansive food, which balances out the more contracting animal proteins and salty foods that make us crave acid-forming sugars.

• If you find yourself craving sweets, try the following before giving in to the demands of your yeast: ... Eat one-half cup cultured vegetables.

• Vitamin and mineral supplements also can be mucus forming. It’s better to spend your money instead on raw cultured vegetables.

• Pregnant women would do well to…eat lots of cultured vegetables….Nursing mothers of colicky babies have gotten relief from many sleepless nights just by eating raw cultured vegetables….All babies (especially necessary for bottle-fed babies) can be fed finy spoonfuls of the juice of cultured vegetabes.

• Raw cultured vegetables are excellent because they are cleansing and easily digested.

• Raw cultured vegetables [are] an excellent expansive food….These enzyme-rich vegetables greatly enhance digestion of protein.

• Unsalted raw cultured vetetables…provide these important plant enzymes. Remember, foods properly used balance our bodies.

• Menu Tip: Try oil-free, blue corn chips with…cultured vegetables to reduce the drying, contracting effect of the chips.

• If you’re constipated…eat…raw cultured vegetables.

• Include at least 1/4 cup of cultured vegetables with your morning meals. Animal protein foods and grain dishes always digest better when eaten with these enzyme-rich vegetables. No medicine can replace the benefit of the friendly bacteria they create.

I brought some to work and Ken tried it. He said it was good! We were talking about how good it would be with a sausage or kielbasa. He said he ate some from the last batch that way and it was great.

I separated off some of the juice (actually close to 8oz! lots of juice this time) and put it in a jar. I just came home and drank a bunch of it. Really, it’s salty and sooooooo good. I have two jars of the sauerkraut and I am going to start another batch tomorrow. I learned some and I’m ready to try it again. I think I might add veggies carrots, onions and maybe some apple slices (I have heard that is good too!).

According to my instructions, it’s okay to try after 3 days. It smells so good (must be the addition of onions!) that I just couldn’t resist!! I just had some of this batch and some of the juice in there. I hope that it sits well in my stomach! I had at least 4 tablespoons full!
I repacked the kraut and added a bit of water to fill it to the top. It’s back in the closet now until Friday night.

I finished my first batch on Friday. I put some in a jar and brought some to one of my coworker who loves sauerkraut. He tried it and said it was really good! Another coworker tried it as well. There is a little jar at work in the fridge now.

I made another batch. The first time I used the red cabbage. This time I used the green cabbage and white onion. I also included a little bit of the last batch as well as probiotic powder. The next batch will be done Friday night. This time I made it in a big glass jar.

I have it in a stainless steel pot, covered by a plate. The water goes above the plate to create a barrier.
I talked to a woman I know the other day and told her I was making it. She has been making sauerkraut for a while and said that she gets better at it each time. She recommended making it in a closed glass jar. The jar looks like it would hold 2 heads of cabbage (I will get red and green for this). She puts the cabbage in with the salt and I guess some water. She fills the whole thing to the top and then adds the big cabbage leaves on the tops a seal (what a great idea).
I love the idea of making it in a sealed jar. IT seems less likely to get messed up somehow. She said that it can ‘explode’ when you open it so you need to be very careful. A closed jar also means that it won’t smell like cabbage in the house. Not that it smells right now but …it might start! Eeek!

I am following the instructions in this video
http://www.kitchengardeners.org/sauerkraut.html

to do this with a group every fall. What fun! I’ve been thinking of getting a group together to do this again. Maybe this November or Deceember.

I have joined this forum to find out how to make sauerkraut as i love eating it. unfortunately i haven’t seen any recipes as yet, just that it is good eating and great to make LOL can anyone help me please!!!!!

Done, because although the ‘kraut could probably stand to age for awhile longer, I have already eaten a large portion (1/4? 1/3?) of it. I loooove it.

Worth it. WELL worth it.