Supersonic Sauerkraut
The secret to making great sauerkraut is using fresh, organic, clean cabbage and clean equipment.
Supplies needed:
Two 1-gallon (5 L each) glass jars or a Two gallon (10 Liter) Harsch Crock or
Two 1-gallon Perfect Pickler Jars
1/4 cup (60 ml), food-grade hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar
2-3 large mixing bowls
Food processor (10 cup or larger) with slicing and shredding blades (or S-blade)
High-speed blender
Ingredients to make 2 gallons (10 L) :
8 lb. (4 kg) organic green cabbage
1 packet of Body Ecology Culture Starter or 2 cups (480 ml) raw sauerkraut from your last batch.
3 dates, soaked for 15 minutes, pitted
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Himalayan sea salt
2 oz (54 g) Sea vegetables of your choice (dulse, wakame, laver, etc.)
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) of your choice of seeds: Anise, Caraway, Fennel, Dill or
Celery Seeds or Juniper Berries
Directions:
There are 5 main steps to making sauerkraut; cleaning your equipment, making the starter, preparing the cabbage, making the brine, and putting it all together. These instructions are for making 2 gallons.
Cleaning Your Equipment:
To reduce bacteria culture contamination, clean all equipment that comes in contact with the cabbage. Use white vinegar or food-grade hydrogen peroxide on the cutting board, knives, bowls, crock, jars, blender container, food processor, etc. and rinse with clean filtered or distilled water.
To make the starter:
Pour 2 cups of warm water in high-speed blender with 3 pitted dates. Run on high speed until liquefied, ensuring the dates are completely blended. Add 1 package of Body Ecology Culture Starter and pulse to mix. Let this mixture sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the cabbage.
Great news! You’ll only have to make the starter once because you can use two cups of sauerkraut from a previous batch as your starter for future batches. Using the starter or sauerkraut ensures a hardy strain of beneficial bacteria.
Preparing the cabbage:
Remove damaged leaves from the cabbage and place in your compost container. Chop or shred the remaining cabbage to your choice of texture and place in a large bowl. This can be accomplished with the shredding or slicing blade of your food processor or with a sharp knife.
Preparing the Brine:
Put 4 cups of shredded cabbage, 2 Tablespoons Celtic sea salt and
2 ounces of sea vegetables in a high-speed blender and cover with fresh, filtered water. Run on high until liquefied.
Putting it all together:
Pour the brine over your cabbage in the large bowl and pack it down with your fists or with a potato masher. After packing it down, ensure that there is 1/2 inch of brine on top of the cabbage. If more brine is necessary to reach that level, blend more cabbage from the bowl with additional water in the blender and add this to the cabbage until you see 1/2 inch of liquid above the cabbage after packing it down.
Stir the Culture Starter into the cabbage with your choice of 1-2 Tablespoons of any of the following seeds: Anise, Caraway, Celery, Dill, Fennel, or Juniper Berries. My favorite is 2 Tablespoons of fennel combined with 2 Tablespoons of dill for a 2-gallon batch of sauerkraut.
Spoon this mixture into a Harsch Crock, two 1-gallon Perfect Pickler Jars or two one-gallon glass jars leaving about two inches at the top. Pack the sauerkraut down into the container with your fists.
If using the Harsh Crock, place the stone weights on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. It will cause the juice to rise over the cabbage if enough brine was made in the first step above. If you don’t see 1/2 inch of liquid over the cabbage, make a little more brine. Place the water seal lid on the crock and fill the groove around the lid with water to complete the seal. Be sure to check the crock every few days and add water to the groove if necessary.
If using 1 gallon jars, place your “homemade” weight on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. This weight could be a flat rock or a glass jar that fits into the mouth of your 1-gallon jar. You will need to fill this small glass jar with water to get the proper weight. Make sure the cabbage is submerged in 1/2 inch of liquid. Cover it with a clean cotton cloth or towel secured with rubber bands. This keeps out harmful bacteria or unwanted guests from the insect world.
Allow the cabbage mixture to sit in a 72-85 degree Fahrenheit area for 3-7 days. If your house is cold, you can wrap the jars in towels and place in a warm spot in the house. A good location would be near the water heater or on top of the refrigerator. If it is colder than 55 degrees it may never ferment. Start tasting it after 3 days to see if it is to your liking. When it is the way you like, store in refrigerator. It and it will continue to ferment very slowly. It will usually keep well for 3 months or longer when refrigerated.
For your safety:
Do not eat any sauerkraut that has a slimy or excessively soft texture, a discoloration or an off-flavor. Any of these indicate spoilage.
Health Benefits and Cost Savings:
Raw sauerkraut and other cultured vegetables are rich in lactobacilli and great for balanced colon health. It is high in enzymes, vitamins and alkaline-forming. Raw Sauerkraut has been eaten for thousands of years to help prevent scurvy because of its abundance of Vitamin C. Most commercial krauts are heat pasteurized, destroying the precious enzymes. They are also often made with large amounts of salt. If you do find a truly “raw”, healthy version they often cost over $10 per pint.
Therefore:
15 pints of raw, organic commercial sauerkraut: $150
15 pints of raw, organic sauerkraut from your kitchen, made with the love of your heart, the spirit of your soul and the caress of your hands: priceless! Ingredients: less than $40
Supplies needed:
Two 1-gallon (5 L each) glass jars or a Two gallon (10 Liter) Harsch Crock or
Two 1-gallon Perfect Pickler Jars
1/4 cup (60 ml), food-grade hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar
2-3 large mixing bowls
Food processor (10 cup or larger) with slicing and shredding blades (or S-blade)
High-speed blender
Ingredients to make 2 gallons (10 L) :
8 lb. (4 kg) organic green cabbage
1 packet of Body Ecology Culture Starter or 2 cups (480 ml) raw sauerkraut from your last batch.
3 dates, soaked for 15 minutes, pitted
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Himalayan sea salt
2 oz (54 g) Sea vegetables of your choice (dulse, wakame, laver, etc.)
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) of your choice of seeds: Anise, Caraway, Fennel, Dill or
Celery Seeds or Juniper Berries
Directions:
There are 5 main steps to making sauerkraut; cleaning your equipment, making the starter, preparing the cabbage, making the brine, and putting it all together. These instructions are for making 2 gallons.
Cleaning Your Equipment:
To reduce bacteria culture contamination, clean all equipment that comes in contact with the cabbage. Use white vinegar or food-grade hydrogen peroxide on the cutting board, knives, bowls, crock, jars, blender container, food processor, etc. and rinse with clean filtered or distilled water.
To make the starter:
Pour 2 cups of warm water in high-speed blender with 3 pitted dates. Run on high speed until liquefied, ensuring the dates are completely blended. Add 1 package of Body Ecology Culture Starter and pulse to mix. Let this mixture sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the cabbage.
Great news! You’ll only have to make the starter once because you can use two cups of sauerkraut from a previous batch as your starter for future batches. Using the starter or sauerkraut ensures a hardy strain of beneficial bacteria.
Preparing the cabbage:
Remove damaged leaves from the cabbage and place in your compost container. Chop or shred the remaining cabbage to your choice of texture and place in a large bowl. This can be accomplished with the shredding or slicing blade of your food processor or with a sharp knife.
Preparing the Brine:
Put 4 cups of shredded cabbage, 2 Tablespoons Celtic sea salt and
2 ounces of sea vegetables in a high-speed blender and cover with fresh, filtered water. Run on high until liquefied.
Putting it all together:
Pour the brine over your cabbage in the large bowl and pack it down with your fists or with a potato masher. After packing it down, ensure that there is 1/2 inch of brine on top of the cabbage. If more brine is necessary to reach that level, blend more cabbage from the bowl with additional water in the blender and add this to the cabbage until you see 1/2 inch of liquid above the cabbage after packing it down.
Stir the Culture Starter into the cabbage with your choice of 1-2 Tablespoons of any of the following seeds: Anise, Caraway, Celery, Dill, Fennel, or Juniper Berries. My favorite is 2 Tablespoons of fennel combined with 2 Tablespoons of dill for a 2-gallon batch of sauerkraut.
Spoon this mixture into a Harsch Crock, two 1-gallon Perfect Pickler Jars or two one-gallon glass jars leaving about two inches at the top. Pack the sauerkraut down into the container with your fists.
If using the Harsh Crock, place the stone weights on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. It will cause the juice to rise over the cabbage if enough brine was made in the first step above. If you don’t see 1/2 inch of liquid over the cabbage, make a little more brine. Place the water seal lid on the crock and fill the groove around the lid with water to complete the seal. Be sure to check the crock every few days and add water to the groove if necessary.
If using 1 gallon jars, place your “homemade” weight on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. This weight could be a flat rock or a glass jar that fits into the mouth of your 1-gallon jar. You will need to fill this small glass jar with water to get the proper weight. Make sure the cabbage is submerged in 1/2 inch of liquid. Cover it with a clean cotton cloth or towel secured with rubber bands. This keeps out harmful bacteria or unwanted guests from the insect world.
Allow the cabbage mixture to sit in a 72-85 degree Fahrenheit area for 3-7 days. If your house is cold, you can wrap the jars in towels and place in a warm spot in the house. A good location would be near the water heater or on top of the refrigerator. If it is colder than 55 degrees it may never ferment. Start tasting it after 3 days to see if it is to your liking. When it is the way you like, store in refrigerator. It and it will continue to ferment very slowly. It will usually keep well for 3 months or longer when refrigerated.
For your safety:
Do not eat any sauerkraut that has a slimy or excessively soft texture, a discoloration or an off-flavor. Any of these indicate spoilage.
Health Benefits and Cost Savings:
Raw sauerkraut and other cultured vegetables are rich in lactobacilli and great for balanced colon health. It is high in enzymes, vitamins and alkaline-forming. Raw Sauerkraut has been eaten for thousands of years to help prevent scurvy because of its abundance of Vitamin C. Most commercial krauts are heat pasteurized, destroying the precious enzymes. They are also often made with large amounts of salt. If you do find a truly “raw”, healthy version they often cost over $10 per pint.
Therefore:
15 pints of raw, organic commercial sauerkraut: $150
15 pints of raw, organic sauerkraut from your kitchen, made with the love of your heart, the spirit of your soul and the caress of your hands: priceless! Ingredients: less than $40
Following is a bonus video from the Renegade Health Show.