Traditional Wild Fermented Sauerkraut
If you’ve seen my No Knead Wild Fermented Sourdough Bread and Homebrew Kombucha recipes, you know I love me a good ferment.
Sauerkraut is maybe my favorite. I love it because it’s so simple and colorful and really fun to make (you get to use your hands). It’s an incredible way to preserve fresh veggies for those barren winter months, and is soo good for your gut health.
Kraut can be eaten with nearly any savory meal. We put it in soups, on salads, aside cheesy eggs, heap it on hotdogs (duh), layer it on sandwiches, toss it on tacos. There’s so much you can do with it! Just try not to heat it as this will kill off the good bacteria. I find fats, especially mild ones like sour cream, are a beautiful compliment to sauerkraut’s tangy flavor. Try it in a spiced rice bowl with avocado- you’ll see what I mean.
So what even is wild fermentation? Humans have used wild fermentation to produce foodstuffs since as far back the Neolithic age (about 12,000 years ago). As Sandor Katz so magically described it in his guidebook Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, it is “the willing[ness] to collaborate with tiny beings with somewhat capricious habits and vast transformative powers.” In other words, it is inviting naturally occurring organisms- bacteria and yeast- to thrive and proliferate in a given environment in order to preserve fresh foods through the process of fermentation. What’s fermentation? A metabolic process that converts carbohydrates (sugars) to acids, gases, or alcohol.
In this sauerkraut recipe, the live and abundant organism Lactobacillus which is naturally present on the raw vegetables and in the air we breathe, is the star of the show. This is the traditional way to preserve vegetables, to make sure ‘alive’ food is available well after the harvest season. When submerged under a brine (heavily salted water), an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment is created and therefore mold cannot grow. This scenario allows Lactobacillus- the ‘good’ bacteria- to dominate and produce lactic acid. Lactic acid is what lends that sour flavor to many commonly fermented foods like pickles, kimchi, yogurt and kombucha.
As wild fermentation relies on localized populations of microbial cultures, the results are never the same. The proof is in the… starter. The iconic San Francisco sourdough starter has a different flavor from my homemade starter as there are different yeast present in the air here in the Hudson Valley. All this to say, each batch of whatever it is you are fermenting will have its own level of acidity, brightness, pungency, aroma- you name it. That is the beauty. Think of wild fermentation as an adventure or experiment moreso than just another recipe.
“What you ferment with the organisms around you is a manifestation of your specific environment, and it will always be a little different. Do-it-yourself fermentation departs from the realm of the uniform commodity. Rediscover and reinterpret the vast array of fermentation techniques used by our ancestors. Build your body’s cultural ecology as you engage and honor the life forces all around you... Who knows what compelling healing flavors could be floating around in your kitchen?”
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Traditional Wild Fermented
Sauerkraut Recipe
INGREDIENTS
One large head of cabbage, 2 lbs or more
About 2 tablespoons of sea salt (avoid salt with additives or anti-caking agents if possible)
2 - 3 carrots
One onion
3 - 6 cloves of garlic
About a tablespoon of carraway seeds
You could make this with just cabbage and salt if that’s all you have on hand. And FYI red cabbage imparts a gorgeous jewel tone to the entire batch.
DIRECTIONS
1. First shred your cabbage into ¼-inch ribbons using a mandolin or chef’s knife and place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle all of the salt onto the shredded cabbage. With clean hands, thoroughly massage the salt into the cabbage and let it sit in the bowl, covered with a dishtowel, while you prep the rest. This will draw water out from the cabbage to create your brine so the kraut can ferment without rotting.
3. Prep your other veggies- grate your carrots, slice your onions and garlic, dice up anything else you want to add.
PRO TIP: You can add nearly anything else to your kraut. Try eaweed, brussel sprouts, kale, turnips, radish, apple or beets. It's fun to experiment with spices too. Celery or dill seeds are great, and juniper berries are classic.
4. Massage your cabbage again. You will notice the texture begin to soften as the water is released. You want there to be a decent amount of brine available before moving on to the next step. If the cabbage isn’t releasing much water, add more salt and wait an hour or so.
5. Once a good amount of water is released from the cabbage, toss in your prepped veggies and your caraway seeds. Mix everything well and taste to see if you need to add more salt. It should be pretty darn salty.
6. Transfer the veggies and brine to a large ceramic crock or glass jar. Use your fist to pack down the contents as you go so that the brine rises above the surface of the vegetables.
7. Place some sort or weight (glass jar filled with water, plate, boiled stone, etc.) that fits inside the container to weigh down the vegetables enough to keep them below the brine. They need to be completely submerged. If the liquid does not cover the veggies, make some brine and pour it over the top. Use about 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water and stir until completely dissolved.
8. Cover the container with a cheesecloth or dish towel and hold it in place with a rubber band to keep out flies and dust.
9. Place your container on a counter, somewhere out of the way and with good air circulation. If your brine comes near the top of your crock or container, place a plate underneath to catch any run-off.
10. After a few days start to check on the sauerkraut. Taste as you go and notice how the flavor continues to develop. Look for any mold that may have formed while you’re at it. If there is mold, don’t freak- simply scrape it off the surface, then clean and replace your weight. The brine prevents the mold from inoculating anything below the surface.
11. The length of time to ferment sauerkraut varies depending on your specific environment and temperature, but it typically takes somewhere between 1–5 weeks. It’s quicker to ferment in the heat of the summer, and can take much longer in colder winter months.
As you continue to check on the sauerkraut every other day or so, observe the flavor and texture of the vegetables. Once it’s to your liking, pack the kraut in lidded glass jars and store in the refrigerator. Your wild fermented sauerkraut will continue to slowly ferment and evolve in the fridge. When serving, use a clean wooden spoon, and push the kraut back down under the brine before replacing the lid. It will keep for several months stored in the fridge this way.
Enjoy this Wild Fermented Sauerkraut recipe?
