Fermentation 101- Sunshine Kraut

Have you ever heard people who praise probiotics and wonder what all the hype was about? If so, this will be a place to get all of your questions answered!

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast strains that help to feed the good bacteria that are already living in your gut. Most people take probiotics in the form of:

-capsules

- yogurts

- beverages like Kombucha

You may be wondering what is my gut? Your gut is the microbiome that lives in your intestines. A healthy gut microbiome the main way to optimize your digestion, immunity, hormone regulation, and so much more in your body. With immunity being on everyones' mind right now in the current state of the pandemic, let this be an exciting opportunity to start integrating this power house into your routine!

Now, you may be wondering, "I am interested in taking probiotics, but every time I got to the store there are too many different types and they are so expensive". This was what lead me to realizing that we can get probiotics from fermented foods, like sauerkraut! So, today I am here to break down the super simple, cheap, and easy way to making your own sauerkraut. This is one of the easiest ways to start integrating probiotics into your everyday life and consuming them in this way since its not in a capsule, its so bioavailable for the body to use and benefit from.

......So what is fermentation?

Fermentation is the anaerobic process in which microorganisms like bacteria break down food components into other products. This means it requires an absence of oxygen for the process to take place. So, in other words this means you allow the good bacteria to grow in an environment where the veggies are submerged in brine. The brine you will create as you are making it. This is a by-product of the second step you will read about in a little bit! You also always allow things to ferment at room temperature as to not kill the bacteria that are being created in the ferment.

So since you are going to become a bit of a scientist, its important to follow the process closely when you are first learning so that you are utilizing the right bacteria in the fermentation process!

So, lets dive into how to make your own sauerkraut at home!

Supplies that you need to make the most basic form:

-1-2 large heads of unwashed cabbage

-sea salt (must be sea salt, Iodized will not allow for fermentation to occur)

-Knife

-cutting board

-Fermentation weights- or a clean plastic bag

-sterilized mason jars

Process:

1. You always want the surface you are working in to be clean, since you don't want any kind of bad bacteria to interfere with the fermentation process. Once all of your supplies are clean you can get your cabbage. The most important part of this step, is to not wash the cabbage. This will also interfere with the ferment. So, instead begin by peeling a few of the outer leaves off so that the cabbage is clean.

2. Next, you will begin to cut the cabbage into what ever thickness you prefer. I like to use a mandolin here since it will go really fast if you use one, otherwise a knife will work perfectly fine, chopping it by hand.

3. Once all of your cabbage is chopped, add it to a large container.

4. You will then add the sea salt. So, for this the ratio that you follow to have enough salt for the brine to occur and also to create a salty environment to discourage the bad bacteria from growing is important. For every 5lbs. of Cabbage you add 3 TBSP of salt. An average cabbage is usually around 5lbs. but it is best to get it weighed when you buy it at the store.

5. Once the cabbage is salted, you will begin to macerate the cabbage with your CLEAN hands! All this means is that you will begin to squeeze the cabbage in your hands. Working your way through all of the cabbage. I usually will squeeze for about 30-45 seconds and then let the cabbage sit for a minute or 2. The salt will also be helping to pull water out of the cabbage to create the brine. You will continue this process until you have about half a cup or so of liquid and the cabbage is soft.

6. Once you have all of your cabbage ready, you will begin to pack the sterilized jars with the cabbage. This step is important, you want to be pressing it tightly as you go to get rid of any air bubbles.

As you can see in this picture, you want the cabbage to be tightly packed and you will stop an inch or two to the top of the jar. You will need room to dump the remaining brine on the top and also for your fermentation weight.

Once the jar is all the way packed and you have dumped the rest of the brine that was remaining you will then add a fermentation weight to the top! This is super important since, you need to keep all of the cabbage below the brine at all times or else it will mold quickly and it will be ruined. So, if you have fermentation weights it makes it a little easier, but a plastic bag filled with water will also work to weigh down the cabbage in the jar.

The jar in the front is an example of what the weight looks like and the tall jar in the back is what the plastic bag method looks like. Either will look fine!

The last step is to lay a towel over the top of the jar, to make sure dust or other things don't fall into it as it sits out.

Then, from there you cannot use any kind of metal inside of the jar, this will interrupt the fermentation and ruin your jar. So wood/bamboo or plastic is your option here.

You are going to let the jar sit out at room temperature and check it every day at least once. Usually I check mine in the morning. Really, you are looking to make sure that all of the cabbage is still submerged under the brine. You will use the wood tool to press down the cabbage each day to keep it under the brine and then place the plastic bag back on top of the brine to cover the cabbage. If you using a glass fermentation weight you can simply press the weight down further each day to make sure that it is also staying under the brine (since you will loose some of the brine as it evaporates).

Continue this process everyday. I usually like to let mine ferment for about 7 days in the summer when it is warmer since that speeds up the fermentation process and about 14 days in the colder months. But, this is where you can really decide how long you want it to go, the longer the more sour it will be! You can check it toward the end of the week or 2 weeks to see how the flavor is!

When you are satisfied with the flavor, you simply remove the weight and put a lid on it and place it in the fridge. It will still be fermenting in the fridge, just significantly slower. This is good though since you wan to be getting the probiotic benefit here with it still being alive!

I usually make smaller batches about once a month and eat it all in a month or two, but it will last in the fridge for about 6 months. But, keep an eye on it over the months to make sure that it has not molded.

As you start to master this recipe, you can begin to play around with other veggies in it too! Pictured here is shredded carrot, apple, turmeric, and cayenne pepper! But, if you add spices be careful not to over season, since fermentation will amplify the flavor a lot!

You have now successfully created your own probiotics!! Enjoy!