Sauerkraut

Ingredients:

•  1kg of cabbage (variety: Filderkraut or other cone-shaped varieties or dutch cabbage)

•  2 teaspoons of sea salt

•  Herbs and spices (5 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 10 black peppercorns, a few juniper berries)

 Preparations:

• Keep a clean outer leave of cabbage

• Grate cabbage with a mandolin or slice very thinly with a knife.

• Fill a heavy duty glass jar in layers, pounding the cabbage with a wooden spoon adding the spices now and then and sprinkle the salt on each layer. (Alternative method see Note below). Pounding and crushing the cabbage will release juice, keep going until the juice is floating 1 cm deep on top of the cabbage. Cover the top layer with a big cabbage leave cut into shape and weigh down with a small glass jar filled with water or a ramekin.

• Cover your glass jar with a muslin and a rubberband. If you close your jar you need to burp it every other day to release CO2.

  Very important is fermentation rule No.1: Under the brine is fine! Make sure that your grated cabbage is at all times under the brine!

 Fermentation stages:

•        At 18-20 degrees Celsius in the kitchen for 10-12 days.

•        It will start bubbling after 2 days and stop after about 10 days, when initial fermentation is finished.

•        Store cool at 10-12 degrees Celsius for at least 6 weeks before consumption.

Note

Another method is to pound sliced cabbage with salt in a bowl and transfer later to glass jar adding spices in layers.