How to Sauerkraut

You don't need a 10 gallon crock of cabbage to salt and bury in the ground for fermenting and eating all winter...  not when canning jars are close. And if you use red cabbage vs. white, the results will perk up any brat or side dish.

It's all about the technique, not the recipe.

• Have 2-3 wide mouth canning jars sterilized and ready ( boil the airlocks and glass weights at the same time)
• Chop 1-2 cabbage into smallish pieces.
• Weigh the chopped cabbage and multiply the weight (in ounces) x 3% = "X". That "X amount" equals the approximate amount of Kosher salt (in ounces) to be kneaded into the chopped cabbage
• Knead the cabbage vigorously for roughly 20-25 minutes while adding the salt. The cabbage will start releasing cabbage juice...you'll be using most of the juice.
• Once kneading is done, start packing the cabbage into the jars. Use a       ~2" dowel or round pipe with a cap glued on the end. Pack the cabbage as tightly as possible. You will be amazed at how much cabbage can be packed into a jar.
• Once the packed cabbage fills the jar to within 1.5 inches of the rim drop the glass weight in (flat side down) and pour in enough juice to fill within about 1/2 inch off the rim. (See below)
• Place the airlock (see below) on the jar (nipple up) and lightly seal with a jar ring
• Label the jar with the date and any other ingredients added (garlic, spices, caraway seeds etc.) I use lab/specimen tape*, it's easy to remove.
• Wait 2-3 weeks and put in fridge. Add that date to the label

NOTE: It's very likely that some foam or liquid will exit the jars through the airlock. For that reason I place the jars in small bowls to catch the overflow.

Enjoy your kraut on sandwiches, salads etc. It really goes with lots of pairings

*Links to Amazon are for visual reference. There are many places in town which sell jars, weights, airlocks, and marking tape.

For more tasty recipes, go here.