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You don't need expensive or special equipment to make fermented vegetables, a mason jar with a flip-top lid will do just fine.
You will need:
· A 2.5 litre mason jar with a flip top lid that secures shut
· 1 whole cabbage ( green or red although green is my favourite)
· Sea salt
· Caraway seeds (optional)
Method:
1. Cut the cabbage in half, put the other half aside, and slice the remaining half into very fine slithers.
2. Put the sliced half of the cabbage in a large bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds.
3. Massage the sliced cabbage, seeds, and salt like you are hand washing clothes making sure the cabbage gets covered with the salt (you may need to add a little more). Keep massaging and squeezing the cabbage for about 5 – 10 minutes until it starts to sweat a liquid.
4. Once you are unable to get any more liquid out of it separate the liquid from the cabbage and keep the liquid aside in another bowl. Place the cabbage at the bottom of the mason jar and tap down firmly so it is all squashed in at the bottom.
5. Repeat steps 1 – 4 with the remaining half of the cabbage. Firmly place the second half cabbage on top of the first half cabbage in the mason jar. Then pour all the cabbage juice over the top so the cabbage is sitting under the juice.
6. For the cabbage to ferment it always needs to be under the surface of the juice. I like to put a weight on top of it so it pushes it down into the juice. I used a small snap-lock bag filled with water but you could use a small dish or something else that helps to push the cabbage down.
7. Close the lid and leave it to ferment at room temperature on your kitchen bench or in your kitchen cupboard. In the first few days of the fermentation process, there will be a lot of bubbling going on and gasses forming in the jar. It is important that you open and close the lid quickly at least twice a day to release some of the gasses. If you forget to do this your sauerkraut might explode!!
8. Your sauerkraut will be ready in about 5 – 7 days. When it is ready transfer it to the fridge and enjoy.
