Fermented Cabbage (Sauerkraut)

To make fermented cabbage is so simple and it is one of the best foods for gut health. A few weeks ago I fermented a cabbage and added to that carrots, onion, and ginger. I used what they call the "dry salting" method. I've added a teaspoon of curry powder to the smaller jar. It is really good.

Cut/shred the a small cabbage head
2 carrots (grated)
1 onion (shredded)
A few pieces of ginger (thinly sliced)
About 2 tablespoons of fine salt
Mash it together to break the cell walls of the cabbage to get the juices to flow out of the cabbage.
Leave it a couple of hours for the juices to run. Then pack tightly in a mason jar and put a weight on top. (Before I ordered the Mason Jar Fermentation kit, I used the stem part of the cabbage which I cut in a square, to keep the stuff down)
Top up with a little bit of filtered water to cover the cabbage. Leave enough head space - about 1 inch.
You can add spices that you like - e.g. peppercorns, caraway, dill, celery seed or red pepper flakes.

Let it ferment for about 5/6 days. It will still be quite crunchy, or you can leave it longer.

I ordered the "Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit" by Masontops from Amazon (picture below.) It is about $55.00. It makes the whole process so easy. The kit includes 4 pickle pipes that you put on wide mouth jars to allow air to escape. No need for you to burp it, 4 pickle pebbles to keep the cabbage under the juice (it is made out of glass and looks like a hockey puc) and a pickle packer - a nice aerodynamic acacia wood masher. Included in the kit is a helpful Fermenting guide and Recipe book. Totally worth the investment.

Happy fermenting!