
Why I Love This Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
I LOVE sauerkraut when I found out how easy homemade sauerkraut was to make - I immediately tried to make it. This week, I share my take on sauerkraut.
If you haven't visited my site before, welcome. This week's post is part of my fermentation series. If you've followed me for a while, welcome back. You will notice this recipe is similar to others where it's easy to "make it your own".
Continue reading how to make this sauerkraut your own, as well as sauerkraut tips.
Make This Homemade Sauerkraut Your Own - Variations For Sauerkraut
When I learned how easy homemade sauerkraut was I was floored. The recipe I saw used fresh jalapenos. I didn't want to go that route, so instead I used purple onion. The purple onion fermented wonderfully into the cabbage, so much so that it was hard to tell what was onion or cabbage.
Below I have a few other variations that may be tasty in your homemade sauerkraut:
chopped apples, radishes, or beets
caraway seeds, about 1 tablespoon per head of cabbage
ginger if you want a different spicy kick
dill, parsley, thyme, or rosemary if you are feeling adventurous with your flavor
I don't think you can go wrong with any sauerkraut add-ins. Want to know what I wish I knew my first time fermenting? Keep reading!
Homemade Sauerkraut Fermentation Tips
Although this was my first time making sauerkraut, I found a few tips that I wanted to share my homemade sauerkraut recipe with you.
First, be sure all your cabbage is covered with the liquid. If after 24 hours your sauerkraut still isn't fully submerged, mix up a saltwater solution of 3 cups bottled water and 2 teaspoons Redmon salt. Use enough to fully submerge your cabbage. Save the rest of the solution for other ferments!
Next, don't worry about getting your cabbage, onions, or other ingredients cut too finely. The smaller your prices are the more risk for mold you have. I kept my pieces fairly large, even after smashing I could still make out the pieces.
Third, watch the temperature. Your ferment will take longer in cooler rooms, and shorter in warmer rooms. One day I was being clever (or so I thought) and put my sauerkraut on a seedling heating mat. My ferment grew cahm yeast. Cahm yeast is harmless but doesn't taste great. Being new to fermenting, I ended up scrapping that batch and creating a new one. I didn't like the smell or the off-putting taste.
Finally, have fun! Fermenting is a pretty easy thing that the entire family can do - have fun with it!
Stay tuned next week for the next post in my fermented series.