Using the fermentation process to make sauerkraut

Some of the healthiest foods are some of the easiest to prepare. Fermentation is a metabolic process that some microorganisms use to produce ATP and other molecules from the breakdown of sugars. We take advantage of fermentation to produce many foods such as bread, cheese, yogurt, pickles, beer and wine. All we need to do is provide the microorganisms with the right environment and they can “ferment” our foods!

Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation

In the process of making sauerkraut from cabbage, the microorganisms responsible for the fermentation are lactic acid bacteria, sometimes shortened to LAB. Lactic acid is a product of their fermentation and contributes to the flavour and preservation of food, and a healthy gut microbiome. While the LAB are acid-tolerant, other bacteria that we don‘t want growing in our sauerkraut are not and their growth is inhibited by lactic acid.

Ingredients

• 600g cabbage (~half a head)
• 12g salt (2% cabbage mass)

Method

1. Weigh the cabbage. I used 300g of white cabbage and 300g of red cabbage - roughly a quarter head of each.


2. Finely chop the cabbage and put it in a large bowl.


3. Calculate 2% of the cabbage‘s mass and add this amount of salt into the bowl of cabbage. For 600g of cabbage, add 12g of salt.


4. Add some spices, like pepper, into the bowl as well if desired.


5. Squeeze and massage the cabbage well. This will help the salt pull water out of the cabbage to create a brine. Try to squeeze the cabbage until about a cup of water has been released.


6. Tightly pack the cabbage into a jar. Using your fist to pack it as you go can help get all the air out between the layers of cabbage. The brine should completely submerge the cabbage. If not, just ensure the cabbage is packed as tightly as possible - the cabbage will continue to release more water and become submerged.


7. Lay a large cabbage leaf, or two, on top of all the chopped cabbage. This will help keep the small cabbage pieces from floating to the surface of the water and the large leaf can be removed if accidentally exposed to air, causing mold to develop.


8. Place a weight on top of the large cabbage leaves to keep everything submerged. If one doesn‘t have a dedicated fermentation weight, a jar filled with water can do the job just as well.


9. Cover the jar loosely with a lid. It is important to not completely close the lid so that the carbon dioxide produced by the bacteria can escape.


10. Leave to ferment for 1-3 weeks. Ultimately, how long the cabbage is left fermenting is up to personal taste.


If the pH of the fermentation is measured each day, one will notice the pH drop as more lactic acid is produced.

After 22 days, I couldn‘t wait any longer! The flavour was delicious after this amount of time. One can notice how the cabbage changed colour after fermentation.