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Making Sauerkraut

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By Gloria Cole (gloria125)
November 23, 2007 Mail this article
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Views: 2,210

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. In many traditional households making sauerkraut to preserve a surplus cabbage crop was an autumn ritual involving the whole family. Here I will explore how to make sauerkraut and the health benefits of eating it.

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Health Benefits. Sauerkraut, or fermented cabbage, is a food with practically no calories. Cabbage contains lactobacillus bacteria. Fermentation of the cabbage produces lactic acid which promotes healthy intestinal flora. Fermentation does not alter the anticancer enzymes already present in all cruciferious vegetables including raw cabbage. In Asia fermented cabbage has been used to cure Asian flu in birds. [1] Sauerkraut promotes vigor, vitality, and virility. No wonder this historic 'superfood' is enjoying a renaissance revival.

First, here is a basic recipe from the book of traditional food preservation techniques, Stocking Up (1977):

Select about 15 pounds of firm, green cabbages. Let stand at room temperature for one day. Remove any bruised outer leaves, wash, quarter, and remove cores. Cabbage should be dry before grating for sauerkraut. Shred or cut to about the thickness of a dime.
Thoroughly mix 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons salt (use pickling/canning salt) with each 10 quarts of shredded cabbage. As each batch is salted, get ready your crock or crocks. Pack the cabbage firmly, but not tightly into the crocks, pressing with a wooden spoon or paddle (see STOMPING*).
Lay a clean cloth over the cabbage with a plate on top that fits snugly inside the crock. It is important that the cabbage is covered by the tight-fitting plate: it may spoil otherwise. Weight with a stone or a gallon jar filled with water. The weight should be heavy enough so that the liquid just reaches the bottom of the cover. To vary the weight, use heavier or lighter stones or fill or empty the jar as needed.
Allow cabbage to ferment at room temperature (68 to 72 degrees F) for 9 to 14 days or more. (The lower the temperature, the slower the fermentation.) Change and wash the cloth, adjust the weight, and skim off the scum daily. Fermentation has ended when bubbles stop rising to the surface. Taste at the end of a week and can or place in a cool cellar or storeroom . . .. [2]

(1) Select, clean, and dry cabbages. (2) Assemble basic equipment, a cabbage shredder and stoneware crock. (3) The cabbage shredder cuts a half head of cabbage into the crock. Add canning salt layered with the cabbage, and STOMP*. (4) Add plate and weigh it down with a rock, or gallon jar filled with water. (5) Rinse. (6) Then can or package the final product in zip-lock freezer bags.

Variations. For maximum health benefits, eliminate the last two steps. Simply leave the crock of sauerkraut in a cool place and serve daily, as discussed by BronxBoy and Garden Mermaid in this thread. And, as discussed by Anastatia and Darius in this thread.

Fermentation preserves the cabbage, if the sauerkraut is properly made. A local variation here in Alabama, was to top the crock of shredded cabbage with huge cabbage leaves weighed down with bricks instead of a plate and rock. [3] You can add a sprinkling of caraway seed or a layer of sliced apples to the layers of cabbage. [4]

Natural medicine guru, Dr. Andrew Weil [5], promotes sauerkraut as a healthy superfood. On his web site, he provides his own recipe from his Arizona-grown cabbages and method for preserving the kraut. He uses a specially manufactured stoneware crock designed to eliminate the production of scum which has to be skimmed daily using the traditional method. The rim of the sauerkraut crock has a water trough and special ceramic weights to seal the space between the 'kraut and air-born bacteria. This eliminates the formation of scum. Stomping* and scum-skimming were traditionally tasks assigned to children.

History. The Greek, Pliny the Elder, in the first Century B.C. was one of the first in recorded history to mention sauerkraut. Records of the construction of the Great Wall of China built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) refer to fermented cabbage as a staple food for workers building the wall.

Genghis Khan (1162-1227) adopted sauerkraut as a staple food for his troops of mounted horsemen. After conquering most of Asia, Genghis Kahn's Mongol horsemen rode on to Germany, where the locals also took to making sauerkraut. German immigrants brought sauerkraut to America, where it is mentioned as early as 1776. In that same year, the English sailor, Captain James Cook received recognition for using sauerkraut on ocean expeditions to prevent scurvy among the members of the ship's crew on long voyages.

By 1906 sauerkraut and sausage were being sold from pushcarts in old New York City. These "hot dogs" as they were called, are still for sale from pushcarts in New York City--still served with sauerkraut. Sauerkraut became a foundation food of the New York 'deli', thus forming a lunch staple for New York's Wall Street financiers. Today, sauerkraut even has its own web site: http://www.sauerkraut.com/ebook.pdf [6] where you will find a recipe for sauerkraut chocolate cake.

The inescapable conclusion is that people who eat sauerkraut are people who shape destiny.

* STOMPING. The purpose of "stomping" is to start the action of the salt on the shredded cabbage to start producing juice. Pressing the salt into each cabbage layer with a wooden utensil is adequate, but traditionally children were asked to "stomp" on the cabbage as a way of inviting their participation, as described by GEORGE, in this thread. M.A. Church says this is how he does it:

I took a block of wood put it on the lathe and made it round about 3 inches and 8 inches long and use that . We do a couple heads then add some salt and caraway seed and pound it for a little. . . . But by using that block we can get the juices up above the cabbage with out adding salt water. Then yes we put a plate on it and a rock on that to hold it down . Personal Communication 10/3/07

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut

[2] Stocking Up: How to Preserve the Food You Grow, Naturally. Ed. Carol Hupping Stoner. Rodale Press. Emmaus, PA. 1977:169.

[3] Personnal communication. Janice Day, business woman of Greensboro, Alabama.

[4] Beaver Valley Homemade Sauerkraut Page. http://www.schmarder.com/dave/sauerkraut/index.htm

[5] Dr. Weil's Sauerkraut. www. drweil.com.

[6] How on Earth Did Sauerkraut Become the World's Most Successful Superfood . . . And What it Can Do to Help You.

http://www.sauerkraut.com/ebook.pdf 12 pp.

Additional Reading:

HEALTH BENEFITS. DeNoon, Daniel J., Eat Your Veggies and Fight Cancer, Too. www.medicinenet.com.

CANNING AND FREEZING. D.G. thread: Canning and Freezing: Sauerkraut.

KIMCHI. ASIAN FERMENTED CABBAGE. Kimchi - wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi

D.G. thread: Recipes: Cabbage. Darius. Nov. 19, 2005 posts recipe for Kimchi.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Cabbage heads. Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Big_Red. Plant Files. Oct 7, 2004, Nov. 12, 2004. Photographs 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Making Sauerkraut. Contributed by M.A. and Elaine Church of Buckley, Michigan. End photo: Anonymous. Three rabbits painted on ceramic tile. Personal collection of antique rabbit images.

DEDICATION: This piece was inspired by photographs sent to me by elementary and high school classmate, M.A. Church and his wife Elaine making sauerkraut at their home near Buckley, Michigan this fall.

Getting ready for a Michigan hay ride.

About Gloria Cole

I am a retired archeologist and curator of an historic house museum. I live in Greensboro, Alabama, a small rural historic Southern town, with my two dogs, a rabbit and (by recent count) two cats. I am upgrading a 100 year old neoclassic house and clearing and planting my two-and-one-half acre property. Of plants, I love roses best of all.

Subject: Sauerkraut

Posted by cubdaddy (from Spavinaw, OK) on July 20, 2008 at 2:18 PM:
Gloria;
I love to drink the juice off of Sauerkraut, especially when the weather turns HOT!! It seems to replace what ever my body is lacking due to the summer heat.
After reading your article, I made my first ever batch of Sauerkraut. I even put the core of the cabbage head into it, as these have always been a treat of mine. After the batch was done, I made the mistake of letting freinds and family try it. Each left with a quart of Kraut and a big smile. The flavor is out of this world, and the cost of makeing it is LESS than half the price of store bought. Is there any way to increase the amount of juice, and not lose any of the flavor or other benefits of the Kraut?? I can hardly wait to hear from you.
Jim
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on July 20, 2008 at 2:23 PM:
Wow. Im so glad that you got a good batch on your first try!

The only thing I can think of to make more juice is to add more salt.
Also, as I remember some people sort of bruised the cabbage leaves to make more juice. that would be a better solution than salt.
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on July 20, 2008 at 2:27 PM:
Yes. This was called STOMPING and at one time they put a small child into the crock to stomp away to get the cabbage 'started'.

* STOMPING. The purpose of "stomping" is to start the action of the salt on the shredded cabbage to start producing juice. Pressing the salt into each cabbage layer with a wooden utensil is adequate, but traditionally children were asked to "stomp" on the cabbage as a way of inviting their participation, as described by GEORGE, in this thread. M.A. Church says this is how he does it:
I took a block of wood put it on the lathe and made it round about 3 inches and 8 inches long and use that . We do a couple heads then add some salt and caraway seed and pound it for a little. . . . But by using that block we can get the juices up above the cabbage with out adding salt water. Then yes we put a plate on it and a rock on that to hold it down . Personal Communication 10/3/07

M. Church sent me some jars of that sauerkraut and I can tell you Ive never had any purchased sauerkraut like it.

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Posted by cubdaddy (from Spavinaw, OK) on July 20, 2008 at 2:44 PM:
Gloria;
Thank You!
I will be starting another batch of Sauerkraut in a couple of weeks, as well as a batch of pickles made from my Grandmothers old recipe for 'Salt Water Dills'. As a child, I used to take a couple of these pickles and a cold biscuit, and make a meal of them. MMMmmmm! SOOOO Good! I would love to send you some of each, to get your opinion and suggestions on them. Just let me know where to send them.
Jim
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Subject: SAUERKRAUT

Posted by ettasplace (from Elizabethton, TN) on November 26, 2007 at 11:17 PM:
I CAN SAUERKRAUT IN QUART JARS. IT FERMENTS IN THE JAR WITH THE SALT WATER.
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Subject: Yummy!

Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on November 23, 2007 at 5:21 PM:
I always loved it, but never knew it was one of the "superfoods"! Never had homemade, that I know of, but I'll bet it's the best. And yay, I see you included a link to a recipe for kimchi, which I love and haven't had in years. Interesting history, too. Thanks, Gloria!
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Posted by victorgardener (from Lower Hudson Valley, NY) on November 23, 2007 at 6:06 PM:
Very interesting, Gloria - thank you! Being a NYC kid, can't remember ever getting a hot dog from the street vendors without sauerkraut. Question is - do its health benefits nullify all the 'less than healthy' ingredients of the hot dog?!
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Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on November 23, 2007 at 7:00 PM:
It's a nicely written artcile; I wish I knew how to do the same thing NOT using FIFTEEN pounds of cabbage.... I love sauerkraut but not that much...
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on November 23, 2007 at 7:08 PM:
Great article on a favorite food, Gloria. Makes me hungry. Thank you.
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on November 23, 2007 at 9:39 PM:
I could eat it directly out of the jar, can, whatever. Thank you for a well written article and lots of information.

Christi
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 24, 2007 at 10:37 AM:
Thanks everybody for your comments! Yesterday I had a Rueben sandwich and realized this recipe needs to go here. Here are 3 authentic deli style recipes.

[HYPERLINK@www.hungrybrowser.com]

I made mine vegetarin style with Boca Italian sausage and pumpernickle bread.

gloria
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on November 24, 2007 at 1:15 PM:
Pumpernickle bread! Oh, yesssss! Thanks!
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 24, 2007 at 1:39 PM:
Dutchlady1: I know what you mean, 15 lbs of anything in a single person's refrigerator is just not practical.

At my local country grocery store out here in rural Alabama, we do have Bush's Shredded Sauerkraut on the shelves. Sometimes they have single serving size, but for a regular sized can you can use half and keep the other half for later. They also have a "Bavarian style" which has sugar in it. I prefer it straight. Canned sauerkraut is probably not as healthy as fresh homemade, but it does make a pretty mean Rueben sandwich.

gloria
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on November 24, 2007 at 7:03 PM:
I don't suppose it's any good frozen?
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 24, 2007 at 7:29 PM:
As you can see in the article, the people who sent me the photographs intended to freeze theirs.

It still tastes good canned or frozen, but it looses some of the bacteria that makes it healthy. And the best taste is just brined.
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on November 24, 2007 at 11:33 PM:
Ahhh, thanks!
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Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on November 26, 2007 at 8:01 AM:

So happy to read a good article about one of my favorite vegetable preparations! From talking to my kids, I was afraid no one but me makes sauerkraut dishes any more and it was totally out of style!

But I see by that one photo shot of the kitchen counter that somebody must still eat it!

Fun article to read!
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Posted by golfish (from Bloomfield, IA) on November 26, 2007 at 10:24 AM:
When I make sauerkraut I usually use a 10 gallon crock. After following all the steps listed I deviate when it comes to the cloth and rock. Instead, I use 2 garbage bags to seal the crock. The first bag is opened then pressed on top of the cabbage. The second is placed inside the ffirst and water is added until there are a couple inches above the cabbage. No skimming, no waste, just wait 4 to 6 weeks and you have 6 to 8 gallons of sauerkraut.

What to do with that much sauerkraut? I heat it up, pack it into pint jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. After the jars seal you can store the sauerkraut or share it with friends and relatives. My grown children love it. (Of course they grew up eating it.)

Try using red cabbage. It yields a milder sauerkraut and sure leads to some interesting comments about the color.
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on November 26, 2007 at 11:42 AM:
Sounds good enough for breakfast.
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 26, 2007 at 12:16 PM:
One of my special (meaning not-oatmeal) breakfasts is sauerkraut, Boca Italian Sausage, or Morningstar Farms link sausages and crispy hash browns.

Thanks everyone for your comments on my sauerkraut article!

gloria
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on November 26, 2007 at 1:30 PM:
Boca is vegetarian, correct? Have had their burgers and they are very good.
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 26, 2007 at 1:43 PM:
Both Boca and Morningstar Farms make vegetarian products.

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Posted by roybird (from Santa Fe, NM) on November 26, 2007 at 9:50 PM:
Ooh...saurkraut. My D.H. loves it. Thanks for a good article.
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on November 26, 2007 at 11:55 PM:
Thank you Roybird. Ive just discovered rueben sandwiches all over again.
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on December 13, 2007 at 12:12 AM:
Gloria, I just read this article and just had to say - well done! I'm sure that very few people would have even thought about writing this, and you have done so in a completely fascinating and delicious way. Thanks!

Did you know that to Germans eating sauerkraut on New Year's Day is their way of ensurig a prosperous year to come? It is definately considered the "thing to do". My husband and I spent the mornings of many a New Years Day at our favorite German restaurant in Colorado, helping to wrap the silverware for later in the day and enjoying freshly made potato pancakes with bowls of applesauce and sauerkraut (and any leftover sauerbratten from the night before!☺). I do miss that. Your article reminded me, so I will be sure to prepare some for this New Years.

Yokwe,
Shari
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 13, 2007 at 9:49 AM:
Island Shari: So good to hear from you. Just about everybody knows about sauerkraut, but few know about the depth of the tradition. It really is--because it is a way of preserving all the nutrients in cabbage--the foundation of empires. And it is especially good with potatoes!

Thanks, Island Shari, for adding another dimension to the tradition.

gloria
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on December 13, 2007 at 11:46 AM:
We have had it twice since reading your article. What was left I ate out of the jar.
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Posted by margie2u (from Shelton, WA) on December 13, 2007 at 8:33 PM:
Gloria, your article on making sauerkraft is wonderful. I enjoyed reading it so much.
I just had no idea how good it was for the body and all the information from everyone has enlightened me so much. Is the amount of salt in the preserving of it okay for everyone also??.
I could eat it everyday for sure so hope the salt isn't going to be a problem.
Again thanks for the information it was Great.
Margie
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 13, 2007 at 9:11 PM:
In the link to [HYPERLINK@www.drweil.com] you will find information on minimizing the salt. Some people rinse the cabbage after it is cured. If you are on a low salt diet you could cut back on the salt in this fashion, but you would lose some of the health benefits. You also lose health benefits if you cook or can the sauerkraut.

I have been using Bush brand sauerkraut that comes in glass jars and I must say it does not taste especially salty.

Im afraid I got myself addicted to sauerkraut by writing this article!
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Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on December 31, 2007 at 10:56 PM:
Great article!

And we're having sauerkraut with our pork roast tomorrow!

Happy new year!
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Posted by gloria125 (from Greensboro, AL) on December 31, 2007 at 11:05 PM:
tabasco. Good to hear from you! Happy New Year to you!

This was a fun article to do.
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