Food as Medicine: Fermented Vegetables aka Sauerkraut

I posted an album of pictures of my fermenting experiments recently on facebook.  To which my sister commented, 'but why ferment stuff?'......

Good question!.....and here is my reply:  "good bacteria baby!! think about it, we live in an age where bacteria are perceived as 'baddies'...everything is sterile, bleached...food is mostly cooked....antibiotics in the water and food (especially dairy)...A healthy immune system depends on having a healthy gut flora. Also if babies are not breastfed they don't benefit from the healthy innoculation of flora from the mother. In traditional cultures, fermentation is practised as a way to preserve food. There are beneficial bacteria everywhere in our environment, culturing them is a really healthy practice....we can all benefit from building the healthy bacteria in our guts...the more healthy stuff we have in there, the less chance the bad ones have of taking hold, it's all about restoring balance!"

 I first tried making sauerkraut a few years ago, a couple of years into my experimentation with the raw foods lifestyle.  Unfortunately, it all went horribly wrong and my sauerkraut was really not very edible at all!  So i was put off from trying again, thinking it was all too complicated without the proper (expensive) crock which i couldn't afford at the time.

It's a shame i didn't have someone back then who could have showed me how very simple the process is, and it's neither time consuming nor complicated.

I attended a workshop last summer with Sandor Katz (aka Sandor Kraut).  He has written an excellent book on fermentation, entitled Wild Fermentation.  It's on my wish list....:-)

Anyway, i came away from the workshop feeling very inspired, and having a much greater understanding of the importance of including fermented foods in the diet.

In fact, it seemed to me like the missing link in my diet....there's raw food, and then there's fermented raw food....which is really full of living, beneficial microorganisms which are so vital for gut health and robust immunity.

Studies suggest that fermented cabbage may be even more beneficial to health than the raw vegetable, with all that gut friendly lactic acid bacteria, and increased levels of anti-cancer agents such as isothiocyanates. It is also an excellent source of vitamin C and other nutrients.

So here's a simple sauerkraut recipe......basically a step by step guide to fermenting vegetables in a process known as lacto-fermentation.  Cabbage is traditionally the main ingredient in Sauerkraut, although many other vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, onion, turnip, cauliflower, ginger and garlic can be added.  The more vegetables you add, the wider the variety of beneficial microflora in your finished sauerkraut, as the process uses the microflora that reside on the skins of the vegetables. 

Sauerkraut is actually very easy to make, all you need is a cabbage and any other veg you like, some salt, a large bowl, a sharp knife and chopping board, and a 1 litre glass kilner jar.   

Ingredients

1 large head of white cabbage

sea salt or Himalayan rock salt to tastes.

Method

1.   Save the outer leaves of the cabbage

2.   Finely slice or chop the cabbage with a sharp knife or mandolin.  Set the heart of the cabbage aside to use later on.

3.   Place shredded cabbage into a bowl and sprinkle over salt to taste (try 1 level tsp to begin).

4.   Massage the shredded cabbage strongly with your bare hands.  The salt helps to pull the juices out of the cabbage, and after a while you will notice that the cabbage is soft and wilted and there will be quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl.  There needs to be enough liquid so that when the cabbage and juices are all packed into a jar, the liquid will cover the surface of the cabbage. 

5.   Pack the cabbage down firmly into a 1 litre kilner jar, making sure that the juices reach above the level of the cabbage.  If there are not enough juices, top up with a little filtered water.

6.   Place one of the outer cabbage leaves over the top, making a seal to stop the air touching the vegetables.  Place the heart of the cabbage on top of this, so that when the lid is closed, it pushes down on the cabbage leaf, keeping everything nicely submerged :) 

7.   Set aside somewhere you will not forget about, and leave to ferment.  I like to leave mine on a shelf in the kitchen.

8.   Generally the sauerkraut starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes.

9.   Taste your sauerkraut daily, and when the sauerkraut has reached a level of fermentation and taste you are happy with, move the jar to the fridge.  You will also get the benefit of different varieties of microflora at different stages, as the pH of the sauerkraut changes during the process....

   10. Lasts for weeks in the fridge.

This is a foolproof method for making a successful batch of sauerkraut. Trust me :)

The main points to remember are that the salt acts to inhibit putrefying bacteria in the early stages of fermentation until the pH is lowered sufficiently to inhibit them, so make sure that you put enough salt in.  I think it may be possible to cut down on the salt if you use a starter culture to get the fermentation process going more quickly.  If you are into making kefir, then you can use some whey to innoculate your vegetables and add even more probiotic value to your sauerkraut.

Also, the fermentation process is anaerobic, so you will want to make sure that your vegetables are always submerged in their juices.  Rotting or putrefying is an aerobic process, so if you do find that your top layers have gone bad, just scoop them out.  The rest of the batch should be unaffected.

Sauerkraut can be eaten like a condiment with meals, or mixed into salads. 

 I have been amazed at the variations in flavour i have achieved between batches.  I love to use some red cabbage or beetroot for a bright pink/purple kraut, and a little ginger and chilli tastes great too.   Other tasty additions include dill seeds, herbs, kelp, seaweed (good for adding minerals).  

 

You may notice when you consume sauerkraut regularly, your digestion and elimination as well as immunity improves.....which naturally improves vitality and energy levels.  I have personally noticed that my digestion is SO much more efficient, and i rarely get a bloated belly these days even if i eat less than optimal foods.  

Enjoy :-)