How to Make Your Own Sauerkraut at Home

Real sauerkraut is cabbage that has fermented for several weeks in salty water. It is filled with probiotic bacteria that are essential for a health gut and a healthy immune system.

Do not confuse this raw fermented sauerkraut with the pickled sauerkraut you normally find in the grocery store. The pickled kind--with vinegar--does not have the valuable probiotics.

Grocery stores are now starting to carry the fermented type, but it is usually pasteurized, which kills many, if not all of the beneficial bacteria. Raw fermented sauerkraut can be expensive, especially if you eat it daily like I do.  Making it yourself can greatly reduce this expense.

There are many variations on making sauerkraut. I recommend that you watch multiple videos and pick the method that works for you. I've picked out a couple of my favorite sauerkraut-making videos to get you started.

The first video is presented by Craig, a Canadian who is very knowledgeable about fermenting foods (especially beer). I think you'll enjoy it. It's a little over 20 minutes long.




The second video, below, is from the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. It is extremely detailed, if a bit dry, and also covers long-term storage of sauerkraut. Keep in mind that freezing or canning sauerkraut does kill the probiotic bacteria that is so essential to good health. The best way to have sauerkraut in your healthy diet is to make small batches that you can store in the fridge and eat within a couple of months.



A couple of tips from the videos:

• Use non-iodized sea salt. Avoid using regular table salt.
• Once the salt is added, avoid touching the kraut with any type of metal.
• Use a plastic or wooden bowl, not metal.