Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos)

By Irena Macri
|Published: June 13, 2016
|78 Comments

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Learn how to make this easy and quick sauerkraut with step-by-step photos and instructions. Great for keeping your gut health in tip-top shape, sauerkraut can be added as a healthy condiment to any meal.

Why Make Your Own Sauerkraut

Gut health is one of the most talked-about topics amongst nutrition and wellness experts and enthusiasts. Many studies are now showing that healthy, well-balanced gut flora is one of the key factors in achievinggood digestion, and health in general.

As well as avoiding stress and toxins that cause an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in our gut in the first place, it’s important to include a variety offermented foodsand probiotics in your diet. Read about thetop 10 foods for a healthy gut here.

Freshly fermented cabbage, also known as sauerkraut, is a wonderful and simple way to add some friendly bacteria to your gut. It’s not always easy to find fresh sauerkraut in stores (or it’s super expensive) and people often buy the pasteurised kind you find in the non-refrigerated sections of the supermarket.

However, that’s not thesauerkraut you want as all that lively bacteria are destroyed during the pasteurisation process. What you want is fresh sauerkraut in which the bacteria are alive and thriving and which you would keep refrigerated.

How To Make Sauerkraut

Below, I show how to make sauerkraut in your own kitchen. For a small batch of fermented kraut, all you need is a head of cabbage, salt and a jar! You can use white or red cabbage for this recipe.

Watch my Facebook video demo on how to make sauerkraut here (replay of my Facebook live session).

Step 1 – Preparing The Cabbage

I used a small head of cabbage (about 800-900 grams / 1.8 lbs. ) for what I would call asmall batch of sauerkraut. Remove the outer leavesthat might be dirty and cut the cabbage into quarters. Remove the core and shred the cabbage into thin strips. You can use a food processor for this.

Transfer the cabbage to a large plastic container or a bowl and sprinkle with about 18grams of salt (2.25-2.5% of the cabbage weight or about 3.5 teaspoons).

If your cabbage is about 1 kg / 2 lbs., then you’re looking at 22-25 grams of salt, or 4-5 teaspoons. Toss through and leave for about 5 minutes for the cabbage to start releasing its juices (the salt draws them out).

In the meantime, wash a medium glass jar (about 500-750 ml or 1 litre if using a larger head of cabbage) and its lid with soapy water, rinse with hot water and let it dry on a towel. There is no need to sterilise it any further than that.

Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos) - Irena Macri (3)

Step 2 – Squeezing The Cabbage To Produce Brine

Add about a third cup of filtered water and toss through the cabbage. Start squeezing and mixing the cabbage with your hands. Squeeze hard to get as much juice out of the cabbage as possible and after a few minutes, it will become lightly bruised and softened, with a decent amount of salty brine.

Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos) - Irena Macri (4)

Step 3 – Stuffing The Cabbage Into A Clean Jar

Start packing the jar we prepared earlier with the cabbage. Press the cabbage down with your fingers and then also with a spoon or a wooden stick. As you get closer to the top, use your fingers to really compact the cabbage in the jar, allowing the brine to float to the top.

The idea is to eliminate as many air bubbles inside the jar as possible. You want to leave about a centimetre of space at the top for the liquid.

Finally, pour in the remaining brine/juice to cover the cabbage completely as that will protect it from oxygen and external bacteria.

If you have leftover cabbage, you can pan fry it with some onions for a yummy side dish.

Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos) - Irena Macri (5)

Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos) - Irena Macri (6)

Step 4 – Sauerkraut Fermentation Stages

Cover the jar with a lid and set it aside somewhere warm, saynear a stove. The fermentation process can take anywhere from 5 days to 1 montha week, depending on how warm or cold the air in the room is.

I recommend that you ferment the sauerkraut for at least 7 days and that’s how I like it as it’stangy but not too sour while still retaining its crunch.The longer you leave the jar out of the fridge, the sourer and softer the cabbage willbecome.

Now, there are a couple of things you need to do whilethe cabbage is fermenting. After about 24 hours, the pressure in the jar will build upas the bubbles will form during the fermentation. It’s important to gently open the lid and let some of that air/pressure out and also to check that the cabbage is still covered with liquid.

Press it down with your fingers to let the juices float back to the top or add a little more water and a sprinkle of salt.I recommend the following frequency for releasing the air pressure and checking the liquid is covering the cabbage:

24 hours later – 1st release
36hours later – 2nd release (12 hours after the first release)
48hours later – 3rd release (12 hours after the second release)
72 hours later – just check the liquid, the pressure should no longer be building up (24 hours after the third release)

After 7 days of fermenting move the jar to the fridge and start enjoying it daily. The sauerkraut will keep fermenting in the fridge but at a MUCH slower rate, it will keep for at least 1 month…although you shouldn’t have any left by then.

Thisis avery basic sauerkraut recipe that you can apply to other vegetables. You can add grated carrot or other crunchy vegetables to the cabbage, some garlic,coriander seeds, dill, mustard seeds and other spices to make different variations of this sauerkraut.

I like to add a little sauerkraut to my eggs in the morning or as a side with our dinner or lunch meal but I usually only have itonce a day. You can drizzle it with a little olive oil and add some spring onion to freshen it up.

More Homemade Condiments

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Quick Sauerkraut Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Author: Irena Macri

Servings: 10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: European

Print Pin Save

4.79 from 14 votes

Calories: 20kcal

Learn how to make sauerkraut with this detailed, step-by-step tutorial. This quick recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and a clean jar with a tight lid.

Ingredients

▢ 1 medium head white cabbage 800 - 900 g / 1.8 lbs.
▢ 3.5 teaspoons sea salt about 18 grams
▢ ⅓ cup filtered water
▢ Glass jar about 500-750 ml and a lid
▢ Large bucket container or a mixing bowl

Instructions

Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the core and shred with a knife or a food processor.
Add to a container and sprinkle with salt, toss through and set aside for 5 mins.
Wash the glass jar and its lid in soapy water, rinse and dry.
Add water to the cabbage and start mixing and squeezing everything with your hands for a few minutes to bruise the vegetable and release the juices.
Pack the cabbage tightly into the clean jar. Use a spoon or a wooden stick to push down the cabbage so it's very compacted and the brine floats tot he top. Fill up to the top, leaving about 1-2cm space at the top. Press down again so that the cabbage is covered by the juice, pour in the rest of the brine. Cover tightly with the lid and set aside in a warm spot, like near the stove.
Leave the jar out at this room temperature for at least 7 days. For the first few days, open the lid every 12-16 hours to let some of the pressure out and to make sure cabbage is submerged under the liquid. Add a little extra water if needed.
Taste after 7 days and it should be fermented enough to start consuming. Ferment longer for more sour and softer kraut. After that, keep the jar in the fridge for a few weeks.

Notes

Please see step-by-step photos above for reference.

Nutrition

Keywords: Cabbage Recipes, Fermentation, Fermenting, Sauerkraut

Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedandloved or tag #cookedandloved

Do you ferment at home? What are your favourite foods and combinations? Share this post with your friends and family and get them into fermenting!

Quick Sauerkraut Recipe (With Step-By-Step Photos) - Irena Macri (8)

By Irena Macri

About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. I share delicious recipes that I have cooked and loved. I am a published cookbook author, have been food blogging for over 10 years and have a Diploma in Nutrition. You will find many healthy recipes as well as my favourite comfort food. More about me here | Subscribe to my newsletter and freebies

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Comments

78 Comments

I love Sauerkraut and this looks like a really simple recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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I really love sauerkraut and this looks like a simple recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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I never do that afraid not be ok but I just order a fermenter from amazon and will try to do it. I eat that so long time ago and love it so I hope will be ok to do it
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1. I love my fermenter for kombucha too! Soo good! Keeps my gut working properly! And cheap to make and easy!
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Thank you so much for the great instructions! I’ve been wanting to try making sauerkraut, and these steps were very clear and easy to follow.
I have a question: I used one small head of cabbage, not knowing how much it would shrink. So, my jar is only half full. Even though I’ve pressed it down as hard as I can, little bits keep floating up above the liquid level. Is this ok? Should I add more water?
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1. Hey Alisa, this is ok. Ideally you don’t want to have so much space for liquid. I would instead use a smaller jar, if you have one. But it’s ok if some bits float to the top, as long as most of the cabbage is submerged under liquid and thus not exposed to any oxygen.
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2. I like to use the outermost, skan*y leaves from Step 1, left whole, folded up and pushed under the shoulders of the jar to plug the opening, keeping the shredded cabbage submerged. When using napa cabbage or bok choy, I plug the jar with the stem cluster. If any of my kraut gets moldy, it’ll be that one leaf or the root end and they’re a snap to remove without spreading mold throughout the rest of the batch.
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I had the same problem with the jar not being full. I tried to plug the top with some of the outer leaves as someone suggested, and then I topped up with water so that everything was submerged. Does that work?
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Hi. So I don’t need to pressure cook the jar when I’m done? You just put the lid on like normal? Thanks!
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1. Yes, I just make sure the cabbage is completely covered with brine/salted water and pop the lid on top. You should only have about 1cm of empty space under the lid left for some pressure to build up.
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Hi there,
Thanks for sharing! I just prepared this. Now the wait game. I had a bit of space about an inch of space left over after pouring the brine. All the cabbage is covered. Hope it turns out!
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I have questions. Do you tight the lid or leave it ajar ? I read on many fermentation sites that the lid supposed to be loose to allow gases to escape . Unless you use a Fido jar appropriate for fermentation. I also read that if the purpose of making sauerkraut is to get probiotics, the cabbage needs to ferment for at least 6 months .
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1. Hey Miri,
  The lid should be tight as letting in the oxygen continuously will potentially spoil the cabbage (not in the good way). The reason I instruct you to open the jar lid slightly every 24 or so hours at the start of the fermentation process, is to allow some of the gases to escape, but you then close the lid tightly again and make sure the cabbage is completely submerged under liquid, so it gets no oxygen. Cabbage can be fermented from anywhere between 5 days and 3 months. It doesn’t need to ferment for 6 months to develop probiotics, that stats to happen after 3 days, if not earlier. You might get more probiotics after a week or two weeks, but the fermentation time will also affect the texture and flavour of the sauerkraut: the longer you ferment it, the softer it will get, so it really depends on how you personally like it. You will get plenty of benefits from a 7-day ferment, so there is no need to wait for 6 months…not sure who’s said that, but that’s not accurate. I hope that helps 🙂
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The in-depth step by step directions with pictures are absolutely invaluable! Thank you so much for being such a helpful guide for me once I decide to jump into the deep end on making sauerkraut. I have been doing a ton of research before making the plunge so I don’t make any mistakes! Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you!
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Once the sour kraut is fermented to your preference, can you then can it, either with water bath or pressure canner? How do you keep it for an extended period of time?
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1. I don’t can it as it kind of kills all that beneficial bacteria, but once it’s fermented, I simply store in the fridge for up 2 months. Although it never lasts that long 😉
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How long is it good for in the fridge and how do I know when it’s gone bad?
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1. Hey Keira, I’ve kept my sauerkraut for 5-6 weeks in the fridge (not that it lasts so long). It sort of keeps fermenting even in the fridge, although very very slowly as it’s cold. It has never gone bad on me but you would look out for any foul smell or obvious growth of mold or discolouration.
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This was my first attempt at fermentation of cabbage. My family loves sauerkraut. This recipe couldn’t be easier and tastes delicious.
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1. Thanks Pam 🙂 Glad you found it easy and enjoyable.
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Can u use hard plastic jar
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1. For storing, I would stay away from plastic. For making the sauerkraut, you can do in a plastic container.
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This is a great recipe. Why do I say that? Because it’s nearly identical to the recipe I’ve been using for years. The only difference is that I don’t mess with small amounts; I make six pounds of kraut at a time in a one-gallon glass jar. Also, for those of you using USA measurements, the salt to cabbage ratio is two tsp. of salt to one pound of cabbage.
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When I open the jar to release pressure it sprays brine everywhere! Is this normal…..should I just be prepared and do it over the sink?
Thanks
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1. Yeah, definitely do it over the sink. You might have just had a lot of pressure in the jar, so just open it very slowly to let some of it out first before opening the lid completely. This won’t happen after a few a days, just the initial fermentation stage.
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ok – i am going in,,,, using my organically grown red cabbage. Is it ok to add a clove of garlic or a little hot pepper? I will rate it later after i consume the results!
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Thank YOU …..:-). Very clear, easy and helpful
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1. Thank you!
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Lovely quick way to make your own zuurkool (sauerkraut).
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Thank you for the easy to follow instructions. This is our first try. The ‘test’ cabbage is in the bottle and we have high hopes from here on. Jackie
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1. You’re welcome! Good luck 🙂
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The only problem I encountered it that it tastes great after the first 5-10 mins of mushing!! I’ve found it hard to not eat it too early, but it’s now about 1 week and it’s great! Thanks for the clear instructions.
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1. Ha, I know what you mean 🙂
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Hi, I’m 6 days into this recipe and its still gassing quite a bit and the brine is just a little bit gooey. Os that okay or have I spoiled it?
The water completely covered the cabbage, but just barely, and there were several floaters. Also, I may have used a bit more salt than recommended. Thanks
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1. Hey Lee,
  If you used more salt, then the kraut would take longer to ferment so 6 days of bubbling is quite normal in that case. The brine shouldn’t be too gooey though. You could send me a picture if you like to [emailprotected]. I would say it’s probably okay. If the brine starts to reduce, add a little more water to cover the cabbage.
  Irena
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The recipe for Kraut was easy to follow and I wait with great expectations for the finished result…… Actually I’m far too excited and will have to use great restraint not to fiddle and peek at it too much . Many thanks ?
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1. Glad you found it useful and easy to follow 🙂
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Well explained, depicted and easy to undersatnd.
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Thank you for this recipe. I made it on Monday and checked it yesterday and there were a lot of bubbles in the jar. Is this normal?
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1. Press the cabbage down more to remove the air bubbles (you can do it a day or so later) and fill up with more salty water to the top. The bubbles might also have been the gas building up, so once you burp the jar, press the cabbage down with your fingers.
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This recipe looks delicious. I will try this on weekend as all the ingredients is posted here. But mixing and calculating the ingredients is difficult when you match it with the cost. When there is fraction part of the ingredients and you need some calculation, you surely need time to calculate it. That is why I used mixed fraction calculator to calculate the ingredients. Anyway this recipe is really good. Thank you for sharing this.
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Hi
Recipe looks good I make fermented pickles this way too.
Just wondering why you recommend filtered water?
Thanks for sharing
Caz
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1. The water can be of different quality depending on where you are so the only way to stay consistent is to use filter water or boiled water (cold). In some places, water just simply doesn’t taste that good and it can impact the ferment. Any bottled water or just cooled boiled water will be fine.
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After fermentation can you clean jar rim, add clean cap and ring and can? If so, would you pressure can or water bath?
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Just made this! Was so user friendly! Thank you
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1. I am happy you found it nice and easy to follow. Irena xo
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Spotted your recipe and then I noticed your last name! I’m a Macri as well! It’s my maiden name. My father was born in Calabria. Will try tour recipe for sauerkraut. My mother was German so we had sauerkraut often. We now live in Tulsa but we’re originally from South Bend, IN. How about you? Is this your married name?
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One of the easiest step by step instructions i have used. Clear and easy to follow. Excellent.
Tony from Western Australia
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Far and away the best sauerkraut recipe out there. I make a 3kg batch every few months and we eat it as a side with most meals. You can mix it up a bit by adding garlic, dried chili or spices. 5/5.
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1. Thanks, Tarquin. I am glad you like using this recipe 🙂
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Well, that was much easier than I thought! Just a note (and many will probably note this idea) is that when I released the pressure the first time, I found that having the screw-top tight enough – and just loose enough at the same time – the gas is gradually escaping on its own accord – which is nice, I think. Sort of whispers at’cha… I’ve brewed many batches of beer and a few of wine, and it’s similar to the concept of an air-lock, but this is with produced-gas volume and pressure, instead of by gas volume alone. The corner of our kitchen smells wonderful. – Thanx for the recipe and clear instructions.
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1. You’re welcome, Thomas. Glad it worked out well and smoothly for you 🙂 Irena
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I linked your kraut recipe to my podcast called The Story Tree, a storytelling podcast for kids and anyone that loves a good tale. Episode Two is called Sauerkraut Papa and it’s about passing on the tradition of making kraut! I hope it’s okay that I linked my followers to your quick and easy recipe. https://www.thestorytree.org/episodes/episode-two-sauerkraut-papa
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I just threw out my first attempt! I used a large cabbage and there was just not enough liquid from the cabbage and the 1/3 cup filtered water. I kept the cabbage pushed down as much as I could but I couldnt stop it breaking the surface and it grew a few different types of mould. Is there any reason I cant just make a larger amount of brine to ensure the cabbage is fully submerged?
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1. Hey, Ali
  If you don’t have enough brine from cabbage, just fill up the top of the jar with salted water. The main thing is that the cabbage is submerged by the liquid, ideally salted. Hope that helps.
  Irena
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I’m wanting to make a big excess of sauerkraut juice to take shots could I double the water and salt and make a larger layer of brine?
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1. Yes, definitely!
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Awesome. I’m looking forward to trying your method right away.
Thank you
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I will try it out, thank you. Sounds easy to prepare !a
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Can you can this for later use instead of putting in frig?
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1. Do you mean, can you keep it out of the fridge?
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Simple and easy to prepare. Thank you for sharing it.
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Can you just cover with cheesecloth instead of releasing it every time
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1. Do you mean to use a cheesecloth instead of a lid? Needs to be sealed from any oxygen, so a lid is a must.
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Hi. How long will sauerkraut last in the fridge after opening jar to eat it?
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1. It can last for a few months
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great recipe…I just made it and tried some after the 3rd day–tasting good !
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1. Enjoy!
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This is a tasty,easy recipe..we have tried it with dill,pickling spice but prefer it just with the salt..like that it’s done in 7 days or sooner..use a fermentation lid which works very well.😊
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1. Glad you liked it 🙂
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Thanks just bought case organic cabbage with 1/2 case organic beets but plan to add some organic raw vinegar and organic fennel seeds
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1. Sounds amazing!
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Thank you so much, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Simple, basic instructions no fuss or demanding attention to fluffy detail, just fantastic food for the struggling amateur! It’s going in the notebook for sure!
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1. Welcome, Sandy 🙂
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Hi,
My name is Linda,
I have tried your recipe as it was the most simple. It seems to be fine after a week and a half now.
I have released the gas etc every day and pushed the cabbage below the brine. It has a smell when I open the bottles. It’s not hectic.. lol. like rotten cabbage. It does still have bubbles. Is my cabbage ready to put into the fridge? Or is it not good at all? I wish I could send a pic to show you how it looks. Please let me know if my saurkraut is ok.
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1. Yes, it’s good to go. I usually keep mine fermenting outside of the fridge for about 7 days or so (depending on how warm it is in the house). Some people leave it fermenting for longer as they prefer a softer texture and more tang, but I love to have a little crunch in mine, so 7-9 days is great. The smell, when you open the jar, is totally normal! It won’t smell like that once you put it in the fridge…and a lot of the liquid will get absorbed into the cabbage as well.
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Hey thanks for this recipe! So simple. Just packed my “soon to be sauerkraut” in their jars… I am living in northern Portugal and can’t find sauerkraut anywhere.. I will let you and your readers know how it turns out. I cannot recommend this recipe enough…🥰🥰🥰
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Ok it’s been a couple years back I lost the recipe but all I did was cut up my cabbage stuff it into clean mason jars and I believe I made a brine with vinegar and salt sealed the jars and turned them upside down for 20-30 minutes then turn them back over and jars will seal because liquid was hot
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