Cabbage is one of our favorite fall crops because it holds well on the plants, it stores relatively well, and there are so many good uses for it! We typically plant cabbage transplants in October here in zone 8b, and they're ready to harvest in late December or January depending on how cold the winter has been.
During those cooler months, the cabbage holds well in the garden so we can usually harvest it as we need it -- as opposed to having to harvest it all at one time. In some cases though, a really hard freeze will necessitate a mass harvest. When we harvest a bunch of cabbage at once, it's time to make sauerkraut!
We started making our own sauerkraut several years ago and it's a great way to preserve the cabbage harvest. We try to keep some in the fridge year round to use as a topping for bratwurst, sausage, and more. We've made large batches in Ohio Stoneware Crock and small batches with our Masontops Complete Fermentation Kit.
We recently received an email with a sauerkraut recipe that we just had to try! This particular recipe was sent by a viewer named Larry and this was the recipe that his Polish grandmother used. According to Larry, his grandmother came to the United States in 1912 and he used to help her make it when he was a kid. We've always made sauerkraut with just cabbage and salt, so we were excited to try this version which added fresh garden carrots to the mix.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Lbs Shredded Green Cabbage
- 0.5 Lbs Shredded Carrots
- 1 Tablespoon Canning or Pickling Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Caraway Seed
DIRECTIONS:
1)Shred the cabbage as finely as possible. Finely-chopped cabbage pieces provide more surface area for absorption of the flavors and more effective fermentation.
2) Shred the carrots into thin slivers. We used a stand grater and it worked very well, but use whatever you have in your kitchen.
3) Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large mixing bowl.
4) Add the salt and caraway seed, then mix thoroughly with your hands. Be aggressive with the mixing of the salt and spices. Crushing the cabbage as you mix will improve the fermentation process.
5) Place the mixture in your favorite fermentation vessel. We like the Masontops kit for small batches of just a few jars.
6) Allow the mixture to ferment for 10 days in a dark area of your home. We like to put ours in the pantry or a cabinet in our laundry room.
7) After 10 days, your delicious sauerkraut is ready to enjoy! Replace the Masontops fermentation lids with standard jar lids, store in the fridge, and use as you need it.
