Fermented Beetroot and Cabbage Kraut
Simple Kraut made using only vegetables, spices and salt. No starter culture or whey needed.
Fermented foods contain high amounts of beneficial bacteria, more so than commercially produced probiotics. So if you’re into gut health, why not try making your own probiotic rich food. Super easy to make and once you’ve tried, it you’ll wonder why you were hesitant to do so in the first place!
Ingredients.
- 1/4 large red cabbage (reserve some of the outer leaves).
- 2-3 large beetroots.
- 2 large carrots.
- 1 large red onion.
- 1 small bunch radishes (about 6-8).
- 1 tsp carraway seed.
- 3 tsp onion flakes.
- 34g salt (2%)
Method.
- Using a mandolin or sharp knife, finely slice the cabbage, carrot, onion and beetroot. If using a mandolin, make sure you also add the julienne cutter so that your carrots and beets are ‘shredded’.
- Using your kitchen scales, weigh out a large bowl or container (write this number down) if your scales have the tare reset button, use that. Then add your shredded vegetables.
- Mine weighed 1700g, (if you had to write down your bowl weight, take that number off your total weight) we then work out 2% of your total weight (in my case, 1700) so we can weigh out our salt. In this case i simply times 1700 by .02 which gives me 34. So in my case, i add 34g salt to my vegetables.
- Sprinkle the salt and the spices over the mixture and mix in. Leave to rest for 5 mins. Meanwhile sterilise your jars, using your preferred method (I simply wash mine in warm soapy water, rinse and then microwave on high for 2-3 mins).
- This is the fun messy part! Squish the mixture together, like your wringing laundry, really get into it. The salt will release the moisture from the vegetables and you will have a good amount of brine in the bottom of your bowl.
- Start filling up your jars with the mixture, pressing down on it to compact it and remove any air bubbles. Fill up about 3/4 of each jar. Making sure that all the air is removed, then you can fold some of the reserved cabbage leaf and place it on top. Top up the jars with brine, to within an inch of the lids. Place lids on tightly, sit the jars on a tray and place into a cool dark place (cupboard/pantry).
- After 24 hours, release the lid to let air out, replace lids and do this again after another 24-36 hours. They will take 5-10 days to ferment depending on the temperature. Taste test anywhere after 5 days, once you’re happy with the flavour you can remove the leaves and store the jars in the fridge for up to a year.
Notes.
You can play around with spices, best to start simple. These are my personal favourites. Sometimes cumin seeds instead of carraway are a wonderful substitute.
Making them in larger jars is more ideal, sometimes i will even ferment them in a REALLY large jar and then decant into smaller ones once the ferment is finished.
Enjoying a small amount of fermented vegetables with every meal is an excellent way to aid digestion and promote a healthier gut.
Don’t worry about if your kraut is ok, if for some reason it has spoiled, it will smell so bad that you will not want to taste it!
