Content
- Homemade sauerkraut: put in white cabbage
- What is lactic acid fermentation?
- A recipe for cabbage pickled as sauerkraut
Making sauerkraut yourself does not succeed everyone
Homemade sauerkraut: put in white cabbage
Sauerkraut has been used for centuries as a source of vitamins in the cold season. Still today, pickled cabbage is a healthy addition to the diet and an optimal way to keep the cabbage harvest for a long time.
What is lactic acid fermentation?
The sour taste of the sauerkraut comes from the lactic acid fermentation, which makes the cabbage durable. In an oxygen-poor environment, naturally occurring lactobacilli on all surfaces can spread unhindered, suppressing other microorganisms, including putrefactive bacteria. To achieve this step, the vegetables must be salted and stored in a hermetic container covered in salt water.
The process is also referred to as "wild fermentation" because it takes place without any action. Milk-fermented vegetables preserve their high vitamin content and are stable for months. In addition to cabbage, other types of cabbage, but also almost any other vegetables, such as cucumbers, carrots or radish, can be preserved lactose.
A recipe for cabbage pickled as sauerkraut
Home-made tastes best! To dip cabbage and make sauerkraut yourself you need:
- 5 kg of white cabbage 50 g of salt (no iodine salt) Spices such as juniper berries or caraway as desired Herb or vegetable slicer Stone or similar heavy object Mason jar or stoneware pot Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and put aside some intact leaves. Halve or quarter (depending on the size - the pieces should be well in the hand while planing). The stem still sticks to the leaves as it holds them together, making planing easier! Put the reamer in a large bowl and cut all the pieces of coal down to the hard stalk. You get fine stripes. Spread the salt over the planed white cabbage and knead it in the cabbage firmly and carefully for several minutes until plenty of liquid has leaked out. If desired, mix the spices underneath. Pick well-cooked mason jars or a clean stone pot and put the herb in it. There must be no trapped air. The cabbage must be literally pulped. Place a cabbage leaf in paser size on the herb and complain it with the clean stone so that the cabbage stays under the liquid. Close the vessel. During fermentation gases must escape from it, which is why a specially designed stoneware pot is optimally suited. You can also use jam jars with a rubber ring, as they also allow some air to escape. Leave the tubes at room temperature for one week. They are then stored in a cool, dark room. After about four weeks, the lactic acid fermentation is complete and the sauerkraut is ready. Consume your home-made sauerkraut within six months. Although it is stable for up to two years, it becomes mushy and brownish on prolonged storage.