Sauerkraut

Timeframe: 1 Week or Longer

Fermenting vegetables is one of the oldest, most effective ways to preserve food and support gut health. Sauerkraut is a perfect starting point: minimal ingredients, maximal benefit. It’s rich in beneficial bacteria, enzymes, and vitamins—especially when made with care at home.

Ingredients

• 1 head of green or red cabbage

• 2 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt (non-iodized)

• Optional additions: shredded carrots, beets, radishes, onion, garlic, apple, pear, or spices like caraway seed, dill, or juniper berry

Supplies

• Large mixing bowl

• Mason jars (wide-mouth preferred)

• Canning funnel (optional but helpful)

Method

1. Shred the Cabbage
   Finely chop your cabbage. The more finely it’s sliced, the easier it will release water, which becomes the brine.

2. Salt & Massage
   Gradually add salt and massage it into the cabbage. You’ll know you’ve added enough when the cabbage begins releasing liquid freely. If you’re weighing your vegetables, aim for about 2% salt by weight.

3. Customize with Confidence
   Add in any optional vegetables or aromatics, chopped to a similar size. Fermentation is incredibly forgiving, so feel free to get creative while keeping the base cabbage-rich.

4. Pack Tightly
   Press your mixture firmly into mason jars using your fist or a fermentation tamper. The goal is to submerge the vegetables completely under their own brine. Leave 1–2 inches of headspace at the top.

5. Set Up for Fermentation
   Loosely screw on the jar lids and label them with the date. Place jars in a shallow bowl or tray to catch overflow. Set them out of direct sunlight at room temperature.

6. Monitor Daily
   Within 2–3 days, you’ll notice bubbling and brine rising—signs of healthy fermentation. Press vegetables down daily to keep them submerged. If needed, top off with a small amount of filtered water mixed with a pinch of salt.

7. Taste & Decide
   Begin tasting around Day 7. Once your sauerkraut reaches your preferred level of tanginess, seal the jars tightly and transfer to the refrigerator. Fermentation will slow but not stop.

Fermentation Tips

• Submersion = Safety. Keep all solids below the brine to maintain anaerobic conditions. Use a fermentation weight if needed.

• White film? No worries. A harmless white yeast may form on the surface. Just remove it; the kraut below is still good.

• Colors matter. If you see pink, blue, or black mold, discard the entire batch—oxygen has introduced unwanted microbes.

Why This Matters

Homemade sauerkraut is more than a side dish—it's a daily dose of microbial diversity, enzymatic support, and ancestral nutrition. As an NTP, I encourage you to experiment, listen to your senses, and enjoy the deep nourishment of living foods.

Note on Histamine Sensitivity

Fermented foods like sauerkraut are rich in beneficial microbes—they’re the cheapest probiotics you can get! However, they’re also naturally high in histamine—a compound that can trigger symptoms in individuals with histamine intolerance.

If you experience issues such as headaches, flushing, itching, digestive upset, or sinus congestion after eating ferments, it may be worth exploring histamine sensitivity.

What to consider:

• Start with very small amounts (e.g. 1 teaspoon) to assess tolerance.

• Choose shorter ferments—less fermentation time typically means lower histamine levels.

• Prioritize gut-healing and liver-supportive strategies alongside dietary changes.

As always, bio-individuality matters. Trust the body’s feedback, and work with a practitioner when needed.