Sauerkraut
Instructed by my mother to feed the cats, I would push the door open, inch by inch, watching the sliver of light from the kitchen stab into the darkness, waiting for it to widen gradually into a triangle across the floor, bright enough to reassure me that nothing was going to attack my hand as it darted through the gap to flip on the light switch inside the garage. For a month every year, our garage changed from a dark and hazardous clutter of bikes, chainsaws, and gardening equipment to a truly terrifying place. Even in daylight I avoided the place, but when obliged to enter—such as when forced to feed the cats (whom I’d gladly have let starve), or if I really needed a bike or a skateboard—I kept a keen eye on the cinder block and plank shelves at the back, where malevolent orange enamel pots burped with sinister unpredictability. Days went by. Cobwebs formed (the better to ensnare the cats). Whenever I might show the slightest hint of getting on familiar terms with this horror—of letting down my guard—the pots would burp again, the lids would clatter, the cats would scatter, trailing cobwebs into the attic, and I would fly to my mother’s legs and cling to them so tightly that she’d shriek in alarm. My reward for surviving? A measured respect for the mysteries of fermentation and a tangy mound of steaming sauerkraut bedded with boiled Polish and German sausages. It was worth it.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 gallon
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Wash your hands very thoroughly before starting. Also, sterilize all equipment or run it through the dishwasher before using. Avoid using any aluminum vessels or utensils.
Step 2
Remove the loose outer leaves from the cabbages and keep any that aren’t broken. Wash the cabbage heads and the reserved leaves. Cut the cabbage heads in half, remove the cores, and cut the halves into wedges.
Step 3
Slice the cabbage finely with a knife or mandoline or the slicing blade of a food processor. Put the cabbage in a big bowl and toss with the salt. Knead the cabbage and salt until the slices of cabbage become malleable and release a good deal of their water. Toss in the caraway seeds.
Step 4
Pack the salted cabbage with its liquid in a clean 6-quart or 2-gallon crock. Pack down firmly but not too hard.
Step 5
Trim any tough spines from the reserved cabbage leaves and cut them into sections that fit easily into the mouth of the crock or jars. Cover the salted cabbage with the reserved leaves; if you don’t have any, cover with a clean white cloth such as cheesecloth or muslin. Cover the cabbage with a plate that fits inside the crock and weight down with a sterilized quart jar filled with water, or with a large plastic bag filled with water and one tablespoon of salt (that way if the bag leaks, it doesn’t water down the brine). The briny juice exuded by the cabbage should entirely cover the cabbage and the plate to prevent molding. Some cabbage, particularly when it isn’t very fresh, may not produce enough moisture to immediately cover everything. If so, every few hours press gently down on the weight until the moisture exuded by the cabbage immerses it fully. After one day, if you still need more brine, dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in 4 cups of water and use to top up the crock.
Step 6
Cover the crock with a loose-fitting lid or clean heavy cloth. Set aside at room temperature, 68° to 72°F. Check every day to make sure mold is not growing on the surface. If mold appears, skim off as muchas possible. This affects only the surface; the cabbage immersed in the liquid below is not affected by the mold. In 5 to 7 days the cabbage should be bubbly; in my experience, if the fermenting cabbage can do something, it will. After a week, move the crock to a cooler place (about 55°F), such as a cellar or cool outbuilding. Fermentation may take up to 5 weeks, depending on temperature. Begin tasting the cabbage after 2 weeks. When it is sour enough for you, transfer the sauerkraut from the crock to clean glass jars, seal, and refrigerate. The sealed and refrigerated sauerkraut will keep for about six months.
Serving Idea
Step 7
To make apple-bacon sauerkraut, cook chopped bacon until crisp. Add chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender. Add a clove of chopped garlic and some apple slices and sauté briefly. Add the sauerkraut and heat through; finish with a little apple cider for sweetness.
Fermentation and Pickling
Step 8
Curing vegetables in salt encourages fermentation, which in turn produces food-preserving acids. Plant foods are filled with benign bacteria, which grow under the right conditions and suppress the development of other bacteria that cause spoilage and disease. The good bacteria do this by being the first to metabolize the sugar in the vegetable, cutting off the food supply for the bacteria that cause spoilage. For example, cabbage contains Coliform bacteria that produce acid that creates favorable conditions for Leuconostoc bacteria, which in turn produce acids favorable for Lactobacillus. A bunch of antibacterial substances are produced along the way—notably lactic acid, carbon dioxide, and alcohol—that impede the growth of organisms that would otherwise rot the food. Not only do the fermenting bacteria leave most of the plant’s nutritional substances intact, including fiber and Vitamin C, but the process of fermentation also increases the amount of B vitamins, adding aroma and tang. Although most any fruit or vegetable can be fermented, among the most common are olives, cucumbers, cabbage, lemons, and radishes.
