Sauerkrautin' - The Pickled, The Pink and The Skeptical

Pink Juniper Sauer Kraut

Well, it's about time for something "pickled" on Pickled, wouldn't ya say?  So let's go with something vibrant, beautiful and delicious!


Menu: 
Pink Juniper Sauerkraut.


And the chef is the skeptic. Well sort of. I say this because I'm conquering a fear I've had since I was 8 years old.

I’ve fermented tempeh, kefir, pickles, beer, salsa and kombucha but I’ve intentionally avoided sauerkraut for YEARS.  It goes like this: 2^nd grade, at a friend’s house, her mom made me eat a bowl of sauerkraut with hotdogs. I literally remember my gag reflex freaking out and some tears to follow = traumatized.  


Twenty years later, I’m making some baby steps to heal that old wound (now that I'm all grown up).  Plus, I was a super picky kid.  To my delight, I have found many of the foods I despised as a child, I now have come to love.  So, not only do I want to give sauerkraut a second chance, but making sauerkraut is totally fun.  I'm going to rebel a bit from proper recipe format if you don't mind.  Part of the adventure in sauerkrautin' is that you can't really screw it up and you get to break out your MacGuyver skills by resourcefully rigging together containers, jars, whatever you have on hand in your kitchen.  Below is a quick and dirty recipe along with some photos of the process.

But first, why won't I just let this go and throw it in the doghouse (along with my other blacklisted foods like red onions and celery)?  It's because sauerkraut is a living food.  Cultured, pickled, fermented foods are a part of almost every culture and have been a cherished method of preservation and nourishment for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years.  Fermented foods are packed with flavor and remarkable medicinal qualities, specifically beneficial microorganisms essential for health.

Fermented foods have too much in their favor to be written off so easily.  Here's what I'm talking about:

·        not only are nutrients retained, but new ones are created, like: the B vitamins, essential amino acids and anti-oxidants

·        it’s a powerful raw, digestive aid that can help better digest proteins and fiber from your food

·        it enhances nutrient bioavailability

·        it's a PRObiotic (the Greek word meaning: "for life"), which balances out the damaging and depleting effects that our intestines may be exposed to throughout life, such as:

o       chronic stress

o       chlorine

o       caffeine

o       alcohol

o       tobacco

o       food additives

o       antibiotics/prescription drugs

o       chemotherapy

o       birth control pills

o       nutritional deficiencies

o       exposure to environmental toxins

·        an improper balance of the good bacteria has been linked to chronic disease

·        fermented foods contain anti-carcinogenic enzymes to help our bodies prevent and fight off cancers

·        they are detoxifying

·        this good bacteria helps stimulate the body's natural defenses and help protect us against infections from pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and fungi

The bottom line: One powerful way to build a foundation for a strong immune system, vibrant health and longevity, is to show some love to your intestinal tract and start incorporating fermented/cultured foods into your diet.


A little history: I love food history, don't you?
Typically, ferments are made in the fall when the idea is to preserve the harvest for the winter months (though fermenting can be done year round of course).  This particular method of preservation retains the vitamin C, which can be harder to come by in the winter time.  In the late 1700s, a British sailing crew ingeniously traveled with loads of barrels full of sauerkraut on board and successfully staved off scurvy during their 27-month voyage.


And a fun fact on your intestinal eco-system:
Each person has up to 3 lbs of bacteria living in their large intestines.

What's happening during fermentation?
Fermenting is quite a phenomena.  Food can be preserved for years without refrigeration.  Not only that, the nutrients are preserved, digestibility is enhanced and the flavor profile is amplified to ever increasing deliciousness.


When you ferment vegetables, you are making a lacto-ferrnent, meaning that the sugars and starches in these vegetables convert into lactic acid by the bacteria known as lactobacilli.  Lactic acid preserves the vegetables so they don't spoil AND it promotes the growth of healthy microogranisms in your large intestines.

Here's the quick and dirty way to make homemade sauerkraut:

Gather a mix of half red cabbage and half green cabbage

Slice chiffonade-style...

...until it looks like this...

Add juniper berries or other seasoning of your preference (such as pepper, caraway, fennel, garlic, ginger) 

Combine the crushed juniper berries, cabbage in a bowl with salt and toss (salt keeps it crunchy and from rotting until the lactobacillus bacteria has a couple days to develop; use about 3 tablespoons of salt per 5 lbs of cabbage)

Add it to a ceramic crock, glass jar or a food-grade plastic bucket

Mash, mash, mash... (you can use a potato masher, a wooden masher or your clean fist)

And keep mashing... you may want to recruit some help (meet Dale, my hubby, professional krauter)

Yep, keep on mashing - put some muscle and some love into it

Mash until the salt draws out the water (the brine) from the cabbage and is enough to cover the cabbage       by ~1 inch

Find a plate that fits in your jar and cover to protect the ferment from being exposed to the air, creating an anaerobic environment

Add a weight of sorts (I used a glass jar filled with water) to push the plate down firmly until the brine rises above the cabbage and onto the plate

Throw a towel over your ferment to keep dust and bugs out.  Tuck it away in a cool dark place. Check on it after 24 hours to make sure there is enough liquid.  If not, mix about a cup of water with 2 tablespoons of salt and add it in until the kraut is submerged in the brine.  Press the plate along with the weight down firmly again; cover and let it ferment for 1-3 weeks, more if you like.  Just be sure to peak at it every day or so to make sure the liquid hasn't evaporated out and add more if needed so the kraut is submerged in the liquid.  


The flavor will evolve over time, so it's a good idea to try it each week until you get it the way you like it. Mold and foam may form around the surface. This is completely normal since this part is exposed to air.  Just scoop it off and discard.  I like to make small batches at a time, so I've canned mine and refrigerated it. 

2 weeks later: There you go - pretty, pink juniper sauerkraut!

Sauerkraut is only one of many ways to enjoy living foods that offer this beneficial bacteria.  Make it your aim to have a probiotic food every day since this good intestinal bacteria needs to be replenished often.  Here are a couple ideas to help incorporate the sour, tangy goodness of sauerkraut into your meals.

·        make a smoked salmon reuben with havarti cheese on rye (num num num) 

·        enjoy a couple of tablespoons on the side of any meal (even once a day would make a difference)

·        eat it with a bowl of hotdogs.  I kid.  Unless, of course you're into that, then go for it!

·        actually, it's quite lovely with sausage and apples

What if I want to eat it but I don't want to make it myself?
That's cool too.  Look for it in the cold section of stores and look for live cultures on the label.  Not all sauerkraut or fermented foods still contain their live cultures.  They may have been pasteurized, which kills off that friendly bacteria we are aiming to obtain.  As always, read your labels!

Stay tuned for more adventures in home fermenting and digestive health.

In the meantime, if you get inspired to try some on your own, I recommend the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz (listed under Pickled's Picks at the bottom left of this page) or visit his website: www.wildfermentation.com.  He's well known and highly respected as a fermentation revivalist. 

Till then, happy fermenting and be kind to your guts.