The easiest sauerkraut recipe

This sauerkraut recipe is so simple and takes very little time. You can make this recipe with just cabbage, or with other vegetables and greens or even fruit. Also, you can make it with or without salt. The salt does give it an extra bit of crispiness. No water, culture, or whey is needed. 

Fermenting your vegetables makes them more nutritious, unlocking nutrients and culturing beneficial bacteria to help your body thrive!

For one batch

Prep time: 10 min Fermentation time: 5-10 days

Equipment:

Make sure all equipment is sterile, you do not want to introduce bad bacteria. 

1 bowl

1 mason jar

a knife

a cutting board

something to press your kraut into the jar with (optional, if your hand fits in the jar you can just use your fist/knuckles)

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

1 tsp of sea salt (optional)

I like to make mine with cabbage, carrots, beats, and swiss chard, you can also add in apples, dried berries, spices such as caraway, ginger, garlic, celery zucchini, basically whatever you feel like. 

Adding more veggies, herbs such as parsley, and garlic and ginger make for an awesome immune booster. Not only are their going to be more nutrients from the food by fermenting them, the beneficial bacteria are going to make you have a better immune system also. The probiotics, or beneficial bacteria, in our guts protect us from parasites, harmful bacteria,  and toxic substances including mercury! 

Directions:

• Wash your cabbage. 
• Take of the first 1 to 2 layers of leaves off your cabbage and discard.
•  Take off another layer and save it for later.
•  Take out the core of your cabbage and shred it by slicing it thinly with a knife (I do for one batch) or with some sort of cheese grater. If you are adding any thing else you will want to shred it as well, except for greens like swiss chard just chop those finely. 
• Place all ingredients in a bowl with the salt if you are using it.
• Using your hand, squish and kneed the mixture until the juices are getting released. 
• Press the mixture into some sort of jar with a lid that will seal, such as a mason jar. You want this to be packed tight!
• Using your reserved leaves, cover the top to take up any extra space.
• Cover and keep in a pantry or some place similar. You want the area to have little to no light, be dry, and not to warm or cold. 
• Let it sit from 5-10 days. A week usually works perfect for me but if it is unusually warm or cold it may take less or more time. You may want to keep a tray underneath because it has a tendency to bubble and leak. 

Ground Beef and Sauerkraut soup

I got  the original recipe from kalynskitchen.com. It sounded so yummy that I decided to make an urban farmer edition. I used some cultured veggies that I made, which is homemade sauerkraut with shredded beets, carrots, celery, and some sort of leafy green added in for extra vitamins and flavor. I also used grass fed beef because it is way more flavorful and healthy. I highly recommend only buying grass fed beef and cage free meets, because the animals are healthier and happier. Also grass fed meets and the like wont give you cancer, so.... ya that's a bonus. if you make it exactly like mine, then your immune and digestive system will be sooooo so so happy! If you make it from caned sauerkraut and cook the meet in peanut oil, or use pasteurized sour cream and dried garlic then you will still have a delicious soup. But, my way is still better... Just sayin' :)

Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup

Ingredients:1 lb. grass fed ground beef or buffalo. (turkey and whatnot can be subbed)1 tbsp coconut oil1 large red onion, chopped 4 cloves of minced garlic (plus more to garnish the soup with)4 cups of beef or chicken stock (really easy to make at home, just boil your leftover meet and bones in water for a while)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (feel free to use fresh!)
Extra water if you want a more watery soup2 tbsp maple syrup (the real stuff! None of that fake corn syrup groseness, and grade B is best)4tsp of soy sauce3 dried bay leaves3 Tbsp of dried parsley 3 tbsp rubbed sagefresh ground black pepper to taste

2 cups of sauerkraut. (I used my homemade cultured veggies)
Thick homemade goat milk kefer to garnish (sour cream, plane yogurt, or cow milk kefer works well too)
Extra minced garlic if someone likes that garlic bite. 

To Cook
In a pot (I used my dutch oven) heat the coconut oil on medium heat. Add in the onion, sprinkle a little salt and cook for a couple of minutes. If you are scared of some sort of cross contamination then remove the onions and cook the beef with some salt and pepper. Add the onion back in, if you took them out, and add in everything else but the sauerkraut and garnish. (this is to preserve the probiotics. If you use canned then go ahead and add it in.) Cook from just till its warm or all day depending on how much you want the flavors to develop and how much time you have. Usually simmering it on low for an hour or two tastes real dandy in my opinion. If using unpasteurized kraut then add it in before serving to let it get warmed up. Serve with your fermented dairy of choice, minced garlic, and possibly some fresh herbs on the side.