Nadia – August-September 2019

FAST & FRESH

WORKSHOP

Cabbage& carawaysauerkraut

Readyin 30 minutesplusfermenting time|

Makes1 largejar|DF|GF

1 large,firmgreencabbage, 2-3 large outer leaves reserved

3 Tbspflakyseasalt

2 tspcaraway seeds

1 Cleanallyourequipmentthoroughlybeforebeginning.

Quarterthecabbageandremovethehardcore.

2 Finelysliceeachquarterand transfer to a large glass

bowl.Sprinklewiththesalt.

3 Withcleanhands,massagethesaltintothecabbagefor

about5 minutesuntilthecabbagebecomesmoistandstarts

toreleaseitsjuices.Leavefor5 minutesthenrepeatuntil

thecabbagefeelssoftandwiltedandthere is plenty of juice.

Addthecarawayseedsandmixwell.

4 Packthemixtureintoa large,cleanjar(leavea biggapat

thetoptoallowforthejuicethatwillbereleasedlateron).

Pourinthejuicefromthebowl;it shouldcoverthecabbage.*

* If thejuicedoesnotgenerouslycoverthecabbage,topupwith

a brinemadeof2 tspflakyseasaltdissolvedin 1 cup warm

water(leaveit tocoolbeforeaddingtojar).

5 Blanchthereservedoutercabbageleaves for 1-2 minutes

injust-boiledwaterthenallowtocool.

6 Placetheleavesontopof the cabbage mixture to make a

lid,pressingdownwell.

7 Placea smallerjarontopandfillit withglassweights or

watertokeepthecabbagesubmergedinthejuices.

8 Tiemuslinorfinelinenoverthebigjarandleaveina cool,

darkplaceforatleast5 days.Afterthistime,startchecking

thesauerkrautforyourdesiredsournessevery2 days.You

canleavethesauerkrautforupto2 weeks,then,whenyou’re

happywiththetaste,transferit tosterilisedjars,coverand

refrigerate(thisstopsthefermentationprocess).It isnow

ready to eat and will keep for up to 3 months in the fridge.

Afewtips

>Makesureyouusetherightamountof salt; it may seem a lot but it’s vital.

>Packyourjarthree-quartersfull.

>Temperatureis key– about18-21°Cis good.

>Ratherthanmuslin,youcanplacea smallplateon top of your jar. Just

liftit slightlyeachdaytoletanygasesout.

>Don’tfearif thesauerkrautdevelopsa palemouldorcrust.Thisis normal;

just remove it and, as long as the jar smells fine (not funky), it’s good to go.

S

altyandsoursauerkrautisa traditionallacto-

fermentedfoodrichinbeneficialbacteriathat

do wondersforthegut.Madefromjusttwo

inexpensiveingredients– cabbageandsalt– it

fermentsovera periodoftimewhichcanrangefromweeks

tomonths,dependingonhowsouryoulikeit.Aswithmost

fermented veges, sauerkraut is super-easy to make at home.

RECIPES

Jo Wilcox

. STYLING

Natalie Hoelen

.PHOTOGRAPHY

Melanie Jenkins

.

1

4

5 6

7 8

2

3