HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

I cannot tell you how excited I was to have made my own sauerkraut. It was easier than I thought and very delicious. Fermented foods are super good for you. One reason is that they contain probiotics (beneficial bacteria) which help support our gut microbiome. Why take a probiotic supplement with just a strain or two of bacteria when you can eat something like sauerkraut which has 680 different species of beneficial bacteria and other nutrients as well?

There are various techniques online for making sauerkraut but I chose the one from “The Real Food Dietitians”: How to Make Sauerkraut Don’t just jump to the recipe and don’t be intimidated since it looks long. Their step-by-step instructions with pictures above the recipe are very helpful.

If you are not familiar with the term "microbiome" here's a 5 minute NPR video from 2013 using a cartoon to explain the Human Microbiome:

The Invisible Universe Of The Human Microbiome

To learn more about the gut microbiome and the benefits of a whole food, plant focused diet, I highly recommend reading "Fiber Fueled" by gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, MD. If you don't have time to read his book you may want to watch this 1 hour podcast where he discusses prebiotics, probiotics, and fermented foods (including the process he uses for making sauerkraut):

PROBIOTICS & FERMENTATION WITH THE HAPPYGUTMD, DR. WILL BULSIEWICZ

What I did:

-Used 2 pounds of cabbage and 1 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

-Sliced cabbage using a mandoline slicer

-Massaged the cabbage in a large pot for a total of 9-10 minutes

-The recipe left out placing a cabbage leaf or two on top of the shredded cabbage inside the jar before placing the zip-top freezer bag on top. They do tell you to do it in their step-by-step instructions with pictures.

-Left the top open to let gas escape and placed it in my garage.

-It tasted like sauerkraut to me after 10 days.