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Carrot Ginger Lemon Sauerkraut

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Emily Koch
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Yield: 24 ounces 1x
  • Category: Side, Condiment, Easy, Healthy
  • Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Description

Carrot ginger lemon sauerkraut is a fun Asian twist to it, slightly sweet and ginger-y.Easy method for making fermented sauerkraut with probiotics.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 medium head of green cabbage – about 3 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon pickling salt or kosher salt*
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 to 2 inches ginger, grated
  • Tools needed
  • 24 ounce wide mouthed mason jar + lid
  • parchment paper
  • 1 4 ounce jelly jar – without lid

Instructions

  1. Shred cabbage: Remove the outer leaves of your cabbage, slice it in half and remove the core. Shred your cabbage by either using the slicing blade of a food processor or by using a sharp knife. Transfer the shredded cabbage to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Massage the cabbage: Add the salt to the shredded cabbage and use clean hands to massage the cabbage until the salt has dissolved and the cabbage has begun to wilt – massage for at least 5 minutes.
  3. Allow the cabbage to rest: At this point it is helpful to allow the cabbage to rest for 20 to 30 minutes – the salt will continue to draw the liquid out of the cabbage and you will find a lot of liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
  4. Prepare your mason jar & parchment paper : While the cabbage is resting wash your mason jar and lid well, and jelly jar – no need to sanitize but it should be freshly washed. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit just inside your mason jar, set aside.
  5. Prepare flavors: Also prepare your flavors – peel and shred the carrot, grate ginger. For the lemon use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off in large strips and then use a knife to give the rind a rough chop.
  6. Massage cabbage again: Returning to the cabbage give it another massage for a minute or two for good measure.
  7. Add flavors: toss the shredded carrot, lemon peel, and ginger into the cabbage.
  8. Stuff cabbage into mason jar: Transfer the cabbage into the mason jar (DO NOT DISCARD ANY LIQUID) – use the back of a wooden spoon or some kind of meddler to help you pack it in tight, it should all fit with about 3 inches of head space, if it doesn’t you need to massage the cabbage more to help it break down. Pour some (or all) of the left behind liquid just so that the cabbage is submerged in liquid. IT’s very important to make sure no pieces of cabbage remain above the liquid, otherwise it will mold.
  9. Add the parchment paper : Carefully add the parchment paper to rest on top of the cabbage, below the liquid level – this ensures that there are no pieces of cabbage floating outside of the liquid line.
  10. Add the jelly jar + lid: Next place the jelly jar (without a lid on it) on top of the parchment paper – this acts as a weight to keep everything submerged – screw the mason jar lid onto the 24 ounce wide mouth jar. Slightly unscrew the mason jar lid so that it is secured but not on tight – this allows any gasses to escape from the jar.
  11. Ferment: For the fun part/the hard part because it requires waiting – Place the jar in a bowl or container to catch any overflow. Find a good fermentation location. Ideal place is 64 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit and not in direct sunlight. The main thing is you don’t want the temperature to be widely inconsistent. My ideal location during the summer is our basement because it stays cool. During the winter my kitchen may work fine if it’s out of the direct sunlight. You want to allow the sauerkraut to ferment for at least 3 to 4 days or up to 2 to 3 weeks – this varies depending on the temperature of your fermentation location and how tangy you personally like the kraut to be.
  12. Things to watch for: You will want to check on your sauerkraut daily in the first few days. This is what you want to look for. 1) check to make sure the liquid line hasn’t creeped down past the cabbage. If this has happened then you want to mix 1 tablespoon salt to 2 cups of water and use this mixture to top off the cabbage so that it’s submerged again (you will not need to use all of the water salt mixture). 2) check the lid to make sure it’s loose – if the lid isn’t loose the gasses can build up and make the jar explode.
  13. Signs of fermentation: 1) you see bubbles in the cabbage 2) the cabbage begins to turn from a bright green to a less bright green and eventually to a tan/very mild green (what you see when you think of sauerkraut).
  14. Taste your sauerkraut: As stated before how long you want your sauerkraut to ferment depends on temperature of location and your personal preference of how tangy it is. I like mine really tangy so I generally allow it to ferment for 2 weeks – I might even go as long as 3 weeks in the winter when the temperature is cooler – warmer temperatures means the fermentation process goes faster. You can start eating the sauerkraut after 3 to 4 days. I suggest you start tasting it at 3 to 4 days and see how you like it and after that taste it every week. Be sure to use a clean fork so you don’t contaminate it. You will know it’s done when it’s tangy and the color of the cabbage has changed to tan/very mild green.
  15. Store: Once your cabbage has finished fermenting and you’re ready to eat it remove the parchment paper and jelly jar and screw the mason jar lid on tight. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks to a month. Enjoy eating by itself or on sandwiches, salads, burgers, pretty much anything.

Notes

*Salt: In every day cooking I like to use sea salt. After doing some research, and my recipe testing I have found that a salt that doesn’t contain other minerals (such as sea salt) is the best for making sauerkraut. It promotes more fermentation and ultimately a more tangy flavor which means it has more probiotics.

Signs your sauerkraut fermentation went wrong: – if you see any kind of mold, green black, or white – discard the sauerkraut and start over. – If the sauerkraut smells off or tastes bad. Yes, it should have that fermented taste and smell but use your good judgement don’t eat it if it’s not smelling good. – if you see white foam or bubbles on the top that’s usually okay, just use a spoon to scrape it off.

You may notice that in the pictures I had used cabbage leaves to keep the cabbages submerged under the liquid – I didn’t like that method because the cabbage leaves got moldy. I have used several methods of weighting the cabbage under the liquid and have found the parchment paper + empty and lidless jelly jar to work the best.

Find it online: https://robustrecipes.com/2-healthy-sauerkraut-recipes/

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