The process of making sauerkraut is started by simply adding salt to shredded cabbage. Once you do that, bacteria that are naturally present of the cabbage leaf surfaces take over and convert the cabbage into sauerkraut by a process called lactofermentation. Lactobacillus bacteria change the sugars in the cabbage leaves into lactic acid when there is no oxygen present. In the days before refrigerators, lactofermentation was commonly used as a method of preserving foods. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~slc/fall.html# http://organic.kysu.edu/Sauerkraut.shtml

This how-to provides you with the materials and methods that are needed so that you will know how to make sauerkraut perfectly and to your liking. Tips and variations on the recipe are included tips section to the right. Also provided are details on how to keep sauerkraut for long-term storage. You can learn a lot about this process beforehand if you read the book. Wild Fermentation, by Sando Elix Katz. http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237 Additional resources are provided at the bottom of the page and there is also a Mahalo question and answers feature on this page.

In order to make sauerkraut, you will need the following items:

1. A crock or a 5-gallon food grade plastic bucket
2. Cabbage, 10 lbs
3. Salt, non-iodized, pickling salt or rock salt (pulverized)
4. Sharp knife
5. Food processor (optional)
6. Cutting board
7. Caraway or fennel seeds (optional)
8. 2 plastic garbage bags, kitchen size

Here are the steps for preparing the cabbage and setting up the fermentation in the crock:

1. Remove the outer leaves that are wilted or dried from the cabbage.
2. With a sharp knife, cut the cabbage heads in half.
3. Cut the halves into quarters.
4. Cut out the core (feed to your children or to livestock)
5. Shred the cabbage, using a sharp knife or a food processor (with the knife, shred by slicing the quarters finely, moving from one end to the other).
6. Place the cabbage in the crock in three layers, for each layer, sprinkle on top 2 tablespoons of salt.
7. Once the final layer is added, seal the top of the crock with a plastic bag (double-bagged) containing water.
8. Place the crock in a place that is at moderate temperature (68-72 degrees F, or 20-22 degrees C) and let it ferment.
9. Taste the cabbage weekly to determine if the sauerkraut is ready. The fermentation process may take from 3-5 weeks normally.

• If you have made the full recipe, you will have to store some of the sauerkraut. The refrigerator is good for storage of 1-2 months, but for long-term storage you can either freeze or can. If you have the freezer space, you can simply bag the sauerkraut in zip-lock freezer bags and put it in the freezer. Before serving, just place the bag in water to thaw.
  
  
• To can sauerkraut, put it in sterilized jars that have been boiled for 5 minutes. Clean the top of the jar and place sterilized seals and rings loosely. Place into a pressure cooker for 10 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for pints and 10 minutes at 15 lbs of pressure for quarts. Remove the jars and the lids will seal upon cooling. Then tighten down the rings. Alternatively you can use the boiling method, since it is an acidic food, see How to Can Food for instructions. http://schmidling.com/kraut.htm