Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
Rich in probiotic goodness and bursting with colour, this Red Cabbage Sauerkraut makes a valuable addition to your meals. Throw in some fennel fronds, fennel seeds, ginger, and a little apple – and it’s also a food that can be quite calming for the gut.
In This Article
Nutritional Benefits
Sauerkraut is a nutrient-rich fermented food offering an array of health benefits thanks to its high pre and probiotic content. Probiotics are known to support a healthy gut microbiome in addition to aiding digestion and boosting immunity (1). Sauerkraut is also an anti-inflammatory food, as well as being a valuable source of vitamin K, the antioxidant vitamins E and C, fibre, and a good source of minerals (1, 2).
However, it’s important to opt for unpasteurised varieties to maximise probiotic benefits. This is where making your own is best. Many sauerkrauts in the supermarket have been heat treated to make them shelf stable. This process can kill off that probiotic bacteria we look for in fermented foods. A great reason to make your own at home!
Red Cabbage Sauerkraut Ingredients
The basics here are the cabbage and the salt. Everything else could be substituted with other ingredients you may prefer. For instance, you can leave out the apple and swap the fennel for other spices you like. Dill is another popular inclusion that I certainly love too.
- Red cabbage – If you can’t find red cabbage using green is also fine.
- Red apples – I used fuji apples here, as I still had some leftover from my apple and honey fruit paste. Whatever you have on hand is fine, although sweet apples work best.
- Fennel fronds – add a little hint of anise to the kraut. If you can’t find any or they’re out of season, just add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon more of the fennel seeds.
- Fennel seeds – This helps to strengthen the fennel flavour in the kraut, but fennel is also a wonderful stomach settler. Great for gassy guts too, which can be a good addition if cabbage has that effect on you.
- Fresh Ginger – Just a little goes a long way, and like fennel, it does wonders for calming the gut.
- Sea salt – This is a good choice for fermenting as it doesn’t contain iodine, which can inhibit fermentation. It’s also rich in minerals as an added bonus.
Play around with the spices used to give each new batch it’s own flavour. Caraway seeds, peppercorns, or even a little chilli are all delicious.
How To Make This Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
I tend to think of this as a good weekend project because it can take a bit of time. That will mostly depend on how much cabbage you use and how much chopping you need to do.
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Cut cabbage into quarters, wash, and remove the cores. Now weigh them with the apples and adjust your salt needs accordingly. If you have somewhere between 2.5 to 3kg (5.5 to 6.5 pounds) the 45g suggested here is fine.
- Finely slice the cabbage either by hand or with a mandolin and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle some salt over the cabbage after each quarter has been sliced, and massage it through briefly.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to sit on the bench for up to an hour. This helps draw the water out of the cabbage, which creates the brine for your crock or jars.
- Remove the cover, grate in the apple then add chopped fennel fronds, fennel seeds, and grated ginger.
- Massage everything together until well combined and plenty of liquid is in the bottom of the bowl.
- Pack the sauerkraut into a crock, place the weights on top, wipe the rim clean, and fill the moat with water.
- If packing the sauerkraut into jars leave an inch (2.5cm) head room. Fold one of the discarded outer cabbage leaves and put it on top of the kraut, wipe the rims of the jars then put the lid on. The added leaf on top ensures the sauerkraut stays submerged under liquid while fermenting. Sit the jars on plates in case they bubble over in the coming days.
- Leave to ferment on the bench for 7-10 days. If you’ve used jars – just remember to slowly release and then close the lid a couple of times a day to ‘burp’ them. This will stop any mishaps occurring from an extra lively ferment.
It’s a pretty simple process and a nice, easy vegetable fermentation project to get started with if you’re a beginner.
Substitutions And Variations
Not a fennel fan? Leave it out – but this does taste best with a spice of some sort added. Try juniper berries, caraway seeds, or celery seeds as a replacement.
Green cabbage can replace the red if it’s not available.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Knowing how to determine the volume of salt you need for your recipe is important. It might feel like an overwhelming concept initially – but it really is quite simple.
The volume of salt suggested by many a seasoned fermenter is generally 1.5 – 2% of the entire vegetable weight. So for example – I’ve used 2.85kg (6 pounds) here with the combination of cabbage and apples. As such, the amount of salt I need is 43g (1.5 oz), which is 1.5% of 2.85kg. I rounded it up a touch to 45g to make it an even 3 Tablespoons. This calculation makes it really easy to scale the recipe up or down depending on your needs.
Storing
Once fermented the sauerkraut can be stored in the fridge for many months. If you made it in a crock, be sure to decant to jars before storing.
FAQ
Yes, given it’s both a prebiotic and a probiotic food. However, making your own versus buying one is best. Many supermarket varieties undergo heat treatment for shelf stability. This heating process destroys beneficial bacteria, which doesn’t occur when fermenting your own.
Yes! We can hear a lot about botulism and the need for caution when preserving food. However, that’s less of a concern with fermenting. Certainly with fermenting fruit and vegetables anyway. In fact Sandor Katz, at one of his talks while here in Aus, said that there has never once been a reported case of botulism from fermenting fruit or veg. If that doesn’t put your mind at ease!
No, but they must be spotlessly clean, as should your hands. If not, you may find that your sauerkraut spoils as it ferments due to the wrong kind of bacteria being present. You’ll know this is happening if you see coloured moulds appear (grey, blue, pink, or black). If mould appears the whole batch must be discarded.
Want More Fermenting Recipe Ideas? Take A Look At These!
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Red Cabbage Sauerkraut
Equipment
- 1 Crock or several large jars (capacity needed is 3 litre / 3 quarts total)
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg red cabbage (this was 2 cabbages for me)
- 2 large red apples, washed, cut into quarters and cored just before grating (about 350g)
- A few fennel fronds, chopped (I had 4)
- 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 Tbsp sea salt (see recipe note below) (45g)
Instructions
- Remove a few of the outer cabbage leaves that may look a little haggard. Keep these, as they'll come in handy when packing your jars. They won't be needed if you're using a crock.
- Cut the cabbages into quarters, wash, remove the cores and weigh together with the apples (see note below on why I weigh my ingredients). If you have somewhere between 2.5 to 3kg (5.5 to 6.5 pounds) the 45g suggested here is fine.
- Thinly slice the cabbage either by hand or with a mandolin, and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle some salt over the cabbage after each quarter has been sliced, and massage it through briefly.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to sit on the bench for up to an hour. This helps draw the water out of the cabbage, which creates the brine for your crock or jars.
- Remove the cover from the bowl, then cut the apple into quarters, cut out the cores and grate into the bowl. Now add the chopped fennel fronds, fennel seeds, and grated ginger.
- Massage everything together, squeezing the veg slightly as you do, until well combined and plenty of liquid is in the bottom of the bowl.
- Pack the sauerkraut into a crock*, followed by any liquid left in the bowl. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth and place the weights inside. Put the lid on, then fill the moat with water.
- If packing the sauerkraut into jars leave an inch (2.5cm) head room. Fold one of the discarded outer cabbage leaves and put it on top of the kraut, wipe the rims of the jars then put the lid on. The added leaf on top ensures the sauerkraut stays submerged under liquid while fermenting. Sit the jars on plates in case they bubble over in the coming days.
- Leave to ferment on the bench for 7-10 days. If you've used jars – just remember to slowly release and then close the lid a couple of times a day to 'burp' them. This will stop any mishaps occurring from an extra lively ferment.
- Taste your sauerkraut at day 7 and if you like it, it's ready. If you'd like it to be a little more sour leave it for a few more days.
- Once fermented decant to jars if you used a crock, store in the fridge and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Gabby Campbell
Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY