Red Cabbage Sauerkraut With Apple & Ginger

Looking down into a jar of red cabbage sauerkraut that's sitting on a grey table with a yellow napkin beside it.

Red Cabbage Sauerkraut With Apple & Ginger

Rich in probiotic goodness and bursting with colour, Red Cabbage Sauerkraut makes a valuable addition to your meals.

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Fermentation, Fermented

Prep Time: 1 30

Fermentation Time: 5

Total Time: 5 1 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 10kcal

Author: Gabby Campbell

Equipment

▢
1 Crock or several large jars (capacity needed is 3 litre / 3 quarts total)

Ingredients

▢ 5.5 lb red cabbage (2.5kg - this was 2 cabbages for me)
▢ 2 large sweet apples, washed, cut into quarters and cored just before grating (about 12.5oz/350g)
▢ A few fennel fronds, chopped (see note 1)
▢ 1 inch piece of ginger, grated (2.5cm)
▢ 1 tsp fennel seeds
▢ 3 Tbsp sea salt (see recipe note below) (1.6oz/45g)

Instructions

Remove a few of the outer cabbage leaves that may look a little haggard. Keep these, as they'll come in handy if you're using jars to ferment in. They won't be needed if you're using a crock with weights.
Cut the cabbages into quarters, wash, remove the cores and weigh together with the apples. If you have somewhere between 5.5-6.5lb (2.5-3kg) the 1.6oz/45g salt suggested here is fine (see note 2 if you have more or less).
Thinly slice the cabbage either by hand or with a mandolin, and place in a very large bowl.
Sprinkle some salt over the cabbage after each quarter has been sliced, and massage it through briefly. Make sure all the salt is used by the time you're done adding cabbage.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to sit on the bench for up to an hour (see note 3). 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 plenty of liquid is in the bottom of the bowl. This should only take a minute or two.
Pack the sauerkraut into a crock or large, wide-mouthed jars, followed by any liquid left in the bowl. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth. If using a crock 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 in bowls in case the liquid bubbles over in the coming days.
Leave your crock or jars to ferment on the bench for 5-10 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 the jars cracking or exploding if you have an extra lively ferment.
Taste your sauerkraut at day 5 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

Note 1 - If you can't find any fennel fronds or they're out of season, just add ½ to 1 teaspoon more of the fennel seeds.

Note 2 - The suggested volume of salt when making vegetable ferments is generally 1.5 - 2% of the vegetable weight. So for example - I have 2.85kg (about 6 pounds) here with the combination of cabbage and apples, so I used ~43g (1.5 oz) of salt, which is 1.5% of 2.85kg.

With this simple calculation you can scale the recipe up or down as you need.

Note 3 - If you want to speed up this process, you do not need to leave the cabbage sitting in salt for an hour. You can just massage the cabbage and salt for 5 - 10 minutes or until you have quite a lot of liquid in the bottom of the bowl. The liquid is needed to ensure the sauerkraut can be completely covered as it ferments. I personally prefer leaving the salt to do its thing to cut down on the amount of hands-on time required in the recipe. Go with your preference here - just make sure you have plenty of liquid to work with!

Also remember - Don't overstuff your crocks or you won't be able to get the weights in, which is important to keep the sauerkraut submerged. The same applies for jars. Overstuffing them will result in jars overflowing with sauerkraut liquid!

Nutrition