Recipes

Recipes · Diabetic Friendly

Sauerkraut

Diabetic Friendly · Fermented · Meal Prep · Weight Loss Friendly

★★★★★

Sauerkraut
Serves Yield: about 9 quarts

Ingredients

  • 25 lbs. cabbage
  • 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt

Directions

  1. Work with about 5 pounds of cabbage at a time.
  2. Shred the cabbage:
  3. Discard outer leaves.
  4. Rinse heads under cold running water and drain.
  5. Cut heads in quarters and remove cores.
  6. Shred or slice to a thickness of a quarter.

Put in containers and add salt

  1. Put cabbage in a suitable fermentation container and add 3 tablespoons of salt.
  2. Mix thoroughly, using clean hands.

Pack firmly until salt draws juices from cabbage.

  1. Repeat shredding, salting and packing until all cabbage is in the container:
  2. Be sure the container is deep enough so that its rim is at least 4 or 5 inches above the cabbage.
  3. If juice does not cover the cabbage, add boiled and cooled brine (1-1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water).
  4. Add plate and weights, and cover the container with a clean bath towel. Store at 70 to 75F while fermenting.

During fermentation

  1. If you weigh the cabbage down with a brine-filled bag, don’t disturb the crock until normal fermentation is completed (when bubbling ceases).
  2. If you use a plate and jars as weights, you will have to check the kraut 2 to 3 times each week and remove scum if it forms.

To can sauerkraut

  1. Hot pack: Bring kraut and liquid slowly to a boil in a large kettle, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fill jars rather firmly with kraut and juices, leaving ½ inch headspace.
  2. Raw pack: Fill jars firmly with kraut and cover with juices, leaving ½ inch headspace.
  3. Wipe jar rim and adjust lids.

Process in a boiling water bath.

  1. Raw pack: process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.
  2. Hot pack: process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes.

To freeze sauerkraut

  1. Fill pint- or quart-size freezer bags or reusable ridge plastic freezer containers.
  2. Fill to 1 - 2 inches from their tops, squeeze out air, seal and label.
  3. Freeze for 8 - 12 months.

Nutrition

Sauerkraut is a low-calorie food; only 42 calories per cup. It’s a good source of vitamin C. It’s high in sodium because of the salt used in fermentation. Reduce the sodium content, as well as the tartness, by rinsing sauerkraut in cold water before using.