I have always wanted to learn how to make homemade sauerkraut. Learning about ways the settlers preserved vegetables has always been of interest to me. I find it fascinating, especially in our modern times how pioneers cooked and preserved food. I thought it important for my family to learn these old fashioned ways of preserving, like how to make kapusta (the Ukrainian word for sauerkraut).
We will be making kapusta (pronounced ka-poos-ta) which is fermented cabbage or sauerkraut. In the early 1900’s, Ukrainian settlers made kapusta as a way to preserve the cabbage that was grown in their gardens all summer long. Fermenting the cabbage was a good way to preserve it because otherwise the cabbage would have rotted before they’d have had a chance to eat it all. The sauerkraut can then be added to a variety of meals like perogies, soups or frying it with onion and pork meat and then serving with boiled potatoes.
Let’s get started!
First, we will shred the cabbage. Since I do not have a cabbage slicer, we are just slicing the cabbage thinly with a knife.
I chopped half the cabbage at a time to make it easier.
I piled the cabbage up in the bowl and then realized I was out of room!
So I then tossed some into my large camping bowl and sprinkled the cabbage with salt.
Then, squeeze the cabbage. Keep mixing and squishing and squeezing the cabbage. The longer you do this, the salt will create a liquid which is important for fermenting the cabbage, kind of like a pickling brine. It will also turn color. Once you have lots of liquid, pack the cabbage into jars (or a crock) and pour the liquid in. Be sure that the cabbage is submerged in the liquid otherwise it will rot instead of ferment.
In the old days, the cabbage would be in very large crocks, with a clean rock placed on top and then covered lightly with a large plate so gases could escape and wild yeast from the air could enter to allow the fermentation process to occur (similar to making sourdough starter). Some large families would have 3 to 4 large crocks of sauerkraut to last them through the winter.
Here is the sauerkraut after several hours. It is starting to have the faint odor of sauerkraut. Place something heavy inside to push the sauerkraut down into the liquid. I did not do this, (that is how I know it rots) but this step is important. Even a clean, washed rock is better than nothing.
The sauerkraut looks amazing! I can hardly wait to give it a try! I covered the sauerkraut with a crocheted cloth like I do with my sourdough starter, but a plate would work as well. Proper fermentation crocks have the right kind of lid for this process.
The next day, the sauerkraut began to bubble, similar to sourdough and that is exactly what we want! It is starting to ferment.
Stir and make sure all cabbage is submerged in the liquid.
It is day 3 and it is smelling much more like sauerkraut and is fermenting as it should. It is starting to turn color now as well.
It is now day 7 and I decided to use some of the sauerkraut and I poured the rest of one jar into the other. The color changing is much more noticeable now and has a more distinct sauerkraut scent and taste. Be sure that all cabbage is submerged in the fermenting liquid so the cabbage does not rot. It will mold, turn green and will need to be tossed.
We used most of the sauerkraut, but I did keep some for several weeks. I even had a bit left 3 months later! It was much more flavorful at this point! This jar below is after several weeks.
This sauerkraut is delicious! It is the first time we made it, and we will definitely make it again. It tastes so different than store bought.
I fried it with onion and added thinly sliced corned beef (or pastrami works well) for reuban-style sandwiches (or salad topped with homemade thousand island dressing) which is absolutely divine! I also fry it with sausages and onion along with bell peppers. I use it for lazy cabbage rolls (lazy holubsti) too. We eat it out of the jar much like a pickle as well. It is yummy. After fermenting on the counter for a week, I stored it in the fridge with a lid on.
Making Kapusta – Old Fashioned Sauerkraut
1 cabbage
salt
Shred or slice cabbage. Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. About 1/4 cup for an entire head of cabbage. Squish, squeeze and work the salt into the cabbage. The cabbage will shrink the longer you work the salt into it and it will produce a liquid which is important for the fermentation process. This took us about 57 minutes from freshly sliced to the point of it being ready to pack into jars. Pack cabbage and liquid into a jar or crock. Pack down firmly. Place a weight or clean rock on top and cover the jar loosely. Each day, press cabbage down. Let it ferment on the counter for 1 week. After a week, it can stay on the counter or in a cool dark place to ferment, or it can be placed in the fridge. It will continue to ferment even in the fridge. Enjoy eating after 1 to 2 weeks. The longer it ferments, the more like traditional sauerkraut it will taste.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours