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Homemade sauerkraut in canning jars

How To Make Sauerkraut

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Fermenting time:: 14 days
Total Time: 14 days 20 minutes
Servings: 3 quarts
Author: Alyona Demyanchuk
Learn How To Make Sauerkraut the traditional way, with only salt and cabbage. I share a step-by-step photo tutorial on the entire process and everything you need to know about homemade sauerkraut. Making fermented sauerkraut is easy, frugal, and ensures a healthy side at any given moment! 

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp salt for every 800 grams of cabbage (about 2 Tbsp salt for every head of cabbage)
  • Fresh Green Cabbage (Any winter variety with dense, tightly packed leaves. The whiter the cabbage and the more tightly packed it is, the more brine it will produce). I used homegrown stonehead cabbage.

Instructions

Instructions:

  • cabbage heads from the garden to make homemade sauerkraut
    Trim off the cabbage core and remove any outer leaves that have bruises or spotting. Reserve a few cabbage leaves for weighing down the sauerkraut later.
  • weighing the cabbage to calculate the salt for sauerkraut
    Weigh the trimmed cabbage. For every 800 grams of cabbage, add 1 Tablespoon salt.
  • chopping the cabbage for sauerkraut by hand with a knife
    Slice the cabbage in 1/4-1/2-thick pieces. I like to chop it by hand on the thicker side so that the saurkraut stays crunchy after fermentation. If you prefer finer saurkraut, use a Mandoline.
  • After tampering or massaging cabbage with salt you should have a mixture that looks wet like this
    Transfer the chopped cabbage into an extra-large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the salt. Massage the salt into the cabbage with your hands for 13-15 minutes, until the liquid releases at the bottom of the bowl.
  • weighing down the liquid with a cabbage leaf for sauerkraut to ferment properly
    Tightly pack the cabbage into quart-sized mason jars as tightly as possible. This will also help the liquid come to the top. Pour any excess juices from the bowl over the packed cabbage. Fold over a reserved cabbage leaf and weigh down the cabbage with it.
  • place jars of packed cabbage in a dark corner on the counter to ferment for 2 weeks to make sauerkraut
    Shut the jars finger-tight with regular canning lids and bands. Place onto a Pyrex dish to catch any liquid that seeps out. Allow it to ferment for two weeks. After that, wipe the jars and transfer to a cool, dark place for longer storage. Homemade sauerkraut can keep well over 8 months.

Notes

  • For crunchy sauerkraut, chop it thicker. 
  • Use a good-quality sea salt or kosher salt for proper fermentation to happen. I don't recommend iodized salt. 
  • I used homegrown Stonehead Cabbage that we grew in zone 8. 
  • Make a note on a sticky for the date you started the batch of sauerkraut and the day you need to put it away for longer storage (preferably two weeks later).
  • Use smaller quart-sized jars for making homemade sauerkraut; this way, you can go through it quicker and avoid waste. I also like the narrower regular mouth canning jars, as they help the liquid stay down better than a wide-mouth jar.
  • If you don't have fermenting weights, use a cabbage leaf to weigh down the sauerkraut. 
  • It is not essential to own special equipment for making homemade sauerkraut; folks of past generations used basic tools to make it. 
  • I store my homemade sauerkraut on the shelf with my canned foods (in a dark, cool area). My friend keeps it in the basement for long-term storage. However, once opened, you should refrigerate it. 
  • Discard the leaf when opening. Opened sauerkraut will last for months in the fridge. 

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1servingCalories: 67kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 3gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 2373mgPotassium: 454mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 261IUVitamin C: 98mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 1mg