Well I admit, I buy my sauerkraut at Whole Foods Market. These days, you can find naturally fermented sauerkraut in the refrigerated section of most Natural Food Markets. Real Pickles and Bubbies are the two companies that I know of that make it without using vinegar, instead, fermenting the cabbage in the natural way. Kim Chi is a Korean version of naturally fermented vegetables, and you likely will find that in the same location. The key things if you are buying ready made sauerkraut or kimchi is to be sure that they are packaged in glass (as fermented foods should never be in plastic - the acids produced might break down the plastic and you don't want to be eating that...) and make sure that the only ingredients are vegetables and possibly spices and sea salt. Added vinegar is not ideal for us and is a tip off that the product was not naturally fermented.
But it is easy to make your own. I might just give it a whirl this summer! Want to know how? Well, I have to admit, I whipped out Ann Wigmore's book, Rebuild Your Health,, one of Ann Wgmore's most recent books, as this recipe, was partially committed to memory, but not enough to rely upon when relaying! So she called her kraut veggie-kraut. The directions are as follows:
-2 -3 heads of red or green cabbage, as this makes up 80% of the recipe
-Other veggies (choose from beets, carrots, celery, zucchini, and / or seaweed to provide other 20%
-Remove 3 or 4 nice outer leaves of the cabbage, rinse and shake dry, setting aside for use later
-Wash all veggies and peel those that need peeling. Ideally do final rinse of veggies with drinking quality water.
-Food process, grate, or shred all of the veggies - we used to use the champion juicer, with the blank piece in place instead of the juicing attachment.. The vegetables need to be food processed until the juices are flowing, so if the juices are not flowing after your best efforts (if you just have dry grated vegetables, you need a means of smashing them more.... the book recommends putting the ingredients in a crock (make sure it is of a natural material, such as clay without any coatings that could leach into the kraut, as remember fermentation creates some acidity....) and pounding with a baseball bat or board until the juice flows. I have trouble picturing me with a crock full of shredded cabbage and a baseball bat, so figure out what works for you....
-With juices flowing, keep the ingredients in a crock, leaving a little room for expansion.
-Cover the contents with the outer cabbage leaves that you saved and place a plate on top of the leaves, one that fits inside the crock, allowing it to push down on the mixture.
-Then place something heavy on top of the plate to weight it down, such as a previously cleaned rock - I believe that is what we used.
-Cover the entire crock with something "breathable, such a towel or cloth
-Let this sit at room temperature, 3 days if you used the Champion Juicer, and if you shredded or pounded the cabbage, it may take longer, up to 7 days for fermentation. The cooler the climate, the longer time may be needed.
-When ready, remove the weight, plate and outer leaves (which if you like may be eaten).
-The top layer tends to be darker and may have a different flavor, if you like it ingest it, if not, it may be removed and discarded. Juice will be near the surface. You may use the end of a long wooden spoon to make holes through which the liquid may seep back down into the kraut. Mix well and transfer to glass jars with lids to store in the refrigerator.
-It should keep, when stored properly for 2-4 weeks.
Ann Wigmore's book, Rebuild Your Health may be ordered through the Ann Wigmore Foundation http://www.wigmoreretreat.com/contactUs.html.
Because I like to provide options, I searched on-line for alternative methods of making sauerkraut and found another I really like. Here is the link if you want to check it out. This one is pretty simple, but unlike Ann Wigmore's method, though similarly to most, uses sea salt as a part of the process, which likely would be tasty and more like the sauerkraut to which you are accustomed, as well as provide added assurance that the wrong kind of bacterial growth will be inhibited (though in all my time making sauerkraut the Ann Wigmore way, I never noticed any problems from the exclusion of added sea salt....) - so here is a link for an alternate method.....http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2010/09/how-to-make-sauerkraut-at-home/
So happy fermenting (how often fo yo hear that?) and wishing you a glorious day full of life!
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