This recipe can be multiplied to make as many jars as you like. Simply follow the 2 tablespoon kosher salt per 1 liter of filtered water. Once you try this, feel free to experiment adding shredded carrot, beet or apple or play with different spices adjusting to your personal preference.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
8 daysd
Total Time8 daysd20 minutesmins
Course: Condiment, Preserves, Side Dish, Vegetable
2 1-Quart wide mouth mason jars (sterilize with boiling water before using)
Optional: airlock lids or pickle pipe tops for mason jars, glass fermenting weights
Ingredients
6cupsRed Cabbage
1tablespoonPeppercorns
2teaspoonCaraway seedsoptional
3tablespoonKosher salt
6cupsFiltered wateror boiled 20 minutes and cooled to remove chlorine if on city water
Instructions
Make a brine of 6 cups water to 3 tablespoon sea salt and stir to dissolve.
Peel off outer leaves of cabbage, cut in half, remove core and thinly slice or shred. You can use a food processor to shred if you like.
Place ½ tablespoon peppercorns and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds in the bottom of each quart jar. Add shredded cabbage on top of spices and pack it in as evenly as possible, leaving slightly more than an inch of headspace at top of jar.
Pour brine over red cabbage, leaving 1 inch of headspace (you may have some brine leftover). Top with fermenting weight to keep shredded veggies submerged. It is important to keep your cabbage submerged.
Close jar with airlock or pickle pipe and fasten gently with jar ring. If you don’t have the special lids, put regular canning jar lids on and undo it once or twice a day to release gases (burping the jar) or use a coffee filter secured on top. Leave to ferment at room temperature 5-10 days. These will likely turn cloudy as it starts fermenting and small bubbles will occasionally be rising. This is normal.
Once the initial fermentation period is over (it is over when you decide you like how it tastes), it is ready to enjoy. Typically this will take 7-10 days. Once finished to your taste, top with a regular canning lid and move jar to cold storage or refrigerator.
Kept in the fridge, this will keep easily for 3 months or longer. In cold storage, you should plan to use within 3 months. Usually this won't actually go "bad" but will lose the crispness and bright color if left longer. ***If you end up with mold or a horrible smell that is not like vinegar and cabbage, toss it out and start again with fresh sterilized jars.
Notes
Using clean sterile equipment is essential to the success of making red sauerkraut or any fermented food. The other key step is to keep your ingredients submerged to prevent mold. If you don’t have a fermenting weight or something similar, fill a small plastic bag with about ½-1 c water, seal and put on top of your red cabbage.Cover your ferment. Using some type of lid helps ensure no foreign bacteria gets in while the fermenting is happening.This recipe can make as many jars as you like. Simply follow the 2 tablespoon kosher salt per 1 liter of filtered water and make as much brine as you need.