• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Earth Dance Farm

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Delivering fresh, local, chemical free food to your neighborhood.
We offer Spring, Summer, Fall and Egg shares.

  • Home
  • About
  • Join Us
  • Drops
  • Crops
  • Members
  • Newsletters
  • Internships
  • Contact

Homemade Sauerkraut

June 30, 2016 by Earth Dance Farm

The ten minutes of prep time when you get your box will pay off when you can dress your Brats with your own batch of this addictive condiment.
Makes 1 to 1 1/2 quarts
 

Ingredients
1 head of yummy Earth Dance Farm Napa Cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional, for flavor)

1 sliced jalapeno (optional, for flavor)

1 sliced cucumber (optional, for different crunchy texture)

Instructions

  1. Slice the cabbage: Discard the wilted, limp outer leaves of the cabbage. Slice into thin ribbons. (Optional: save one of the big outer leaves for packing later)
  2. Cabbage massage: Transfer the cabbage to a big mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt over top. Begin working the salt into the cabbage by massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. Gradually the cabbage will become watery and limp — more like coleslaw than raw cabbage. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. If you’d like to flavor your sauerkraut with the optional ingredients, mix them in now.
  3. Pack the cabbage: Grab handfuls of the cabbage and pack them into the container.  Every so often, tamp down the cabbage with your fist. Pour any liquid released by the cabbage while you were massaging it into the container.→ Optional: Place one of the larger outer leaves of the cabbage over the surface of the sliced cabbage. This will help keep the cabbage submerged in its liquid.
  4. Weigh the cabbage down: Once all the cabbage is packed, slip the smaller container into the cabbage filled container and weigh it down. This will help keep the cabbage weighed down, and eventually, submerged beneath its liquid.
  5. Cover: Cover with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band or twine. This allows air to flow in and out, but keeps out dust or insects.
  6. Add extra liquid, if needed: If after 24 hours, the liquid has not risen above the cabbage, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage.

Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 10 days: As it’s fermenting, keep the sauerkraut away from direct sunlight and at a cool room temperature — ideally 65°F to 75°F. Check it daily and press it down if the cabbage is floating above the liquid.

Because this is a small batch of sauerkraut, it will ferment more quickly than larger batches. Start tasting it after 3 days — when the sauerkraut tastes good to you, remove the weight, screw on the cap, and refrigerate. You can also allow the sauerkraut to continue fermenting for 10 days or even longer. There’s no hard-and-fast rule for when the sauerkraut is “done” — go by how it tastes.

Recipe Notes:

  • Bubbles, Foam or White Scum: These are all signs of a healthy, happy fermentation process. The scum can be skimmed off the top either during fermentation or before refrigerating. If you see any mold, skim it off immediately and make sure your cabbage is fully submerged; don’t eat moldy parts close to the surface, but the rest of the sauerkraut is fine.
  • Store sauerkraut for several months: This sauerkraut is a fermented product so it will keep for at least two months and often longer if kept refrigerated. As long as it still tastes and smells good to eat, it will be. If you like, you can transfer the sauerkraut to a smaller container for longer storage.
  • Hot and cold temperatures: Do everything you can to store sauerkraut at a cool room temperature. At high temperatures, the sauerkraut can sometimes become unappetizingly mushy or go bad. Low temperatures (above freezing) are fine, but fermentation will proceed more slowly.
Print Recipe
Homemade Sauerkraut
Servings
Servings

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Cabbage, Cucumber, Hot Peppers, Jalapeno

Before Footer

earthdancefarm

Blowin’ in the wind Blowin’ in the wind
Farmers’ day off! Biking and beer. Hope you all Farmers’ day off! Biking and beer. Hope you all had a beautiful Saturday.
#karstbrewing #mnfarmers
Beautiful day on the farm. Beautiful day on the farm.
Instagram post 17850137045247252 Instagram post 17850137045247252
That crunch tho’ That crunch tho’
Beaver Dam pepper - found this gorgeous specimen a Beaver Dam pepper - found this gorgeous specimen a few minutes ago!
Garlic scapes! #csafarm #csaminnesota #mnfarm Garlic scapes!
#csafarm #csaminnesota #mnfarm
This morning, with the spring chicks. #chickencsa This morning, with the spring chicks.
#chickencsa #csafarm
Farmer Emma and her bunkhouse built for one. Farmer Emma and her bunkhouse built for one.
Fun with herbs! We made some chive blossom vinegar Fun with herbs! We made some chive blossom vinegar, and a take on chimichurri, made with parsley, cilantro, lovage, green garlic, olive oil and chive vinegar.
Instagram post 17842503797220521 Instagram post 17842503797220521
The cold snap is over and the transplanting resume The cold snap is over and the transplanting resumes. Look at that purple bok choy!
#csafarm #mnfarm
Laying row cover before the arrival of the polar v Laying row cover before the arrival of the polar vortex!
Josh and Vanessa are back home and back to work. T Josh and Vanessa are back home and back to work. The 2020 growing season has begun! #csa #csafarm #mnfarmersmarket #mncsa
Happy CSA Day! This is a great time to sign up wit Happy CSA Day! This is a great time to sign up with Earth Dance Farm for a custom produce and egg share that will keep you eating well from spring through fall and beyond!
See details on our website @ earthdancefarm.net
#csaday #csafarmshare #mncsa #driftlesscsa #localproduce
Farm dog Cokie casts a beautiful shadow. Farm dog Cokie casts a beautiful shadow.
Holiday gift idea - local raw honey! We also have Holiday gift idea - local raw honey! We also have popcorn and dry beans available. Contact Farmer Norman for details. Norm.the.farmer@gmail.com 507-378-4252
Sign up now for up to five bi-weekly fall produce Sign up now for up to five bi-weekly fall produce deliveries! See our website for details. Earthdancefarm.net
Everybody look toward the sun. Everybody look toward the sun.
I was going to make a more complicated salad, but I was going to make a more complicated salad, but after tasting these mini tomatoes (the yellow are so sweet, the red have nice acidity) I decided that they really don’t need much dressing up!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Earth Dance Farm

27842 141st Ave.
Spring Valley, MN 55975
507-378-4252

Earth Dance Farm

Earth Dance Farm, CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, Farm, Produce, Organic, Sustainable, local, food, farm to table, farm to school, herbs, honey, beekeeping, visits, eggs, pastured chickens, foodie, fresh, heirloom, vegetable, mushrooms, berries, fruit, yurt, biodynamic, heritage, breeds, crop rotation, cover crops, compost, land stewardship project, field to work, rural life, WOOF, living off the land, tiny house, fish emulsion, foliar food, green manure, companion planting, internships, farm fresh, alternative energy, footprint, wind power, solar power, lacavore, vegan morganic, pesticide free, non GMO, no herbicides, chemical free, no till, greenways, headlands, filter strips, grain, hay, neighborhood, delivery, boxed food, nourish, flavor, healthy, shares, full, half, single, flex, winter, spring, fall, summer, bushel, family, recipes, asparagus, beans, broccoli, raab, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, sweet corn, popcorn, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, parships, peas, bell, peppers, hot, potatoes, pumpkins, rhubarb, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, arugula, boc choy, lettuce, mizuna, mustard, tatsoi, kale, spinach, swiss chard, Spring Valley, Minnesota, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Austin, Highland Park, Lakeville, Merriam Park, St. Louis Park, Uptown, Hiawatha, Longfellow, Como, Norm the farmer

SPRING VALLEY WEATHER

  • Sign Up Today
  • Drop Locations
  • Crops Grown
  • CSA Movement
  • Farm Connections
  • Newsletters
  • Calendar
  • Recipes
  • News & Information
  • Gallery
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • Home
  • About Earth Dance Farm
  • Internships
  • Contact

© 2021 · Website Design and Hosting by SMG Web Design of Preston, Minnesota