Easiest Sauerkraut Ever

Earlier over at my skincare and wellness coaching blog, I wrote that fermented foods are among the best things we can eat to achieve radiant health and clear skin. The natural probiotics in real fermented foods aid digestion and give powerful antioxidant protection. I see so many clients who struggle with treatment-resistant acne. These same clients tend to have poor digestion, low energy, allergies, and other signs of general low immune system health. One thing I always recommend is adding more raw, cultured nutrition to the daily diet. You can buy artisanal raw sauerkrauts at your local natural food store that are delicious, but it will cost you at least $9 for the real thing. Real raw sauerkraut is so easy and cheap to make, you may as well make your own. Here's how I do mine:

Real Raw Sauerkraut

Ingredients needed:

• ONE HEAD OF PURPLE OR GREEN CABBAGE, ORGANIC IF POSSIBLE

• 1 TABLESPOON HIGH-QUALITY SALT (I use pink Himalayan but Celtic sea salt is also mineral-rich and healthy.)

• 1TEASPOON CARAWAY SEED

Supplies needed:

• CUTTING BOARD

• A GOOD KNIFE

• MEASURING SPOONS

• A 1-QT WIDE-MOUTH MASON JAR 

Shred your cabbage. Chop it finely with knife and cutting board. It doesn't have to look perfect but be sure the pieces are small. You'll be squishing them into a jar.

Add the salt and put your cabbage into a large bowl. Squeeze and press the cabbage with your hands to get it nice and bruised and juicy.

Add the caraway seeds, then pack it all up into a quart-size wide-mouth mason jar. Important: Press the cabbage down firmly with a spoon or, if it fits, with your hand. The goal is to get all solid bits of cabbage submerged beneath the juices. This will prevent mold from growing on your sauerkraut. *

Keep your kraut-to-be at a nice, warm room temperature for at least a week. After that, taste it and see if you like it. If so you may refrigerate it at this point. For even better nutrient profile, let it ferment at least two weeks before throwing it in the fridge. I like a stronger taste and tons of good bacteria so two weeks works for me. Just be sure your cabbage-y bits have enough liquid in them to stay sunken until refrigeration.

Two 20-ounce jars and a mix of green and red cabbages. It's 5:32 somewhere.

* Optional:  In her wonderful and highly recommended book, Full Moon Feast, Jessica Prentice recommends weighing your sauerkraut down with a smaller jar, filled with water, to ensure that your mix stays under the liquid line. I don't and haven't ever done that; I just press my cabbage down below the liquid every day and have never had a mold problem.