Sauerkraut Three Ways

Have had a craving for sauerkraut these last few days and since my previous batch of Caraway Kraut and Kimchi are almost all gone now, I decided to make another batch...or two...or three. I couldn't make up my mind on what kind I wanted.It only takes a bit of time to whip up a quart jar so I made three kinds today.Oriental with Bok Choy and Seaweed, Purple Cabbage with Apple and one using a bought Coleslaw Mix with Fire Cider Powder.

The basic instructions are the same for all 3 kinds of Kraut. Combine everything together in a large bowl and pound the crap out of it with a kraut pounder or just massage it with your hands. Set aside for two hours so the mixture can release any juices which will be used for the brine. Pound the crap out of it again and let sit another hour. Once the mixture has wilted and released any juices, pack into clean quart sized jars. Add 1/4 cup liquid whey (from making Greek Yogurt or cream cheese) and enough filtered water to cover the vegetables. If you do not have any whey, then use a salt brine mixture of 1/4 cup Sea Salt to one quart filtered water. Run a clean knife around the inside of the jar, reaching down all the way to the bottom, to release any air bubbles. Submerge the vegetables under the brine using any number of methods, I used flat clear glass pieces I bought at the $ Store. You can also fill a zip-lock sandwich bag with salt brine and cover the top of the Kraut mixture. I then topped the Kraut with a smaller glass jar to keep any air out while fermenting. Leave this mixture on the counter for 3-7 days. You can eat the Kraut at this point or remove the smaller glass jars from the opening and secure a lid on to the jar and place in a cool, dark place for up to 6 weeks.

Oriental Kraut with Bok Choy and Seaweed

        1/2 head of Bok Choy Oriental Cabbage, sliced 1/2 inch thick

        5 leaves of Kale, peeled off the stem and sliced into thin strips

        1 carrot, washed, dried and grated

        5 green onions, sliced thinly, green parts only

        2 Nori sheets, torn along perforations and then thinly snipped with scissors

        1/2 tsp Galangal Powder

        1 tbsp Chili Powder

        1 Dried Thai Chili Pepper

        1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Purple Cabbage Kraut with Apple and Fennel

          1/2 head of Purple Cabbage, sliced thinly (I used my mandoline).

          1/2 medium white onion, diced

          1 apple, grated

          1/2 tsp fennel seed

          1/2 tsp pickling spices

          8 whole cloves

          1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Coleslaw Mix Kraut with Fire Cider Powder

         1 Bag Coleslaw Mix

         1/2 medium onion, diced

         1 Tbsp Fire Cider Powder (I dehydrated the pulp from my batch of Fire Cider). 

         Here is a recipe for Fire Cider from Cari-Lee at Recipe for Anarchy.

         1/2 tsp Caraway seeds

         1 Tbsp Sea Salt