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Fermented pointed cabbage with garlic
This is the recipe I always come back to. Pointed cabbage instead of white, because it is more tender and ferments faster, two fat cloves of garlic, and salt by weight.
There is only one thing you need to be precise about, and that is the salt. Two per cent of the cabbage''s weight. Not a teaspoon, not a splash, but weighed. Too little salt and the cabbage rots instead of fermenting. Too much, and the bacteria you are after cannot work.
The maths is easy: weigh the cabbage after shredding, multiply by 0.02. 800 grams of cabbage gives 16 grams of salt.
The rest takes care of itself. You just have to keep the cabbage under its own liquid.
Ingredients
- 1 pointed cabbage, about 700-900 g
- Himalayan salt, 2% of the cabbage weight after shredding
- 2 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Sharp knife or mandoline
- Large bowl
- Clean jar with a loose or fermentation lid
- Something to hold the cabbage down, such as a smaller jar or a cabbage leaf
Method
- 1
Take a couple of the outer leaves off and set them aside. You will need them at the end.
- 2
Shred the cabbage finely. Weigh the shredded cabbage and multiply by 0.02. That is your salt.
- 3
Mix cabbage, salt and garlic in a large bowl. Massage firmly with your hands for 5-10 minutes, until the cabbage collapses and liquid gathers in the bottom of the bowl.
- 4
Pack the cabbage into the jar layer by layer, pressing hard after each one, so the air is forced out and the liquid rises.
- 5
Pour in all the liquid from the bowl. The cabbage must be fully covered. Lay one of the whole leaves on top and a small jar on that as a weight.
- 6
Close the lid, but not tightly. Use a fermentation lid if you have one.
- 7
Burp the jar 1-2 times a day for the first 3-4 days. Turn the lid a quarter turn until you hear the hiss, then close it again. This is when fermentation works hardest and makes the most gas, and this is when a jar can burst if the pressure is not let out.
- 8
Leave at room temperature, preferably dark, for 1-2 weeks. Taste from day five. When the sourness is where you want it, move the jar to the fridge.
Dosage
A small bowl daily, or a couple of tablespoons with a meal.
Start small if you are not used to fermented food. Your gut needs to get used to it.
If you drink red clover tea for hot flushes, eat the sauerkraut alongside it. It provides exactly what the plant needs.
Shelf life
4-6 months refrigerated, often longer. It grows more sour over time.
Always use a clean, dry fork. Fingers in the jar bring bacteria that do not belong.
Safety
The salt is the safety. Two per cent by weight is not a matter of taste, it is what keeps the wrong bacteria out while the right ones work. Weigh it.
Burp the jar 1-2 times a day for the first 3-4 days. Fermentation makes gas, and a jar that is never allowed to release the pressure can burst. This is not a theoretical risk, and broken glass and cabbage juice are a poor combination.
The cabbage must stay under the liquid at all times. Whatever pokes up into the air will mould.
A thin white film on the surface is kahm yeast and is harmless, scrape it off. But fuzzy mould in green, black or pink, or a jar that smells rotten rather than sour, means throw the whole thing out. Do not simply cut the bad part away.
If you have histamine intolerance, fermented food can bring headache, itching or palpitations. Try a small amount first.
If your immune system is weakened, if you are pregnant, or if you are having chemotherapy, speak with your doctor before eating home-fermented food.
Fermented cabbage is high in salt. If you are on a low-salt diet or have high blood pressure, go easy on the quantity.
How the herbs work
Fermentation creates lactic acid bacteria, the same families found in the gut. They convert the cabbage''s sugars into lactic acid, and it is the acid that both preserves and makes the cabbage easy to digest.
Cabbage also contains glucosinolates and vitamin C, and fermentation increases the availability of both. Fermented cabbage is more nutritious than raw.
Garlic contributes allicin, which is antibacterial and at the same time anti-inflammatory.
A large part of the immune system sits in the gut. That is the route by which fermented food affects inflammation in the body.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.