Sauerkraut recipe for naturally healthy skin
Read more about how gut health can help with healthy skin!
I make a huge batch of sauerkraut every few months, and I usually make a few mini jars to give to friends- because what is better than the gift of health and good food. Some of my friends LOVE their sauerkraut delivery and some respond in the most hilarious way possible:
“What IS THIS!? I think you just gave me a jar of farts! You must have done something wrong!” – Marco Assanti.
I assure you, Mr. Assanti that is literally how it is meant to be! Every time we pop over to his house that jar of glorious sauerkraut is just lurking in the back waiting to be loved and valued. Maybe when I send him this blog post we’ll see a change in his demeanor! 😂 I literally am obsessed with and LOVE sauerkraut and cant get enough of it.
I get anxious when we are running low on this goodness 😂😅 and I put it on EVERYTHING.
My go-to salad is mixed greens, sauerkraut and chilli flakes! You don’t even need a dressing because the sauerkraut has such a wonderful flavor. With any fermented foods start small- a teaspoon a day and work your way up to having up to a few tablespoons with each meal after a few weeks. There can be too much of a good thing, and too much sauerkraut can lead to diarrhea and stomach cramps so just be cautious! If for any reason I don’t have time to make sauerkraut (which happens a lot, I am not superwoman- nor do I need to be!) I buy this jar- which is also super delicious, especially combined with their cashew cheese!
Ingredients
*Optional
- 1 head of cabbage- finely shredded, reserve outer leaves
- 1 apple- grated
- Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (I find this one yields the best and most consistent results)
- 2 T Salt
- 2 T Sugar
- ¼ C Cumin seeds*
- 2 T Juniper berries*
- 3 Bay leaves*
Method
- CLEAN EVERYTHING SUPER WELL! Knives, chopping boards, bowls, hands and jars. I use dishwashing liquid and REALLY hot water. You also want to be sure to rinse the bubbles off everything because any traces of cleaning product can actually kill the good bacteria you are trying to grow!
- Reserve the outer cabbage leaves to weight down the sauerkraut.
- Place cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, sugar and cumin + juniper.
- Using your hands mix and massage the salt and cumin through the cabbage.
- Place a couple of handfuls of the cabbage mixture into an airtight glass jar and smash it down! You can use a fist, a rolling pin- whatever you have that is handy for smashing! I use a pestle- but be careful with the glass! I have been known to get a bit excited and break a jar in my time OOOPS.
- Put a thin layer of grated apple on top.
- Repeat until the jar is full almost to the top!
- Fill the jar up with Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. This is the only ACV I use because it is unpasteurised and organic- so it has all the good stuff! I also find I have a higher success rate when I use this brand!
- Use a chopstick or a knife to poke holes all the way down to the bottom to make sure there are no air bubbles! You may need to top up a few times with BACV. The cabbage needs to be completely submerged.
- Fold up the outer cabbage leaves and place in the top of the jar. Close the jar and place in a cool dark place for 10 days.
- Everyday check your sauerkraut. Open the lid to release any gasses and top up with ACV if necessary! This is called burping!
- After 10 days remove the extra cabbage leaves and scrape off the top layer of sauerkraut which maybe a little funky looking.
Yay! You’ve made sauerkraut!
Never double dip! Keep in the fridge where it will last up to 6 months or until you devour it.