Hey Steemians,
Today here’s my feedback after trying to fermenting white kale for the first time.
What you need:
1-2 Preserving can
1 big bowl
1 white cabbage
1-2 teaspon salt
This is what I did:
Take 1 big cabbage and peel 1 or 2 nice big leaves and put them aside. Then cut the cabbage head into 2 halves. Remove the stalk from the middle and keep that as we need both for later.
Now it is up to you how to cut it into thin or thicker slices, cubes, graters or whatever you like.
Take a huge bowl to store the vegetables. For 1 medium size cabbage you need to stray 1 teaspoon of salt (take the best you have) over and start massaging the whole stuff. This is important to break the structure of the leaves and allow the salt draining the water from inside to outside. (If you leave it over night, it won’t leak water as you need to massage it constantly, move it and process it immediately). After a while Water will appear and this is what we need now.
Take a preserve can and little by little press small amounts of the kraut into that jar. At the end fill it up with the salty water and now you need the leaf and the stalk from the beginning.
Cover the vegetables with that big beautiful leaf so that all the water it going to cover the leaf. Now it’s time to put everything under pressure. Measure the size of the jar and the space between the lid and the kraut. Use the stalk as a bumper and close the cap. It should cost you a little effort to close it and therefore use clips to fix the lid.
And now you are almost ready.
How long does it take?
This is up to how much salt you used (more salt, longer fermenting time) or if it’s summer or winter. The longer it takes the better it is.
What to do next?
In the following weeks you need to open the lid carefully to let the air out. Due to the fermentation process gas is going to escape. If you see some bubbles it is starting to work. Look, that you open the cap every 2 Days. After a while this process is over and you can leave the Sauerkraut for a very long time.
When you think you want to try some, but still have the rest in the jar, please cover the rest with water.
It may happen, that it’s going to decay. Don’t worry. You just started. Sometimes you did a little mistake while preparing it or it’s just not starting fermentation. Learn and try again!!!
By the way: for your personal favorite add other vegetables or try something new. We german do Sauerkraut with a carrot and/or an onion.
This time I did one with Caraway Seeds and one with Chili. It’s not original, but do whatever you feel like :)
Do you have any questions? Leave a comment and we will figure out how to do your best German Sauerkraut!