Kraut

So, one of my goals this fall was to have continual frementation going on. I started about a monh ago or so and have been alternating between batched os kimchi and sauerkraut. I have been using the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz as my guide. He is a true genius when it comes to fermented foods and I hope you will check out his website at http://wildfermentation.com/ .

I started with a head of green cabbage from the local store and a few collard and mustard leaves from the garden.

I had about a T of salt. I have sort of taken Sandy's lead and try to just salt by feel.

In the fridge I had saved some finely sliced cauliflower stem and decided to add them to the mix.

After chopping up the cabbage into fine slices, I alternated handfuls of my brassicas with pinches of salt and, using my hands, massaged the salt into greens. Then I tightly packed it into my ceramic fermenting crock.

I just happen to have a small plate that fits perfectly into the crock and so I used that to weight the cabbage down and cause enough pressure to help the salt draw the moisture out of the cabbage.

Finally I coverd the crock and allowed it to set in a nice corner of my kitchen to ferment and turn delicious.