Fermented Foods - Sauerkraut

Smoked meats and wine are fermented foods. Another fermented food I make is sauerkraut. It is unbelievably easy to make with only salt (course salt, no iodine or additives) and cabbage as ingredients. I have read you can add other vegetables, fruits and herbs for a variety of flavors. It is made in a large plastic or glass container, not metal or Corelle.

Grate the cabbage, I use my food processor. Put a 1/2 inch layer of cabbage in the container and sprinkle with salt. Stir each layer into the next, stir well after last layer. The salt keeps wards off unwanted bacteria and draws out the moisture from the cabbage keeping it crunchy. To fill a gallon crock I use 3 tablespoons of salt to 5 pounds of cabbage. When full pack the cabbage firmly into the container. Add salt water if necessary so the brine is covering the cabbage.  Wipe the lip of the container, the edge above the cabbage, with a paper towel so it is clean.

Fill a ziplock bag with water and use this as a weighted lid. This lid is vital as the water bag fills the container and packs the cabbage so no air can spoil it. Store in a cool place, heat will only encourage unwanted bacteria. I never have had mold using this method. Turn the weighted lid, or bag, over onto a clean plate ever couple of days and give the cabbage a good stir. Remember to reclean the edges before putting the weighted lid back on. After 30 days I put the sauerkraut into sterile jars in the fridge.


It is so yummy you will soon be addicted to it just like me! Peace for all

Salt - Easy Preserving Vegetables - Fermentation - Survival Homestead

We are all preparing for the uncertain future ahead of us.  Food shortages and price increases are inevitable. We are not helpless, the world will not die when this generation does,  We must look forward with confidence and optimism that we can not only survive but thrive as the healthy productive humans we were meant to be.  

Food Preservation 

This blog is going to delve into the activity of living sustainable.  Like there are laws of nature, there are laws that rule our bodies survival. Of these things, nutrient intake is one of the most vital to health.  Being able to preserve food from a time of abundance to a time of lack is imperative.

Salt is impossible to grow.  It could be difficult to come by if food distribution is disrupted.  Not only is  it necessary for safe fermentation, it is necessary for health and a flavor enhancer second to none.  Stock up on sea salt for dining and kosher salt for preserving food for later.

beans, cabbage and garlic preserved only with salt

Freezing and canning traditionally have been used to preserve food.  In fact there are posts on this blog detailing how easy it is to prepare food for freezing.  There both require electricity, one storage and one in production respectively, and nutrients are diminished in the process.  Fermentation preservation has neither of these problems.  In fact nutrition is enhanced by eating pickles, sauerkraut  and other vegetables.

Kosher Salt is the first thing you should stock up on as it alone will preserve your food for later dining.  The salt must not contain iodine like most table salt.  Buy several boxes and store it in the back of a cupboard, it won't go bad.

Why and How to Ferment Vegetables

a little video showing how to ferment vegetables

This is a link to my post for making sauerkraut.  I use this for preserving garlic, hot peppers, cabbage, cucumber pickles and spicy pickled beans.

Fire Me Please I Quit

. . . my kitchen overflows . . . with the rendered lard spilled over the counter . . . the pots piled high from grape jelly, split pea soup and tomato sauce (yet again) . . . the last of the concords are rotting in a box, the elderberries are drying in the branches (poisonous i know) . . . this morning our new furnace sprung a leak spewing water everwhere . . . a HUGE packrat got in through the basement when we installed the furnace and is making himself at home in my pantry, he has commandeered my large crock i was going to use today for sauerkraut (more dishes) . . . the cats and dog play cat and mouse all night upturning my drying herbs, peppers and garden seed for next year . . . 36 litres of wine to be bottled (more dishes) . . . i haven't been off the farm in over a month . . . i forgot to gather eggs today and lock up my chickens . . . looking back over this post i see things are about normal . . . so it is off to bed with me to start again tomorrow . . . peace all