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You've probably tried sauerkraut by now, but are you an avid fan of the stuff? Kraut is one of the most accessible medicinal foods you can find at shops these days, but have you found 'your' type of kraut yet? The one that suits YOUR taste buds!
For me, I can try a brand and if I don't like it, this tends to turns me off the whole thing. The same for other health foods such as kombucha, coconut oil and kefir. You need to find the right brand OR make it yourself!
(By the way my favourite tasting Coconut Oil is: Loving Earth)
SO! If you learn to make kraut (and it's really simple to make once you know how) then you can create it according to YOUR taste! Plus, it's really satisfying to make foods that is good for us... there's something very fulfilling about that!
Sauerkraut is expensive to buy, so use these simple steps to make your own!
How to make your very own style of Kraut!
(This recipe is from Lynnie Stein who is a Fermentation Queen! Follow her on Instagram!)
1. Buy a nice organic white cabbage. Peel of the out leaves then thinly slice the cabbage and with each addition sprinkle sea salt in a large mixing bowl and massage with love. (This gives an even distribution of salt) * I like to use sea salt flakes which are nice and crunchy!
2. Massage the cabbage until all water from the vegetable is released. This will take a good amount of massaging (maybe 10 minutes), so put on some good tunes and massage away or meditate in silence, or get the kids involved!
* The cabbage will first begin to soften, then it will release moisture, and the moisture will begin to fizz. Massage until the cabbage is (mostly) submerged in its own liquid.
** Mix in any additional flavours such as juniper berries, slices of garlic, tumeric or dill are some of my favs!
3. Transfer mixture to a clean crock or jar, making sure to pack down the cabbage as you go.
4. Pour in excess liquid. The cabbage should be completely submerged!
If using a glass fermenting jar, you want to weigh the cabbage down as to keep it completely submerged during the entire fermentation process.
(You can use the outside leaves of cabbage, or a special glass dunker (weight). Pack it down!!
5. Seal the 'Fido' jar and place on a deep saucer in a dry area of your home, away from direct UV light and sunlight, cover with a cloth.
6. Taste to see when soured to your liking. Then simply bottle if using a crock or place Fido in the fridge. Dig in a few times per day for your daily dose of Gut Goodness!
* The finished product has turned from green cabbage to a soft light yellow to beige.
3 other variations for you to try...
RED KRAUT
1 red organic cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ginger and turmeric, chopped
1 tablespoon juniper berries, whole
Approx. 2 tablespoons fine Himalayan salt
Prepare as above.
GREEN MANGO PICKLE * Perfect before they get too ripe!
Green mango – sliced and sprinkled with:
Sea Salt
Bush lemon / lime slices + juice to cover
Chilli or your other fav herbs and spices (you can't go wrong!)
"Little pieces of fermented mango, (especially combined with a condiment (pomegranate and cranberry relish) can make even the most boring food taste extraordinary. Of course that is the power of any lacto-fermented pickle!" Lynnie Stein
APPLE KRAUT
Massage ¼ of red cabbage to each ½ of green cabbage with fine Himalayan salt. Add diced green apple, turmeric and ginger. Now hand it over to the fermenting fairies in an oxygen free jar like a Fido, out place out of direct light. Taste test at 14 days. Refrigerate.
* Fruit will ferment quicker than cabbage
How to eat your kraut
OK - So you've got your jar of goodness ready to go, so what's the best way to eat it?
Have a couple of folk fulls on the side with scrambled eggs and veggies (something about the crunch with the smooth eggs)
On top of avocado and smoked salmon on a chia seed cracker
layered over a green salad for lunch (yummy with tuna)
In amongst my steamed veggies for dinner
*** TIP: You will benefit more if you spread your intake of kraut over the course of the day, rather than just once per day.
Why you should eat Kraut daily?
Eating fermented foods such as Kraut throughout your day is like having good bacteria flowing into your gut like a dripping tap!
This is very necessary - as the reason people's gut becomes so imbalanced is because they aren't intentionally replacing what is lost every day, through typical daily things like: Stress, unhealthy food choices, sugar, lack of exercise, sitting too long, medications, negative thoughts etc. etc. - ALL of these types of things are very taxing on your gut bacteria and actually deplete these - So you want to be topping them up everyday to compensate!
"Enjoy making krauts! We live such a hurried life and it's this kind of food creation which helps us become more present - This in turn lowers our stress (we can't have a racing mind when we focus on this second!) This whole thing remarkably calms our gut which allows it to heal and regenerate!"
Need More Help?
Eating Kraut is one thing - but if your gut 'terrain' isn't prepared first, you may not get the benefits of all those amazing probiotics in the kraut!
So if you'd my 5 steps on how to fix your gut properly - you're in luck!
I've made you a simple guide to use to get your gut in ideal shape!
Please Note: There are some people who should not have fermented foods. These include but are not limited to those with extreme leaky gut (in this case you'll need to do some healing first) and those with high Histamine. For more info - Please Comment Below!
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