Paleo Garlic-Herb Sauerkraut
Fermented foods are a natural fit for ancestral eating, and this garlicky, herb-scented kraut delivers all the probiotic goodness without a single additive or preservative in sight. It's just cabbage, sea salt, garlic, and a handful of fresh herbs — nothing processed, nothing packaged, nothing to second-guess. The fermentation process does all the heavy lifting, transforming simple shredded cabbage into something tangy, complex, and deeply satisfying over the course of one to two weeks. Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf give it an almost Mediterranean character that makes it far more interesting than anything you'd pull off a store shelf. The technique is straightforward: massage, pack, weigh down, and wait. Daily check-ins keep things on track, and by day five you can start tasting to dial in exactly the level of sourness you want. Once it hits the fridge, you've got up to three months of a versatile condiment that pairs beautifully with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or honestly just eaten straight from the jar.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 lb), outer leaves reserved
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodized)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- 1
Remove 2–3 outer leaves from the cabbage and set them aside. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core, and shred it as thinly as possible — about 1/8-inch ribbons — using a chef's knife or mandoline.
- 2
Weigh the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Add the sea salt at a ratio of 1.5–2% of the cabbage's weight (the 1 tbsp listed is calibrated for 2 lb / 900 g of cabbage). Toss well, then massage and squeeze the cabbage firmly with clean hands for 8–10 minutes, until it releases a significant amount of liquid and the shreds become limp and translucent.
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