BHA & BHT Free Homemade Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is one of those ancient, humble foods that somehow manages to feel both rustic and deeply satisfying — tangy, crunchy, and alive with flavor. The beauty of making it yourself is that you know exactly what went into the jar: just fresh green cabbage and non-iodized sea salt, nothing else. Store-bought versions often sneak in preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, so homemade is genuinely the cleanest route if you're trying to avoid those additives. The process is almost meditative — massaging the cabbage until it releases its own brine, then packing it down and letting time and natural fermentation do the rest. You're essentially creating a living food with two ingredients and a little patience, which is pretty remarkable. The flavor develops gradually over one to two weeks, so you can taste as you go and pull it from fermentation exactly when it hits that perfect sour-tangy note for you. It's wonderful piled onto sausages, stirred into grain bowls, or eaten straight from the jar as a probiotic-rich snack.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
- 1 small head green cabbage (about 2 lb), outer leaves reserved
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt (non-iodized)
Instructions
- 1
Peel off and set aside 1–2 large outer cabbage leaves. Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, and slice the remaining cabbage into thin shreds about 1/8-inch thick.
- 2
Place the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the sea salt evenly over it. Massage and squeeze the cabbage firmly with clean hands for 8–10 minutes, until it has released a significant amount of liquid and feels limp and wet — the brine should pool visibly at the bottom of the bowl.
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