Celery Free Homemade Sauerkraut
Tangy, crunchy, and deeply satisfying, this homemade sauerkraut is one of those fermented staples that tastes infinitely better when you make it yourself. The entire ingredient list is just two items — shredded green cabbage and fine sea salt — so there is absolutely nothing hidden in here to worry about. Massaging the salt into the cabbage draws out its natural juices, creating the brine that does all the fermentation work right in the jar. The process is low-effort and mostly hands-off once you get past the first few days of pressing the cabbage down to keep it submerged. By day seven you can start tasting, and somewhere between that first sample and day fourteen you will hit a level of sourness that is just right for your palate. Pile it on sausages, stir it into grain bowls, or eat it straight from the jar — it keeps beautifully in the fridge once fermentation is done. Knowing exactly what went into every batch is a genuinely good feeling.
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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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