Homemade Garlic Sauerkraut Recipe

Making this homemade organic garlic sauerkraut recipe offers the ultimate probiotics. When considering the cost of probiotics supplementation, a batch of organic, raw sauerkraut using natural sea salt can save you money.

Ultimate Probiotic Health Benefits of Garlic Sauerkraut

The health benefits of organic sauerkraut is in the natural probiotics and digestive enzymes. The pickling process of raw sauerkraut is called lacto-fermentation because of the healthy bacteria, lactobacilli. When this beneficial bacteria makes its home in the sauerkraut crock pot or jar, it ferments the cabbage making it a tasty, healthful sauerkraut.

Lactobacillus is the lactic acid bacteria which lives in the small intestines of humans. They are ubiquitous in nature so there's no need to add the bacteria to the cabbage. They will be there, ready to do their job for you. With dairy, these healthy microorganisms are also found in yogurt and kefir.

Basic Homemade Organic Garlic Sauerkraut Recipe – a Low Carb Food

Some people use a sauerkraut crock pot to ferment the cabbage, but the easiest way to start out is by using a wide mouth Mason jar, quart size.

Ingredients:

• 1 Organic Cabbage
• 1 – 2 Tb. Natural Sea Salt (Gourmet Sea Salt or any unrefined sea salt will do)
• 1 - 2 Cloves Garlic

Directions:

1. Either shred the cabbage with a shredder or cut it in about 1/8” wide strips.
2. Put the cabbage pieces in a large bowl and add the natural sea salt.
3. Mince garlic in a garlic press and place it in the bowl with the cabbage and sea salt.
4. Mix the ingredients with your hands, squishing the cabbage and the natural sea salt together until the cabbage juice is in the bowl too. This takes about 10 minutes and will wilt the cabbage nicely.
5. Pack the cabbage mixture tightly into the wide mouth Mason jar leaving at least one inch of room from the top of the jar for the cabbage to ferment. It should be so tightly packed in the jar, that there is at least one inch of the brine above the cabbage mixture. This brine (the water and sea salt) will ensure the sauerkraut will not rot as it is fermenting.
6. Close the jar tightly and put in a dark, cool place.

Ideal temperature for this process is 65 to 75 degrees for the natural probiotics (lactobacilli) to cause fermentation. Above 75 for any length of time can spoil the cabbage. Leave the jar in a cool place for 24 hours and then check on it. If you find what is called “scum” on the top, simply scoop it off. It’s just a natural yeast product on the top that can be taken off with a spoon.

Check on the sauerkraut daily and in a week or two, the garlic sauerkraut will be ready. Timing depends on temperature. The colder it is, the longer it takes. Most people leave it to ferment for a few weeks as the sour taste gets better with age.

If you find the brine is not an inch above the sauerkraut, you can either shove it down further into the jar or add a little bit of natural sea salt water to it.