Sandor Katz’ nickname and best-known fermentation habit (that would be SandorKraut and sauerkraut, for those still unfamiliar) inspired me to share my favorite sauerkraut du jour while the contest to win his book Wild Fermentation is on-going! I’m sharing my very favorite sauerkraut recipe. It isn’t the wackiest sauerkraut I’ve made and the ingredients are far from funky. It is, however, consistently delicious, pretty, and simple to make. If you’re looking for a pretty gift option, this would be a good one. Unfortunately it needs a month or more of fermentation, so you’d have to put a “best after” date on it, or perhaps start a tradition of giving the kind of gifts that are perfect for supporting those new year’s resolutions.
GINGER LEMON SAUERKRAUT
Yields one quart sauerkraut.
One of the best parts about this kraut is that at the end of fermentation, you have preserved lemon slices! Chop them up, peel and all, and throw them in just about anything from salads to grain dishes for an amazing flavor boost (or you can just eat them in your kraut, of course).
Ingredients
2 lbs cabbage
5 organic*, thin-skinned lemons (Meyer lemons are fine), unwaxed. (If you can only find waxed, scrub them before use).
5 inches of fresh ginger rhizome
1 tablespoon mustard seed (optional)
4-5 inch piece of kombu (optional)
6 teaspoons salt, divided
How To
- Wash cabbage and remove the core and any outer leaves that are less than attractive. Set aside outer leaves. Grate or shred cabbage. I usually use the slicing blade on my food processor. Remember that the pieces will shrink during fermentation, since they’ll shed their water. Make them larger than you want them to be when you eat them.
- Place grated/sliced cabbage in a large bowl and thoroughly toss with 4 teaspoons of salt. Set aside.
- Grate ginger. I use the grating blade on my food processor.
- Remove the ends from your lemons then slice the lemons very thinly.
- Check on your cabbage. Is there liquid in the bottom of your bowl? Is the cabbage looking soft? Work the cabbage with your hands, until there is quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl, and the cabbage is looking and feeling pretty limp. If you knead it for a while and you aren’t achieving a softer texture, add the remaining salt, toss, and let it sit a bit longer before working it again.
- By the time you’re ready to pack your jar or crock, the cabbage should be fairly limp, and the bowl should have at least 1/2 cup of liquid in the bottom.
- Incorporate the grated ginger, mixing it in thoroughly. If you’re including mustard seeds and kombu, mix them in now.
- Get ready to pack your jar. If you’re doing this right, you should look at the contents of the bowl and think, “No WAY is all of this going to fit in there.” Get ready to pack! Grab a handful of kraut and push it into the bottom of your jar. Push it into the corners of the jar, press tightly. Make sure you see some liquid rise out of that layer.
- Grab a few lemon slices and place them inside the jar, completely covering the cabbage layer. I like to get the lemons as close to the jar sides as possible, so they’ll be a pretty little yellow layer once the jar is packed and viewed from the outside.
- Repeat this process, some kraut, some lemons, some kraut, some lemons, until your jar is completely full. Space it out so that the top layer is cabbage and not lemons, and pack tightly after placing each layer. When you’ve finished, the lemon slices should form just a thin line when viewed from outside the jar. You want this TIGHTLY packed. There should be a layer of liquid over the top of the cabbage. If there isn’t pour some of the brine from the bowl over the top.
- Leave one to two inches of headspace. The CO2 that is created during fermentation will push the liquid and the cabbage up, and could cause overflow. Fermentation is most vigorous during the first few days, so you might want to be a little vigilant about pushing things back down during that time. I keep mine on a plate, in case there is overflow.
12. Use one of the reserved outer leaves as a kind of shelf for your weight.
13. Let it sit, checking brine levels periodically, for four weeks. I usually push my top jar down a few times in the first week, then leave it alone for another week or two before I start regularly checking brine levels, to make sure that the cabbage is still submerged.
14. Allow to ferment for 1 month at room temperature. Secure jar lid and move it to the fridge. Enjoy for weeks, months or as long as it keeps tasting good to you.
*It is very important to use organic citrus for this process. Lemons are very porous and they will be soaking in your kraut brine for a month. Also, since you’ll be eating the peel at the end of fermentation, you want lemons that are not loaded with toxic pesticides.
Rachel says
Thanks for the recipe. I have a Meyer lemon tree that’s overflowing – can’t wait to try this!
Amanda says
Way to make me jealous, Rachel! 🙂 Seriously, though, enjoy! It’s a favorite!
Julie says
After getting yours at a food swap years ago, I finally made this. About to pack up the jar. Can’t wait! Also made the ginger carrot pickles. I had the urge to ferment!
Amanda says
Awesome! I hope it turns out great! (We miss you back here in the town!)
Tricia says
can you please tell me what size jars you use as I am just starting and wanting to purchase jars . There are only two of us
Amanda says
Hi Tricia,
You can use any size jar. A general rule of thumb for shreddy vegetable ferments (like sauerkraut) is 2 pounds of vegetables per quart, although I sometimes find after squeezing that I can get almost 2 and 1/4 pounds in.
This particular recipe calls for a quart jar, and I do find that I use that size quite a bit.
I hope that helps.
Amy says
Can’t wait to try this one. Sounds so good.
I ferment in huge kilner jars – 4 or 6 lbs, then transfer to jam jars for storage. Once you get a taste for this stuff that will not seem like a lot! . I discovered that I can put a clean small glass jar – like a honey jar – on top of the ferment, force it down tightly, then clamp the lid down on top of it – it has to be difficult to close to get the pressure – and this acts like a weight pushing down on the ferment. It works a treat. I keep all sizes of glass jars so I just try different ones until I get the right pressure.
(For anyone new to fermenting, since kilner jars are air tight you need to release it momentarily occasionally to let the gas out.)
Jackie says
I love this recipe it just finished fermenting and I will have to hold myself back from eating it too fast!
Amanda says
Thanks, Jackie! I love hearing that. I haven’t made a batch in a while and now I’m craving it!
Billy says
I love the idea of adding lemon to a sauerkraut ferment. Ginger is a great flavor as well but also adds a bunch of stomach health benefits! Thank you for this great recipe! I am definitely excited to give this one a shot at home.
John says
Which color mustard seed?
Faye says
Hey, this looks great! I had the idea to put lemon in my kraut to, and now trying to see how long to leave it till the lemon is edible. It’s had 2 weeks, which I no is plenty for cabbage but lemons I normally do for 3 weeks. Any ideas? Really want to try with the ginger to next time!
Amanda says
1 month minimum. I updated the instructions so that the time wasn’t just in the note.
Peggy L Smith says
I was looking for a recipe that called for ginger and lemongrass. Since I have a lemon tree with lemons ready to use, I went for this recipe. I omitted the mustard due to just making a mustard kraut. Now the count down begins.
Amanda says
Sounds great!
Brett says
This looks kind of interesting, I’m wondering why you don’t leave the lemon slices in the kraut once it has fermented? Or can you? I started one about 10 days ago with just cabbage, lemon zest and cracked pepper, it tastes kind of bitter, do i need to let it go for the full 30 days?
Amanda says
You can leave them in. Eventually, they’ll be preserved lemon slices and you can eta them, peel and all. If you don’t let them ferment long enough, there will be some bitterness. In my case, eating under-preserved citrus results in full taste bud destruction, so I make sure to let them go for a good long while.
Brett says
Hey Amanda, is there a trick to using lemons in a kraut? I tried to make a lemon and pepper kraut and it turned out very bitter, I made a 5 litre batch with 20 small lemons, I used the zest and juice, and a quarter cup of peppercorns, thinking i might have used too much pith but my girlfriend fermented some lemons and they were so zesty it was amazing, that is kind of what I was going for, maybe too much pepper?
Amanda says
Yes! Make sure to use no less salt than in this recipe (more is ok) and it needs to ferment for at least a month (I’m pretty sure I say this above, but jic, I’ll say it here again). If you don’t, the lemon slices will be bitter and destroy your tastebuds when you take a bite. This is a lesson I learned when I very first made preserved lemons on their own. I never even take a nibble before 1 month.
I hope that helps!