I’ve begun fermenting, and it’s great fun!
I’ve made sourdough, kombucha, and now sauerkraut! They taste better because I made them, and because I know I’m eating healthy probiotics.
Probiotics are, as you may already know, simply organisms in food that help our gut flora stay healthy. This can be by being the same organisms as in our flora that help keep the bulk up, or it can be similar healthy organisms that out compete bad organisms that make you sick.
You have heard of prebiotics, and wondered, what the heck are those! Well, pre comes before pro, that means prebiotics are things that feed the gut flora. Inulin and ooligosaccharides are two main components of prebiotics. Fun fact: breast milk is high in prebiotics to help babies gut flora grow big and strong!
So prebiotics are great and all, but what about cabbage. What makes it so great? Isn’t it just the iceberg of the cabbage family? Well, yes and no. Brassica are the family of vegetables that include brussel sprouts, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, mustard greens, and cabbage (and a few more). The brassica family is nurtient rich, and has the highest bioavability of calcium in food. Cabbage is also a good source of iron and vitamin C.
After all that why wouldn’t you want to eat sauerkraut!
Well surely it’s hard to make you say.
No! It’s really easy to make in fact.
Sauerkraut
Cabbage 10 parts
Salt .2 parts
- About 2% of the weight of cabbage is salt.
- Shred the cabbage thinly and place in a big bowl.
- Sprinkle the salt over the top and massage with your hands for 5-10 minutes.
- Pack into a jar or other container (preferably glass or stone) and let sit for 3-10 days.
- Once it tastes as sour as you like it, place in a fridge and enjoy!
This can be used traditionally, as a topping to a hotdog or burger, or it can be used in a salad to give a little extra Zing! or even blended with some cashews for a zing-y faux yogurt. No matter how you eat it (and you only need a little for the probiotic power) you’ll enjoy eating something you made!