Val's Sauerkraut

In 2015, I took some pictures of my kraut-making process. I apologize for the amateurish photos, but I was alone and up to my elbows in vegetable - nevertheless, I think you'll get the gist. For anyone who believes their kitchen isn't big enough, this will demonstrate that it IS possible - even if you live in a shoebox, like I do. My apartment is about 820 square feet with a kitchen not much larger than a postage stamp. I'm organized, I stack things, and I clean up behind myself continuously. I promise - it CAN be done!

What is Sauerkraut Doing on an EMF Blog?

Proper nutrition is as important for mitigating biological damage from EMFs as it is for preventing influenza, chronic degenerative diseases, and cancer. Without proper nutrition, our bodies lack the resources to repair cellular damage from EMFs and other types of radiation.

Sauerkraut contains billions of beneficial bacteria that perform a multitude of important functions in the body, including boosting the immune system, improving digestion and assimilation of nutrients, B vitamin production, detox, and protection from environmental assaults.

Studies have also shown that probiotics, such as lactobacillus, help protect the body from radiation injury (Ciorba MA, Riehl TE, Rao MS, et al, Lactobacillus probiotic protects intestinal epithelium from radiation injury in a TLR-2/cyclo-oxygenase-2-dependent manner, Gut 2012;61:829-838)

So, here is my basic recipe and process for making totally amazing fermented veggies that will blow your socks off - in your own kitchen!

Equipment

You'll need some basics. At the very least, the process requires some good sharp knives, a cutting board, measuring spoons and cups, glass jars (Mason jars or special anaerobic fermentation jars), and a jumbo sized mixing bowl. It would be very challenging to make a large quantity like this without the help of a food processor, but if you don't have one, you could certainly cut the recipe down and do it all with a knife - more power to you if you go this way!

Basic Recipe

Here is my basic recipe, which makes about a gallon, packed. Even though I call this a recipe, I never make it exactly the same way twice. Sometimes I can't find certain vegetables and I will only buy organic, so it depends somewhat on availability. But the recipe is very forgiving--play around with it and see what you like.

• 2 medium heads cabbage
• 2 - 2.5 pounds carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1-2 habanero peppers
• 1/2 sweet potato, peeled
• 1/2 bunch golden beets, peeled (minus greens)
• 1 crisp red apple or green apple, cored
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 4 inches ginger root, peeled
• Veggie starter culture (1-2 tsp typically, but follow label)
• Approx. 1 tablespoon Himalayan sea salt
• 2-4 cups filtered water (DO NOT use tap water because chlorine and other chemicals will stop the fermentation process dead in its tracks)

Prepping, Chopping, Shredding

Now for the cabbage...

I chop it into wedges that will easily pack into the chute of my food processor. It's about to get messy and you're going to have cabbage flying everywhere. Just accept it--it's just cabbage! Then process it with a large shredding disk, which typically takes me 2-3 loads--then into the Big Wobbly Bowl it goes, with everybody else.

Root vegetables and apple...

I like to leave the apple peel on as it creates nice little red strip "highlights" in the finished product. I peel the sweet potato and golden beets, but not the carrots or parsnips. Now all of the veggies are shredded/sliced thinly and piled up in Big Wobbly Bowl.

Culture and Sea Salt

The next step is dissolving your salt and culture in filtered water. Just follow the directions that came with whatever culture you're using. Although you don't have to use salt when you use a culture, I believe it improves the flavor profile, with the additional benefits of the added trace minerals in Himalayan sea salt. I like about 19 grams of salt, which is roughly one tablespoon. So, dissolve the salt and culture in the water and pour it over the veggies. 

For this mound of veggies, 3 cups of water works well. It could be anywhere from 2 to 4 cups, but your finished product needs to have enough "brine" to cover the veggies when packed down. 

Mix, Massage, Crush, Fold... Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Wash your hands again, as you'll be getting up close and personal with your kraut mix - up to your elbows, in fact. Hands are the best kitchen tools ever! Using clean hands, mix the entire contents of the bowl thoroughly. Don't be gentle about it - crush the veggies in your hands as you fold the mixture around. The more crushing and massaging you do, the more juices will be released. 

Filling the Jars