Easy Salt-Free Sauerkraut

AND AWAY WE GO

Step One:

Thoroughly clean the crock, plate, and bat, as well as the cabbage and other vegetables. Set aside some of the large outer cabbage leaves. (In the directions that follow, treat any additional vegetables in the same manner as the cabbage.)

Step Two:

Cut or shred the cabbage into fine strips.

Step Three:

Put about a two-inch layer of shredded cabbage in the crock, and pound and press it with the bat until the cabbage is covered by its own juice.

Step Four:

Sprinkle your chosen herbs and spices over the cabbage, using a half teaspoon for each head. Dill, caraway seed, and thyme work well, and kelp or dulse, available in most natural foods stores, can be added to impart a salty taste.

Step Five:

Add a second layer of cabbage and pound as before, then add seasonings again. Continue the process until the crock is about threequarters full or until you run out

of cabbage.

Step Six:

Place a few of the whole outer cabbage leaves on top and cover them with the plate or lid, which should be weighted down with a well-washed rock.

Step Seven:

Cover the crock with a clean cloth and place it in a cool place (60-70F). After a few days, a froth will appear on top of the liquid. Skim this off, remove the weight and lid, and wash them in hot water before replacing them. Repeat this step every few days.

Step Eight:

Depending upon your taste preference, it will take one to three weeks for the kraut to be ready. (Just try a sample each time you clean the lid and rock.) At that time, store the sauerkraut in sterile glass jars.

Step Nine:

Refrigerate the kraut. Without salt, fermentation will continue, so the sauerkraut will spoil if it's not refrigerated. It will, however, stay delicious under refrigeration for about three weeks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: When testing Mike's recipe, we found that there's less risk of spoilage if the kraut is allowed to "work" in an area that maintains a temperature of no more than 65F.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1985-09-01/Easy-Salt-FreeSauerkraut.aspx?page=2#ixzz1etml8ZoB

Last week I wrote about the benefits of including fermented foods in your daily diet. You can serve a small amount of pickle, sauerkraut, or Kimchi with each meal and that little bit goes a long way in supporting the digestive process. If it is difficult to find live, cultured vegetables in your local foods market you can easily make them at home. This allows you the peace of mind knowing that the ingredients you use are the best, plus making your own cultured vegetables keeps your costs way down. Here are two easy recipes to try for both the beginner and the experienced chef. Kimchi is a standard Korean dish, traditionally made with Chinese Napa cabbage. It can be made mild or spicy as you prefer. The quick pickles ferment for 24 hours before serving, but last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Kimchi (Kim Chee) 1 lb Chinese or regular cabbage 1 large carrot 1/4 lb white radishes 2 scallions, thinly sliced or 1 leek, cut into half moons 2 Tbs. sea salt 1/2 cup water 3 piece ginger, minced 2 clove garlic 2 to 4 hot red peppers, dried, 2 inches long, split or 1 Tbs. chili powder 1. Slice the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Remove the tough core and then slice the quarters into 1 to 2 inch-long pieces. 2. Slice the carrot and radishes lengthwise and then into 2 inch-long sections. Slice the sections into very thin strips. 3. Toss cabbage, carrot and radishes with the scallions, salt and water. Cover loosely and let stand overnight. 4. Drain liquid from the vegetables into a bowl. Add honey and vinegar to the liquid and stir well until honey is dissolved. 5. Add ginger, garlic and peppers to the vegetables and pack them into sterilized jars. Pour liquid into the jars. If more liquid is needed to cover vegetables, add water. 6. Cover loosely with a lid and let sit at room temperature for 3 to 5 days to ferment. (Longer winter, shorter summer) The liquid will bubble and the flavor will become sour. 7. Refrigerate the Kimchi for 3 to 4 days. The cabbage will become translucent and will be ready to serve. Yields 1 quart

24-Hour Pickles 1 carrot 2 radish 2 turnips 2 piece ginger cup Ume Plum vinegar (see note) 2 Tbs. Mirin rice wine 1. Wash the vegetables, slice in half lengthwise, then slice into thin half moon pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside. 2. Whisk together the vinegar and Mirin. Pour over the vegetables making sure to cover them well and add water if necessary. 3. Place vegetables and any liquid in a pickle press or if using a bowl, cover with a plate and place a heavy object on top of the vegetables to press them down. 4. Let them sit out on the counter for 24 hours. 5. Remove the weight and plate and place pickles in a sterile glass container. Cover and refrigerate. Serve pickles with meals. NOTE: If the Ume Plum vinegar is not available locally order it on-line and use to add a delicious salty seasoning to salad dressings and other recipes. Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fermenting-vegetables-athome.html#ixzz1eu19KSc0

Kimchi is a spicy Korean pickle that is unbelievable easy to make and yields a fragrant and zesty dish that is great for your health. You can make kimchi by fermenting any vegetable you like with ginger, hot pepper, garlic, and onion. This special kimchi recipe uses earthy-flavored burdock root (called gobo in Japan), a deeplynourishing plant that stimulates lymphatic and other glandular flows, cleansing the blood, and tonifying the organs of elimination. Rich in trace minerals, burdock is associated with stamina, longevity and sexual vitality. Making your own kimchi is a fun and easy family project. Heres how to do it: INGREDIENTS sea salt 1-2 daikon radishes 1 small burdock root 1-2 turnips a few Jerusalem artichokes 2 carrots

a few small red radishes 1 small fresh horseradish root (or a tablespoon of prepared horseradish, without preservatives) 3 tablespoons (or more!) fresh grated gingerroot 3-4 cloves garlic (or more!) 3-4 hot red chilies (or more!), depending on how peppery-hot you like food, or any form of hot pepper, fresh, dried, or in a sauce (without chemical preservatives!) 1. Mix a brine of about 4 cups water and 3 tablespoons salt. 2. Slice daikons, burdock, turnip, Jerusalem artichokes, and carrots, and let them soak in the brine. If the roots are fresh and organic, leave the nutritious skins on. Slice the roots thin so the flavors will penetrate. I like to slice roots on a diagonal; you could also cut them into matchsticks. Leave the small red radishes whole, even with their greens attached, and soak them, too. Use a plate or other weight to keep the vegetables submerged until soft, a few hours or overnight. 3. Prepare the spices: Grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion; remove seeds from the chilies and chop or crush, or throw them in whole. Kimchi can absorb a lot of spice. Experiment with quantities and dont worry too much about them. Mix spices into a paste, adding grated horseradish. 4. Drain brine off vegetables, reserving brine. Taste vegetables for saltiness. You want them to taste decidedly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste salt, sprinkle with a couple of teaspoons of salt and mix. 5. Mix the vegetables with the spice paste. Mix everything together thoroughly and stuff it into a clean quart jar. Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down until brine rises. If necessary, add a little of the reserved vegetable-soaking brine to submerge the vegetables. Weight the vegetables down with a smaller jar, or with a zip-lock bag filled with some brine. Every day, use your (clean!) finger to push the vegetables back under the brine. Cover the jar to keep out dust and flies. 6. Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place. Taste the kimchi every day. After about a week of fermentation, when it tastes ripe, move it to the refrigerator. Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/radish-and-root-kimchirecipe.html#ixzz1eu3MIiKz

SAUERKRAUT RECIPE Similar to Korean Kim Chi

Sauerkraut, German for sour cabbage, has become a generic name for fermented vegetables. Around the time of Captain James Cook, sauerkraut was a key preventative for scurvy by European seafarers. According to William Dufty, author of the Sugar Blues, sauerkraut was able

to counteract the antinutrient properties of dietary refined sugar. Dufty's contention was that scurvy was not so much caused by the absence of fresh foods rich in vitamin C, but by the consumption of a diet high in refined sugar which depleted the body of vitamins and minerals and thereby contributed to the condition. In the book, The Hidden Drug: Dietary Phosphate by Hertha Hafer, the author makes a very telling point when she writes that, "A spoonful of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before bed may ameliorate the symptoms of ADHD". She further notes that before the 1900's, those people living on a traditional diet did not suffer from ADHD. Fermented vegetables produce lactic acid and if the acetobacter microorganisms are present then it seems likely that some acetic acid will also be produced. It is also worth noting that a number of Traditional Chinese Medicine remedies utilise fermented vegetables and fruits, such as Umboshi plums. Whereas raw cabbage, that is the ubiquitous coleslaw served at salad bars and fast food outlets, may lead to a depressed thyroid functioning if eaten in large quantities, fermented cabbage and other vegetables provide many health benefits and should not be under estimated for their healing powers. Kimchi is such a ubiquitous part of Korean culture that employees get a kimchi allowance with their pay. Koreans use a wide variety of vegetables, fruit such as apples, oranges and lemons, salted fish, sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds. You may wish to start with the following recipe and adapt it to your creative instincts.

INGREDIENTS Makes enough to fill two 2 litre mason jars.

1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt. 2 small red chilies (2 inches long). 1 bunch spring onions, or 4 medium onions. 2 cups carrots. 1 cup dakon radish. 1 cup red capsicum. 1 cup broccoli florets. 3 tablespoon fresh ginger root. 6 cloves garlic. Herbs, optional. 1 medium cabbage. 2 tablespoons kefir whey.

1 teaspoon Grainfields B.E. Liquid. Optional.

INSTRUCTIONS Add the salt to a plastic food grade bucket then mix in the rest of the ingredients as follows: Finely chop the chilly and the green onions. Slice the carrot and radish. Chop the capsicum into large pieces. Slice the broccoli stalks then cut the florets into single one inch heads. Grate the ginger root. Chop the garlic. Process the cabbage through a food processor. Finally mix in the kefir whey and EM cultures. Transfer the sauerkraut to mason jars with tongs then use the back of a wooden spoon or tamper to push the mixture to the bottom of the jar. Keep forcing the mixture into the jar until there are no air pockets. The mixture should be quite wet. Fill the jar to about 2 inches from the top. This head space is necessary for any expansion that may take place. Wipe the inside of the neck clean with a paper towel and screw on a plastic lid firmly to prevent any liquid spilling over. If you have concerns about pressure build up in the jar then you may wish to leave the lid slightly loose. Store the jars on a stainless steel tray away from sunlight at room temperature (20-30 Celsius). Important: Each day push the sauerkraut down with a wooden spoon to keep the top layer wet. Ferment for 1-2days at 30 C or about 5 days at 20 C, before transferring the kimchi to a refrigerator. The sauerkraut matures with age.

NOTES 1. Once you have filled the jars with sauerkraut then you may find it advantageous to spread a layer of grated cabbage over the surface of the sauerkraut to cover any pieces of chunky vegetables that might remain above the fermenting juice, and thereby end up growing mould. In the event that any mould forms on the surface just scrap it off. If the top layer dries out it is because the mixture was not wet enough to start with. If the sauerkraut goes off or grows suspicious looking mould, then discard it and start again. Some types of mould can provide mycotoxins. In the future ensure that the mixture is wet enough, either by grating the vegetables finer or bashing the vegetables in a large pestle to bruise the cell walls, or by adding additional kefir whey or EM. You may wish to add a little apple cider vinegar at the end of the fermentation period. You may also wish to experiment with using more salt. 2. Go easy on the chile. A little chile goes a long way in sauerkraut, and remember to wash your hands after handling it. 3. EM stands for Effective Microbes. It is not necessary to add EM to the sauerkraut. EM can be used to make ginger beer type beverages.

Links to articles on the possible health benefits of cultured vegetables.

Kimchi may cure bird flu? Researchers at Seoul National University say that kimchi, a Korean version of sauerkraut, may provide protection against avian flu. In an experiment, 11 out of 13 chickens recovered from the disease after being fed kimchi. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4347443.stm and http://www.newstarget.com/005897.html. See also the Seoul National University website

Good Bacteria: Just as scientists are belatedly recognizing that cholesterol can be good, so have they recognized that bacteria can be friendly. According to an article in Newsweek (3/26/01), "It's hard to imagine microbes as our allies. But mounting evidence suggests that these friendly flora aid digestion, ward off pathogens and help us process folic acid and other critical nutrients." The friendly bacteria are the hundreds of strains of lactobacilli, which formerly were in our diets when we ate natural lacto-fermented foods such as sauerkraut and yogurt. Actually, the medical profession used to understand this principle. At the Civil War Cemetery and Pest House in Lynchburg, VA, visitors learn that Dr. John Hay Terrill was able to reduce the death rate from small pox from 90 percent to 5 percent by giving his patients sauerkraut. As humans develop more and more resistance to antibiotics, health practitioners will return to nature's natural antibioticsthe friendly flora in lacto-fermented foods. Reprinted with kind permission from the Weston A. Price Foundation website.

Science of sauerkraut: "Studies have shown that lacto-fermented foods normalise stomach acidity... The lactic acid in saurkraut supports the pancreas, which is particularly important for diabetics. Sauerkraut contains large amounts of choline, a substance that lowers blood pressure and aids in the metabolism of fats. It also contains acetylcholin which reduces blood pressure, slows the heart rate and promotes calmness and sleep."Renee Konstantine Blog