Homemade sauerkraut and fermented cauliflower and carrot flavoured with ginger and garlic. These are both easy and cheap to make with just a few ingredients.
There are numerous benefits to fermenting food including making the food more digestible, glucosinloate in the cabbage is increased - this is the narural compound that may help to fight cancer, they help to support the absorption of nutrients like iron, magnesium, and calcium, they creat probiotics (friendly bacteria), they support the immune system (reduce inflammation, autoimmunity and allergies), they produce short chain fatty acids, butyrate which provides energy for cells in the gut lining. So in summary they are pretty amazing for your health and worth including in your diet.
| Prep Time | 35 Mins |
| Servings |
Numerous
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Ingredients
Fermented cauliflower and carrot
- 1 Medium Cauliflower cut into florets
- 4 Medium Carrots cut into sticks
- 3 Cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
- 2 Inches Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small chuncks
- 1 Litre filtered water
- 20 g Sea Salt
Sauerkraut
Ingredients
Fermented cauliflower and carrot
Sauerkraut
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Instructions
Fermented Cauliflower and Carrot
- Place the ginger and garlic at the bottom of a clean killer jar with an air tight lid. Then put a layer of cauliflower over the top, followed by the carrots and then finally another layer of cauliflower. Leave enough space to be able to ensure that all the vegetables can be submerged in water.
- Put the salt into a glass measuring jug. Fill it with just sufficient filtered boiling water to dissolve the salt. Then fill the measuring jug up with cold filtered water so that you have 1 litre.
- Fill the kilner jar up with the salt water virtually to the top - leaving enough space to be able to fit either a glass ramekin to push down the contents or the thick top part of a cabbage. The point is that all the vegetables need to stay submerged since otherwise they may start rotting and ruin the fermented vegetables.
- Once the ramekin or head of cabbage is pushed down on top of the vegetables, so that none are exposed to the air, seal the jar with the lid.
- Leave at room temperature for about 2 weeks. If the water levels starts to drop during that time make the mix of salt water again and continue to keep the jar full so that the vegetables are submerged and not exposed to the air. After 2 weeks you can then start eating the veg - I use them to dip into hummus or some other dip or as part of a salad. Once you start using the fermented vegetables, then store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Sauerkraut
- Place the chopped cabbage in a large bowl with the salt. Massage the salt into the cabbage with your hands for at least 5 minutes. You will notice that the cabbage starts to get very wet and a liquid from the cabbage appears.Then leave it to stand for 10 minutes. Then massage the cabbage with your hands for a further 5 minutes.
- Take a jar and spoon the sauerkraut into it, ensuring that you push the cabbage down tight. Pour any remaining juice into the jar so that the cabbage is completely covered with fluid. Add extra water if necessary to cover the cabbage. Leave 1.5 -2 cm space at the top.
- You can then use a glass ramekin or head of cabbage to keep the cabbage submerged. Then seal the jar with the lid. Place the sealed jars on a plate to catch any overflow. Keep them at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
- For the first few days, open the jars daily and press down the contents, to release the bubbles formed by the sauerkraut. Then repeat this process every few weeks for 1-2 weeks until it is fermented to your taste.
- Then store the jars in the fridge for 2-3 months.
