Sprout’s Sunshine Kraut

This tasty sauerkraut has a vibrant yellow colour and a light, earthy flavour from the fresh turmeric and spices.

Method:

Rinse and prepare the vegetables, remembering to reserve one intact outer cabbage leaf for use in the preserving jar later. Finely shred the cabbage, use a peeler to thinly slice the carrot, slice the spring onions, and finely chop the garlic and fresh turmeric.

Weigh the prepared vegetables (the sliced cabbage, carrots and spring onions) to determine how much salt is needed. The rule of thumb is to add 2 per cent salt to the mix, for example, for 1kg of vegetables you would use 20g of salt. This is a rough guide, so don’t worry if you aren’t precisely exact about it.

In a very large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Use clean hands to mix it thoroughly, massaging to spread the salt evenly throughout the vegetables. Leave aside for 10 minutes, to allow the salt to work it’s magic. This step significantly cuts down the time then needed to massage the vegetables.

Return to the mixture and massage until the cabbage starts to look softer and the juices start to flow, about 5-10 minutes. By this time sufficient liquid will have been released to cover the vegetables once in the preserving jar.

There is no need to sterilise the preserving jar. Simply wash with hot, soapy water, rinse well and then cram the vegetable mixture into the jar. Press down very firmly with clean hands until the juices cover the top of the vegetables. Use the reserved intact cabbage leaf to form a barrier on top of the mix, upon which place a clean weight, in order to encourage the vegetables to stay below the surface of the liquid, so preventing unwanted bacterial growth in the mixture. We tend to use a jar jar filled with water as this weight. A zip-lock bag filled with brine might also work well.

Cover the open top of the preserving jar with either a clean tea towel or a muslin cloth, using a rubber band to secure in place, and leave to ferment at cool room temperature (19-20°C), out of direct sunlight, for 7-10 days. Use a pen to write the date on it so that you don’t loose track.

The kraut is ready when it tastes pleasingly sour, but not fizzy. Taste after 7 days with a clean utensil, allowing up to 10 days in total if you like it to taste more sour. When it is ready, transfer to similarly cleaned, smaller jars, packing them tightly before closing. The sunshine kraut will keep in the fridge for several months, but be sure to remember to open and reseal the jars daily for the first few days of refrigeration to release any gas.