Hi, I am Sarah of St. Pete Ferments
And today I am going to show you how to
Turn this cabbage into magical sauerkraut
Using only wild yeast and bacteria
That I am breathing right now in the air
(breathe sounds)
(music plays)
Wild Fermentation: How to Make Sauerkraut
All we need today is cabbage and salt
Some other kitchen tools and equipment you
Are going to need are something to cut on
Cutting board
A jar or something to ferment in
A bowl, and a knife
And a gram scale
Let us begin!
I like to chop my sauerkraut somewhat fine
You could make it more coarse or finer
Depending on how you like it
As long as all the pieces are
Somewhat uniform
Be sure to save an outer leaf
Of the cabbage
Because we are going to use it later
Next, we are going to way out 600 grams
Of the cabbage we just shredded
Next, I am going to add 15 grams
Of sea salt
Adding the proper amount of sea salt
Is super important when making
Fermented foods
It allows for a comfortable environment
For beneficial microbes to grow
I live in Florida which is a warm climate
So I am going to use a 2.5% salinity
by weight
Which means 2.5% of all of my sauerkraut
Is going to be sea salt
I am just going to take that 15 grams
Of sea salt
And sprinkle that into my cabbage shreds
And we are just going to massage
This all up together
We know you are ready for the next step
when you squeeze your cabbage shreds and
Brine drips easily
Now we are going to pack all of this
Into our vessel
As you are packing all of this, you want
To make sure that you are pressing it
As tightly as you can
Getting rid of any air bubbles
Once you have everything packed tightly
you are going to use that
Outer cabbage leaf from earlier
And place that on top
It is going to keep everything nice
And oxygen-free
During the fermentation process
The goal is to keep everything pressed
Below the brine
Once everything is packed and settled in
you are just going to screw a cap
Onto your jar
And make sure you have a couple
Inches of head space
These things are going to expand during
The fermentation process
We are going to place this jar in a bowl
That way if any brine spills during the
Fermentation process
You have something to catch it
During the first 4 to 5 days
Of fermentation is when your sauerkraut
Is going to be most active
You want to keep it pressed
Below the brine
At least once a day
After about a week
You can give it a taste
And see if its sour to your liking
I like to ferment my sauerkraut
For about 3 weeks
At that point, when it is done fermenting,
It will not be as bubbly and active
The texture will change
It will be a little more translucent
And have good flavor
You can stick this in your fridge
Where it will last well over a year
So, what is wild fermentation?
Basically, we are transforming food
Through the process of microbes
Metabolizing nutrients
There are all kinds of foods that
Can be fermented
Really any kind of food can be fermented
Through this process of microbial magic
Some of the benefits of making fermented
Foods are that it is easy
It is low input
You do not need a lot of tools
And equipment
You do not need any special machines
You really do not even need electricity
which is one reason I love it so much
It is a really sustainable way
To make food
It is also, of course, extremely healthy
everyone is trying to better
Their micro-biome
And what better way than to consume
Cultured foods
That have beneficial microbes
These beneficial microbes help to
Pre-digest our food
So we can absorb more nutrients
And it is just easier on our
Digestive system
One of my absolute favorite ways to
Eat sauerkraut
Is in a grain bowl
Grain bowls are so nice because you can
Use whatever rice or beans, eggs, tempeh,
Fresh veggies, anything you want you can
Make it yours
And sauerkraut just sets it off
It is so delicious and so good
My fermentation journey began about
8 years ago
I was fermenting at home
I started with Kombucha and
I just really fell in love
With the process and the taste
And that really resonated with me
I felt like this was something I could
Bring back to St. Petersburg and share
With my community
Now we have been operating for almost
Five years and we are super
Thankful to our city
And our community
We supply vegetable ferments like
Sauerkraut, lacto-fermented pickles
Of all kinds, Kimchi, Biga, and Kombucha
Now you have made your sauerkraut
Congratulations!
The hardest part is waiting
I believe fermentation is for everyone
And it is simple, you just have to try it
I hope it goes well for you
Just enjoy it and have fun with it
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With support from: Pantry Films
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