Ginger Beet Sauerkraut

Wow, I just finished up an amazing weekend celebrating my wedding with close friends and family…boy…am I tired.  We eloped in Costa Rica in August, which was the best experience of my life, and decided to throw a big party to celebrate with our family and close friends.  It was so much fun, but straying from my diet, not eating fermented foods and lack of sleep has left me a little brain dead today.  So, excuse me if I don’t make any sense at some point in this post.

Today, I started to consume all the probiotic foods in my fridge to get back in balance.  I had some homemade green tea kombucha with pineapple, kefir water and sauerkraut. I will be back and full of energy in no time.  And don’t worry, I’ll be sharing those recipes with you soon.

So, back to the kraut.  I call this one Ginger Beet Sauerkraut, because guess?  It has ginger and beets in it of course!  After making this one, my husband and I devoured it, almost before I could take the after pictures for this post.  Seriously I had just enough to take an after shot.

The color is incredible.  In fact, i’m going to try and make a probiotic drink with it.  If that experiment is a success than you will see it here soon.  Besides the color, the beets give a nice earthy flavor while the ginger gives it a kick.  It’s also firm, crunchy, sour and a little salty.  It’s perfect as a condiment on a salad, sandwich or a lamb burger.

In this recipe I cut the ginger into strips which made it spicier.  To tone down the spiciness I suggest grating it finely and cutting the amount down to your tastes or substitute with my Ginger Infused Water.

Ginger Beet Sauerkraut

 

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Author: Danielle

Ingredients

• 3 beets grated
• 1 head of cabbage shredded
• 1 inch of ginger peeled and thinly sliced or grated
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt

Instructions

1. Pull 3 outer leaves off of the head of cabbage and set aside. Shred the remaining cabbage in a food processor or mandolin or chop with a knife. Grate the beets and ginger and add to a big bowl with the sea salt.
2. Massage the cabbage mixture with your hands until it breaks down and becomes soft (about 5 min) and then let it sit for 10 minutes to give it time to break down more and release more juices.
3. Pack the cabbage in the mason jar tightly, pushing it all the way down until it submerges in its own juices (this is the brine). Leave about 1½ inches of space from the top of the jar. If there is not enough brine to cover the cabbage, add more brine by combining a teaspoon of sea salt with 1 cup of water.
4. Roll up the leaves and place them in the jar to push the cabbage under the brine. Screw on the jar loosely so gas can escape as fermentation takes place. Set on the counter for 5-7 days in a cool, shaded place. During fermentation the sauerkraut will bubble a little and become cloudy. If scum appears, remove it with a spoon.
5. Remove the rolled up cabbage leaves and toss in the garbage before eating.

Notes

Sauerkraut will keep in the refrigerator for a few months.

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