It’s time to grab a little bit of Blarney. With St. Patrick’s day quickly approaching, I bet you’re getting ready for your favorite corned beef and cabbage recipe. But when you are trying to heal, eating healthy is top priority.
So to help you out, I am sharing this healthy cabbage recipe that is so delicious, even a leprechaun would enjoy it.
Homemade fermented sauerkraut!
Sound delicious?
Oh, it is!
And since it’s packed with so many gut healing benefits, you can whip up a mason jar full of this and continue your healing journey all through the holiday.
Healthy Fermented Cabbage – Chock Full of Probiotics!
To get the extraordinary healing benefits from cabbage, ferment it!
Fermented foods are one of the best ways to get a healthy dose of probiotics into your diet. The numerous healing benefits of fermented foods include:
Improves digestion and allows nutrients to be absorbed properly.
Helps detoxify your body by removing toxins and even heavy metals.
Helps balance your intestinal flora.
Is an outstanding source of essential nutrients.
Boosts your immune system and keeps it strong.
Lemon Ginger Sauerkraut
This recipe is a favorite of one of our content marketing interns, Grace Rieck. She knows the healing power of fermented foods. She would often bring in fermented foods for lunch that she made herself. Her pickles were so delicious! Thanks Grace!
Added Healing Bonus: Not just your average sauerkraut. This recipe contains lemon and ginger for medicinal properties!
- 1 Head of Cabbage
- 5 Inches of Fresh Ginger Rhizome
- 1 Tablespoon of Mustard Seeds
- 6 Teaspoons of Salt
- 4-5 Inches of Kombu ((optional))
- 5 Organic (, Unwaxed Lemons)
- Clean cabbage thoroughly, remove outer leaves (set aside) and remove the core. Slice (or grate) cabbage into small pieces. (Remember the leaves will shrink during fermentation)
- Place slices into a large bowl. Add salt and mix with cabbage.
- Let sit for 10 minutes. Then massage the cabbage to release moisture and juice. There should be a good amount of liquid at the bottom of the bowl. If not, then let it sit longer and knead it a bit.
- Grate ginger and slice your lemons very thinly.
- When there is enough liquid at the bottom of the bowl, add the ginger. Mix thoroughly. Add mustard seeds and kombu.
- When the cabbage is limp, take a clean wide-mouthed jar and add a bit of cabbage. Tightly pack in the cabbage with a wooden spoon.
- Add some lemon slices and layer them between the cabbage. Repeat (cabbage, lemons, cabbage, lemons) until the jar is packed tightly. Leave about 1-2 inches of headspace at the top because the gasses produced during fermentation will push the cabbage up. You don’t want it to overflow. Cover the packed cabbage with the saved leaves and then add the juices and brine.
- Put the jar on a plate (in case of overflow) and use a heavy weight to keep the cabbage under the brine. Grace suggests using a boiled rock wrapped in the leftover outer leaves to weigh down the cabbage beneath the brine. Make sure everything is underneath the brine, there is a chance it will get moldy (which you can skim and toss if it does).
- Cover the jar and place it in direct sunlight.
- Let the jar sit in the sun for about 3-6 weeks. Taste along the way to find the perfect acidity level and texture. Don’t forget to mark down the amount of time it took for the next time!
- When your sauerkraut is ready, open the jar, remove the weight, put the lid back on tightly, and refrigerate.
Healthy Bonus Alert: Keep the lemons! Chop or peel them and put them in salads and grain dishes for extra flavor and an extra bit o’ healthy!
Peace and be well,
Founder of Maty’s Healthy Products — a line of natural & organic health products made from whole food ingredients
Carolyn Harrington