Red Cabbage Sauerkraut with Jurassic Salt

This delightfully simple and salt centred recipe is a scientifically intriguing, tasty and very pretty way to investigate the potential of lactic acid fermentation. The fermentation process, spurred into action by salt, creates the uniquely moorish flavour of sauerkraut - which is also known to be very healthy for your gut.

Tangy red cabbage sauerkraut isn’t just healthy, its vibrant colour makes for a gorgeous garnish and it is a perfectly simple introduction to the world of fermentation (which can become a rather addictive passtime). In this recipe I invite you to try some flavours of your own: red cabbage sauerkraut can be delicious made with just Jurassic Salt, this being the only key ingredient for the process that is: lactic acid fermentation. However, to really spice things up, a hint of some aromatic seeds will make your sauerkraut super special.

An ancient way to enhance flavour and prolong the life of food, fermentation is a great skill to have, using the best ingredients really matters as their flavour profiles will be obvious in the final product. We choose to coat our shredded cabbage in Jurassic Salt - this natural salt is perfect for drawing the moisture and sugars out of the cabbage and beginning the fermentation process.

Ingredients;
- ½ Head of Red Cabbage
- 3 tsp. Jurassic Salt
- 1 Tsp Aromatic Seeds (Corriander, Fennel, Carraway… The Choice is Yours)

Method;
- Sterilise the fermenting vessel (we chose a small kilner jar) and spoons with boiling water or by using the dishwasher. Carefully wash your hands.
- Prepare the cabbage by cutting the head in half and removing the outer leaves and hard white core. Retain one outer leaf and wash it thoroughly.
- Shred the cabbage into long thin strips, perhaps half a centimetre in width, using a sharp knife.
- In a bowl, combine the shredded cabbage with three teaspoons of Jurassic Salt and your chosen seeds. Use your hands to spread the salt all over the cabbage, which should begin to produce moisture.
- When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and water builds up in the bowl place into a kilner jar - squeeze as much shredded cabbage into the jar as possible, as well as all the liquid. This is an important measure as it expels air (and therefore oxygen) from the jar aiding the process of anearobic fermentation.
- Place the whole leaf on top of the compressed cabbage to hold it under the water level. If not all of the cabbage is yet submerged don’t worry - as the Jurassic Salt gets to work more moisture will be drawn from the vegetable.
- Seal the jar and place in a shady spot at room temperature, check back in a week to ‘burp’ the jar (slightly open the lid to allow air pressure to be released).
- After three weeks, begin to consume the sauerkraut with a variety of dishes, be careful not to introduce contamination to the jar - it will cause the sauerkraut to degrade more rapidly.