Red Cabbage & Apple Kraut

Name: Red Cabbage & Apple Kraut
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 1 pt

Active time: 60 min

Total time: 60 min

Serves: 1 pt

This sauerkraut is a common German variation that balances the acidity in the fermented sweetness of apples.

Chef's notes

Some ferments can take longer to initiate, especially ferments with more volume, higher specific salinity and lower room temperature (e.g. in a 55°F/12°C basement vs. a 70°F/21°C apartment). The longer the ferment, the tangier and more “bioactive” the mixture will become. Once you refrigerate it, the fermentation process will slow dramatically.

Steps

Preparing the Ingredients

Ingredients

1/2–head red cabbage (approx. 1 lb), chopped
1/4 cup green apple, sliced
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine the cabbage, apple and salt in a bowl and stir. The salt will help the cabbage soften and begin to create the brine liquid.

Preparing the Kraut for Storage

Ingredients

additional Brine Solution (if needed)

Pack the mixture into a pint container and weight it to submerge the cabbage in the brine liquid. If needed, add a bit more Brine Solution so that the cabbage mixture will be completely submerged.

Fermenting the Kraut

Leave the mixture out, at room temperature, for 4 to 7 days, or until it begins to produce tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. This is an indicator that the fermentation process has begun. Taste it. It should be a bit sour or tangy. If there is any scum or mold (called “bloom”), simply skim it off the top – this is very normal and only indicative of surface mold and not contamination. At this point, seal the jar, label and date it and refrigerate. Many krauts can keep six months or more if kept well refrigerated.

6 Comments

Jordana R • January 26, 2020 at 06:04PM

My cabbage in brine has been sitting for 5 days and I don’t see any bubbles forming. I do see some mold forming on the top of the surface. What should I do? Is it OK? Should I continue to keep it out until I see the bubbles? Also, the mixture is in a glass container with a weight on top and only towel covering - so it’s not covered by a lid. I just want to make sure that I am following the instructions correctly. Thanks!

Reply
Lauren L • January 30, 2020 at 08:57PM

HI Jordana. You definitely want the food to be covered with liquid within a day. Sometimes the salted vegetables create enough liquid to be adequate but if not, you need to add a little liquid. The brine is what allows for safe fermentation. I would scoop off the top layer- anything that is not submerged in liquid, add a smidge of salted water and keep it going for a few more days. Lauren

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Jordana R • January 30, 2020 at 09:58PM

Thanks Lauren. I did cover the cabbage with additional brine right away since it did not generate sufficient liquid just with salt. I put a weight and covered with towel as instructed in the recipe. I waited for 5 days but there were no “tiny carbon dioxide bubbles”. Lots of surface scum/mold though. I tossed the whole thing since it didn’t seem right to me. Not sure where I went wrong.

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Anastasiia K • January 29, 2021 at 07:56PM

I followed the recipe and everything worked great! I didn’t add the additional solution initially and in a day my cabbage was fully submerged in the liquid. I also massaged the cabbage with my hands before putting it under the weight. I was curious to try out this recipe because of the apple, but next time I think I’m going to stick to the carrot (traditional in my country of origin). Nonetheless, this was an interesting experience, thank you!

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Cindy W • December 7, 2021 at 03:47PM

I had exactly that question. Thank you both. I have never fermented anything before.

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Michael D • December 3, 2022 at 04:54PM

I have found that you can't be too clean with fermented foods. It doesn't take long to make sauerkraut, for example, but you have to make sure everything is spotless and washed with soap and warm water. And that includes your hands, under nails, etc. Anything that touches the ferment needs to be 100% clean. Once I started doing that, I have rarely had a failed ferment (including beer, wine, and kombucha, pickles, etc). I'm convinced that every fail I've had was because of cleanliness..

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