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Did you know that fresh Sauerkraut is a tangy, crunchy and delicious way to improve your digestive health?

Have you ever tried Sauerkraut? I think I did only once – from a jar – and it was yucky. The smell was redolent of old cooked cabbage, and the taste was very salty. I didn't realise then that the reason it smelled like that was because, in order to be safely bottled, it had to be heated. The benefits of Sauerkraut are mostly lost in cooking it.

My Mum tried making it once too – the result was back, dried-out cabbage – something hadn't gone right there...

So when I decided to have a go recently, I made sure I looked at a few helpful Youtube videos, read a few people's articles and blogs, and was prepared. The results are surprisingly tasty – delicious enough that I was planning batch number two straight away. Fresh Sauerkraut is far from the stuff in bottles – it's tangy, slightly salty and fresh in a sort of coleslaw way. Best of all it's really good for you!

Here's my recipe:

One large white cabbage (just over a kilo before preparation)
One tablespoon of unrefined sea salt (Danival is my favoured brand)

You'll need:

A large glass bowl or casserole
A potato masher
A large plastic freezer bag

First thing to note is that, as this product is going to ferment, everything you use must be clean before you start. Use nice hot water to wash and rinse your utensils.

Shred the cabbage, either in a food processor, or if you don't have one, like me, you can slice it finely with a kitchen knife. Place into a large glass or stoneware bowl (I use a large corningware casserole for this – most of you will have something similar lurking in the back of your kitchen dresser). Sprinkle over the tablespoon of salt and stir this round through the cabbage. Leave it for an hour or two, covered with the casserole lid or a clean tea towel. This time allows the juices to be drawn out of the cabbage. You can give it an extra stir halfway through if you like.

Now comes the elbow-grease – you'll need the potato masher for this part. Push the cabbage down with the potato masher and begin to slowly pound the cabbage – you'll see that it starts to produce more juice. You need to keep doing this until the surface of the cabbage is submerged in the juice, and if after you've pounded it this hasn't happened then make up some extra brine to top up the container.

The final bit is vital – the seal. It shouldn't be airtight, as the sauerkraut needs to be able to ferment, but it needs to be close enough to stop dust and debris from getting in, and keep the cabbage submerged in the liquid. The best method I've come across for this is to use a large plastic bag, and fill it to a couple of inches depth with brine. This can be placed in the top of the container to act as a weight and a seal all in one, and as it's got brine in it, if it was to leak by accident, it wouldn't ruin the Sauerkraut! Place a clean tea towel over the top of the bag to keep any dust from getting to the edges of the Sauerkraut.

Simple!

The length of time you need to leave the Sauerkraut depends on the flavour you're looking for, the temperature of your room and so on. Some recipes say a few days is long enough, and some reckon you need to leave it for four to six weeks. As the product keeps once made, for months at a time if needed, I don't think it matters. Watch for the fermentation – this will happen after a few days – the edges of the bowl will show that the juices are bubbling up. Once they go back down you can eat it, so try it when you like. I left mine for a couple of weeks in a cool kitchen and it was delicious! I would recommend that you ckeck on your Sauerkraut every couple of days, and if the liquid level has gone down below the surface of the cabbage top it up again with cold boiled water (you don't want to be adding more salt at this stage, and the fact that the water has been boiled avoids the risk of introducing bacteria).

Once you've tried your first batch, I reckon you'll want to make more – why not try adding carrots? Onions? There are lots of variations you can make. I'll keep you posted with my experiments!

This article is © Lis Goodwin 2012