Workflow

Buy foods

For sauerkraut, get approximately two heads for a 3-liter jar. Color doesn't matter but red cabbage is messier.

Prepare a vessel and weight

Find a jar or bowl large enough to hold the food. You will also need a weight to press down on the food to keep it submerged.

For sauerkraut, peel off the outer leaves and save them for later. They will help submerge the kraut.

Prepare foods

Wash food and either cut slices in the side to expose the inner part to the salty water or cut off top/bottom of the vegetables.

For chili, cut off the top. For cucumbers, cut off the top and bottom and add a few slices on the sides.

For sauerkraut, shred the cabbage into small strips. You can use a hand-grater, knife or a shredding machine.

Add salt

Add approximately 5 tbsp of salt for 3 liters of water.

For leafy vegetables, place them in a large container, add 1 Tbsp of salt and shake well. You can also massage the leaves to extract liquid from the cabbage.

Fill the foods in a jar

Add the salted foods to a jar, (for leafy vegetables press down until you see liquid coming out). Do not overfill the container, you will need some space at the top.

Roll the outer cabbage leaves (see above) into "cigars" and place them on top of the cabbage, so that the water stays above the sauerkraut throughout the fermentation.

You can also use a plastic bag filled with water, a cup or any other weight. You can also ferment the vegetables in a bowl and cover it with a plate.

To avoid mold, you can also add a layer of olive oil on top.

Start fermentation

Let the sauerkraut ferment at room temperature for about four weeks. Leave the lid loosely on, so air can leave the jar. Check that the sauerkraut is always submerged and if yeast develops (white flakey stuff on the surface), scoop it off. If mold has developed, scoop it off and discard the top layer of the sauerkraut that could be affected, it will have a gooey/mushy texture.