Raw Sauerkraut

Yesterday I took my first try at homemade raw sauerkraut. I am always looking at good ways to get probiotics in our family. With Jake's Crohns probiotics are really important but he is suppose to be off of dairy making it hard to get natural probiotics. My understanding is that probiotics from vegetables offer many different strains of good bacteria unlike dairy. The question is going to be if he can handle a high gas producing kraut. This was a fun project that I really enjoyed doing. I had to do a lot of research on how to safely do this. Making sauerkraut is an anaerobic (no oxygen) process completed by salt and vegetables. The salt pulls the water out of the vegetables to make a brine creating lactic acid bacteria which gives you the probiotics and lowers the acidity of the vegetables to an environment that can not support unwanted bacteria. Honestly I am still a little nervous about this. I think I did it well enough. I don't think I will do an extended fermentation till I get an air lock system. Then I don't have to worry about oxygen getting in. I am excited to see how it comes out and tastes. 

Basic kraut requires cabbage and salt. For more color and
flavor I added cilantro, carrots, jalapenos and garlic.

This was my first try at creating an anaerobic environment.
I was not happy with how the large cabbage leaves meant
to hold the kraut down kept sliding up between my jar
and zip lock bag filled with water.

Second try: I used kale leaves to create more of a
barrier between the kraut and top of the brine level.
I also packed it down better, put the zip lock bag back in,
added a heavy rock and more water into the bag.

Once I felt good about all the kraut being below the brine I
folded the bag back over the jar. I then added another zip lock
bag over the top and put a rubber band around them. I put it in a
bowl incase the gas releasing creates spilage. It will sit in the
conner for at least a week. Some leave it much longer.