Basic Sauerkraut
1. Chop or grate 5 lbs. cabbage into bowl.
2. Salt the cabbage with 3 TB salt. The cabbage should taste saltier than you would prefer if you were eating it raw.
3. Firmly message the salt into the cabbage until it begins to release water.
4. Add caraway seeds to taste, usually 1 to 2 TBSP
5. Pack cabbage tightly into the crock.
6. Press ceramic weight firmly down onto cabbage so that the liquid it's released completely covers the vegetables.
7. Fill crock moat with water; cover with lid. This will help prevent mold growth.
8. Let sit at room temperature 1 to 4 weeks until kraut develops a tangy, pungent flavor. You'll know your fermentation has begun when bubbles form in the brine. The longer it sits, the more sour flavor develops.
9. Store your naturally preserved kraut in jars in the fridge. Eat up!
Basic Kimchi
1. Grate or chop 4 pounds cabbage into a bowl.
2. Add about 3 tablespoons salt. The cabbage should taste saltier than you would prefer if you were eating it raw.
3. Chop 1 pound carrots and/or daikon radishes into large matchsticks and add to cabbage.
4. Add generous portions of finely chopped garlic and ginger, usually 2-3 tablespoons each
5. Add 3 to 4 scallions, both white and green parts, chopped into 1 inch sections.
6. Add spicy chilis to taste. We prefer Thai bird chilis, chopped finely, or chinese chili powder
7. Pack mixture tightly into crock
8. Firmly press weights down onto the vegetables so that the natural brine covers all of the solids
9. Fill moat with water; cover with lid.
10. Allow to ferment 2-4 weeks at room temperature, making sure to keep the moat full of water. The Kimchi will develop a tangy, pungent flavor.
11. Taste the kimchi on a regular basis. When it has developed the flavor you prefer, place the kimchi in jars in the fridge. This will slow the fermentation but will increase its' flavor complexity over time.
12. Enjoy!
Basic Kombucha
1. Procure a kombucha "SCOBY". Ask a friend who makes kombucha to gift you one, purchase one online, or grown your own from a bottle of kombucha from the store.
2. Using 1 gallon of non chlorinated water, brew about a quarter cup loose leaf tea (We like to combine green and black)
3. Stir in 1 cup sugar and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Add SCOBY and the liquid the SCOBY came in.
5. Cover crock with cloth but DO NOT put the lid on. Your SCOBY relies on oxygen to grow.
6. Allow to sit 7-14 days or until it develops your preferred flavor. Ideally it will be tart but with a small amount of residual sugar, like a fine German style dry Reisling.
8. (Optional) Add small amounts of ginger, frozen or fresh fruit, or other any other flavor, and allow to ferment just a few more days, until it is slightly carbonated.
7. Once fermented to your preference, place in the refrigerator and begin a new batch with the SCOBY that formed on top, or gift your SCOBY to a friend!