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Most every summer, when canning season rolled around, my grandfather could be
heard to comment, "Pickles ain't my favorite food, but what „
„ can you do with
cucumbers?"

Those words of his came vividly to mind last summer when, as a result of
overenthusiastic planting, my wife and I were faced, not with an abundance of cukes,
but with a hundred heads of cabbage!

"Coleslaw?" I mused, as we contemplated the small mountain of red and green leafy
heads.

"No, sauerkraut!" she replied.

Well, I thought we'd bettered Granddad's solution to the cucumber problem nicely.
Though  „
 certainly "ain't my favorite food," kraut is, to my mind, a
preeminent edible. Furthermore, it's not only tasty but also very nutritious. In fact,
sauerkraut actually contains „ vitamin C than the cabbage it's made from.

Many folks claim kraut serves as a blood cleanser and a bowel regulator. In addition,
it's a „
„
„ food: The starches in the cabbage are converted, during the
krautmaking process, into simple sugars that are easily assimilated by the body. The
bacteria (lactobacillus) that are responsible for the transformation will, like those in
yogurt or other cultured foods, take up residence in your intestinal tract and help
your body manufacture its own B vitamins.

Yep, nutritionally speaking, sauerkraut has a lot going for it . . . and only one re al
drawback²salt.

More and more health-conscious people are reducing the amount of salt in their
diets, and I was hesitant to prepare a big batch of normal, salty sauerkraut, since I
knew excess sodium can aggravate such conditions as high blood pressure a nd kidney
problems.

"So, let's make
  „

kraut," said my wife.

Saltless sauerkraut? Well, we certainly had enough cabbage to experiment with, so we

took a stab at it. And we were pleasantly surprised; we made delicious, salt-free
sauerkraut . . . and it was so good that I'd like to share the recipe with you here.
ë
ë    ë


You'll need the following:

1 bushel ([ 




) of red, green, or mixed cabbages (this
will make a ©
 batch of kraut . . . you might want to try making a few two- or three-
head batches, perhaps with different herb and spice mixtures, before you go whole
hog)

any spices, herbs, or vegetables you wish to add (peppers, cukes, beets, carrots, and
cauliflower are popular choices)

five-gallon earthenware crock

a plate or heavy pot lid that fits inside the crock

a baseball bat

 


 

Thoroughly clean the crock, plate, and bat, as well as the cabbage and other
vegetables. Set aside some of the large outer cabbage leaves. (In the directions that
follow, treat any additional vegetables in the same manner as the cabbage.)



Cut or shred the cabbage into fine strips.



Put about a two-inch layer of shredded cabbage in the crock, and pound and press it
with the bat until the cabbage is covered by its own juice.



Sprinkle your chosen herbs and spices over the cabbage, using a half teaspoon for
each head. Dill, caraway seed, and thyme work well, and kelp or dulse, available in
most natural foods stores, can be added to impart a salty taste.



Add a second layer of cabbage and pound as before, then add seasonings again.
Continue the process until the crock is about threequarters full or until you run out of
cabbage.


Place a few of the whole outer cabbage leaves on top and cover them with the plate or
lid, which should be weighted down with a well-washed rock.



Cover the crock with a clean cloth and place it in a cool place (60° -70°F). After a few
days, a froth will appear on top of th e liquid. Skim this off, remove the weight and lid,
and wash them in hot water before replacing them. Repeat this step every few days.



Depending upon your taste preference, it will take one to three weeks for the kraut to
be ready. (Just try a sample each time you clean the lid and rock.) At that time, store
the sauerkraut in sterile glass jars.

 

a„ 
„„„ Without salt, fermentation will continue, so the sauerkraut will
spoil if it's not refrigerated. It will, however, stay delicious under refrigeration for
about three weeks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: When testing Mike's recipe, we found that there's less risk of
spoilage if the kraut is allowed to "work" in an area that maintains a temperature of
no more than 65°F.