Vegan

Quick spring green sauerkraut recipe

1 litre jar

This is a super simple sauerkraut recipe that you can make to use up spring greens. Sauerkraut is a real gut-friendly treat, and a few forkfuls a day should help to keep your gut balanced with good bacteria, otherwise known as probiotics.

Probiotics have numerous benefits for various areas of our health. This includes maintaining healthy gut movements, promoting immunity and lowering cholesterol.

Fermented foods like sauerkraut are teeming with probiotics and can help to reduce inflammation and problems with digestion. Probiotics in our gut can even help to aid those with chronic digestive issues, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Sauerkraut also contains enzymes that help our bodies to break food down food. Smaller bits of food are more digestible and so help the body to absorb more nutrients.

Tips for making sauerkraut

Be sure to massage the leaves really rigorously for a good 5-10 minutes, almost as though you are kneading bread. This will release all their naturally occurring juices, which will provide the liquid for the spring greens to ferment in.

How long you wish to ferment this sauerkraut recipe depends on how strong you like the taste. The good news is that it will be teeming with probiotics in just a few days. If you prefer a slightly sweeter taste, opt for a shorter fementation time. As little as three days may be enough. Check your sauerkraut daily and, once at your preferred flavour, transfer to the fridge.

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Wellbeing Wisdom

Sauerkraut is a great way to include more probiotics in your diet, which will keep your gut bacteria balanced and healthy.

Ingredients

Up to 1kg leafy greens, shredded
2 tbsp sea salt
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1-2 tsp fennel seeds
1-2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Method

In a bowl, mix together the spring greens and salt. Massage the leaves well to release the juices and allow to rest for ten minutes.
Mix in the fennel, spices and garlic cloves. Add into a sterilised jar, pushing down so the juices totally cover the ingredients. If they don’t, top up with a little more salty water.
Cover tightly and ferment for around three days to a week, depending on how strong you like the taste. Check daily to see that it is tangy and bubbling, and to prevent a build up of gas. When you’re satisfied, transfer to the fridge.