Sauerkraut

Method

1. slice15 min
   2–3 mm ribbons
   cabbage, discarding the two outermost leaves but reserving one whole clean leaf — thin shreds have more cut surface, so they release brine within the hour instead of overnight; chunks stay crunchy but ferment unevenly
2. weigh3 min
   scale, grams
   shredded cabbage, then salt at 2% of that number. This is the only measurement in the dish that matters. Under 1.5% and pectin-eating bacteria survive alongside the lactics, which is how a crock turns slimy and rotten; over 3% and the Lactobacillus itself stalls, leaving salty raw cabbage that never sours
3. brine30 min
   room temperature, uncovered
   cabbage + salt, tossed, then left to stand — osmosis pulls water out of the cell walls and the pile collapses by about a third. This is the brine; you are not adding one
4. mix10 min
   bare hands, firm pressure
   + caraway + juniper + bay + carrot, squeezing and bruising in handfuls until liquid pools when you press down. Stop when a fistful releases juice freely
5. ferment20160 min
   18–20°C, dark, loosely covered
   pack into a jar in layers, pressing each one down so no air is trapped, then lay the reserved whole leaf on top and weight it until the brine rises above everything. Submerged cabbage is anaerobic and belongs to the lactic bacteria; anything above the waterline belongs to mould and kahm yeast. Days 1–3 fizz hard and smell sulphurous — that is Leuconostoc making CO2 and dropping the pH; burp the jar daily or it will overflow. From day 4 the slower, acid-loving Lactobacillus takes over and the smell turns clean and sour. Warmer than 22°C and it sours in a week but goes soft; cooler than 16°C and it takes a month and keeps its snap
6. store5 min
   refrigerated, brine covering
   once it tastes sour enough for you, seal and chill — cold does not stop fermentation, it slows it to a crawl, so the kraut keeps drifting more sour over months. Always leave it under its brine