One of the ways that I keep my diet balanced is by eating a portion of fermented foods daily.  Most traditional cultures include some fermented foods in their diets, because of their contribution to a healthy body and their extremely long shelf life.  Dishes and drinks, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, cheese, kefir, and pickles, are chocked full of healthy bacteria that promote regular digestion and enliven the body.  My favorite way to get my daily dose of bacteria (besides Kombucha, that is) is a nice sauerkraut.  Sauerkraut has been made in Central and Eastern Europe for hundreds (possibly thousands) of years.  Like its name implies, its sour, a little sweet, and quite pungent.  My favorite thing about it is the super simple preparation.

Ingredients

* 2 heads of cabbage
* 4-5 tbsp real salt

Directions

Shred the cabbage heads using a grater or food processor.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage and salt.  Using your hands, massage the salt into the cabbage.  As you massage the salt in, juices from the cabbage will start releasing, and the cabbage strips will start to shrivel up a bit.  After about 5 minutes, you’ll notice plenty of juice collecting in the bottom of the bowl.  At this point, place a small plate over the cabbage and then place a clean heavy object on top of the plate.  The weight is meant to submerge the cabbage pieces into the liquid to allow for healthy fermentation.  You may cover the bowl with a muslin cloth to ensure nothing gets in to the mix.  Allow the mix to sit for 7 days.  Thennnnn eat up!

For more variety and flavor, feel free to mix in other vegetables.  My favorite way to make sauerkraut is to add 4-5 leaves of collard greens, a 1/4 tsp of red chili powder, and the juice of one lemon (see the result in the third picture).  Get creative and see how you like it!

–Rishi