- Good food processor
- Blender
- Wide-mouth glass jars (Sterilize jars for 10 min)
Produce Needed
Use two or more of the following: green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, turnips, beets, carrots, dikons, ginger root, sea vegetables, yams or sweet potatoes, green apples. Also have on hand previously cultured vegetables or a vegetable culture powder. (If you use 3/4 or more green cabbage, the cultured vegetable powder is optional, but you get more bacteria and less chance of a bad batch if you use the cultured vegetable powder or a previous batch of cultured vegetables.)
Step 1: Wash vegetables. Peel off the outer leaves from cabbages. These will be used to top off the jars later. (Use 1-2 leaves per jar.) Peel vegetables as necessary and appropriate.
Step 2: Shred the vegetables in a food processor. Place into a large bowl, (up to 18 in diameter.)
Step 3: Put 1-2 cups of non-chlorinated water (i.e. pure spring water) into blender. Add 1 packet of vegetable starter or 1 cup of previously cultured vegetables, plus 1 cup of freshly grated veggies from the bowl. Blend.
Step 4: Pour water and culture mixture over the bowl and mix with your hands.
Step 5: Pack the mixture tightly into the sterilized jars to within 3/4 inch of top. Pack the vegetables tightly to get rid of air pockets.
Step 6: Dip the cabbage leaves from step 1 into hot water for about 2 minutes to soften them. Then roll up the leaves and place on top of the vegetables in the jar. This will keep oxygen from the vegetables and thus prevent ‘moss’ from growing. (If you do get white ‘moss,’ just spoon it off. The veggies are still good. ) Tighten lids on jars to medium tightness.
Step 7: Put jars on a tray in a 70 - 78 degree place. (Like the kitchen counter, covered with a blanket, or a foam cooler with a jar of warm water - change twice a day.) The jars will probably leak. That is ok. It’s just working. After 3 to 10 days, the veggies are done. Stop the culturing process by placing the jars in the refrigerator. They keep in the refrigerator for 6 months or more. So don’t be afraid to make plenty. (Many people just leave the jars out to culture for weeks - no problem, they just get more mushy and maybe even more sour.)
Step 8: Enjoy. Eat at least two heaping tablespoons with each meal. The rolled up cabbage on top can be eaten, but it is not too tasty. Some people make cultured vegetables their major vegetable with each meal. A good oil (olive oil, flax seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, or lemon-flavored fish oil) will cut the sour taste for those not used to sour.
Note of Quantity: Two heads of cabbage plus three pounds of carrots make approximately 4 quarts. One packet of vegetable starter is very adequate for that amount.
