How to Make Sauerkraut

Hello from the chair!

Jan 06, 2025

January 5, 2025, 18:05, flood tide, waxing crescent, Early Winter
High 41ºF/ Low 29ºF, cloudy, pressure 1022 mb, 5.24 feet

Six months ago, we were in Oakland, California, for the longest days of the year.

Two weeks ago, we rang in another solstice around our bonfire with kindred spirits.

I like noting these points in their year; they are something to hold onto in a constantly modernizing world. I’ve been reaching for a 2024 recap, or perhaps what these last six seasons on land have meant to me, but the big themes are evading me for now. Instead, here’s a trip down memory land and a practical tutorial of one of my favorite makes.

Our first day in Oakland was a Friday. I had no responsibilities or plans, so I relived the end of an old work week. Ten years ago, I worked for a solar start-up at the edge of the Oakland/Alameda estuary on a mission with fantastic colleagues. The office is just across the tracks from Bicycle Coffee, which used to offer “free coffee Friday”. The shop became a natural meeting point for cross-pollination among employees. A softball team, several volunteer projects, and a few marriages emerged from these cups of cold brew and drip. Back in the summer, I stopped into their much larger operation for the same microwaved breakfast burrito and a hot coffee.

From there, I strolled to the waterfront to see the sailboats and tap back into our time living aboard and racing boats with friends in the estuary. Then, I walked through the raucous streets devoted to loading and unloading produce from the port and picked sandwiches from my favorite shop, Sierra Deli. I rounded the walk with a stop through the Old Oakland Farmers Market and was delighted to realize that our trip coincided with stone fruit season. I picked up salad ingredients to bring to a potluck that evening and grabbed a cabbage to make sauerkraut.

How to make sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a low-effort, low-cost way to try out fermentation and start collaborating with time.

Gather any cabbage, salt, and seasonings of choice. For red cabbage, I like red pepper flakes. For green, I enjoy the classic caraway seeds.
Remove outer leaves and set aside. Cut in quarters and discard the hard inner core (bonus points if you toss it in a compost pile).
Finely chop the remainder of the cabbage leaves with a knife or other veggie slicer.
Put cabbage in a bowl with two tablespoons of salt and massage for ten minutes. Trust the process! Mix in any spices like red pepper flakes or caraway seeds.
Put the wilted cabbage and the resulting liquid in a jar. Use the whole outer cabbage leaves to fill any open space in the jar and submerge the cabbage.
Set the jar aside for two weeks. Remove outer leaves and discard. Taste the sauerkraut and see if it has the desired funkiness. Store in the fridge to halt the fermentation or leave out longer to continue the process.