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Chop or shred the cabbage depending on the desired consistency of the final product and sprinkle with salt then work the cabbage with a kraut pounder until there is plenty of liquid and the cabbage is a bit mushy. This portion of the process usually takes about 10 minutes-- add the whey and mix well.
Stuff the cabbage into the fermenting container and press the cabbage underneath the liquid and if necessary, add a bit of water to ensure sufficient liquid--ideally all the cabbage should be submersed under the liquid and then let the sauerkraut culture for 3-10 days at room temperature.
I've been doing this lately and it is really good--if it doesn't creep anybody out too much, I must tell you that it tastes "alive." For whey you can use the juice that separates out from yogurt or you can used some juice from a prior batch or you can put some probiotic in it--I'm getting ready to make a carrot ferment and I'm going to put some probiotic kefir in it. For the container I use the crock part of my crock pot and weigh the whole thing down with a plate that I got at goodwill just for the purpose. For a kraut pounder I use a jar full of water (to make it heavier). This really is not much more trouble than making a batch of cole slaw and I suppose you could even get pre-shredded cabbage from the grocery though I've heard it's best to use organic cabbage since conventional may have some chems that stop it from fermenting properly. Also I boil and cool my water for the same reason--to get the chlorine out. The only maintenance is to make sure that there are no stray veggies floating up that can mold and to move the container to the basement if your family starts to complain b/c they will, lol.
Supposedly a small serving has more probiotics than a whole bottle of pills and it tastes good too. Some folks really like the salsa but I've not tried it yet--I'll be doing that this summer though. Pickles used to be made this way but nowadays they're all pickled in vinegar since it's quicker.
I read that but one of the things they failed to mention is that pasteurized sauerkraut is not going to help you much and even Bubbies, a premium brand, is pasteurized. The trouble with pasteurized sauerkraut is that while it is safe, it's a dead food.
I have tried many of them and only one product works for me - Align. I have Celiac disease and IBS due to Celiac. I was taking a very expensive probiotic by Integrative along with some super fiber complex that they make - $100 a month and the results were iffy. As someone with Celiac I have all kinds of digestive issues (really horrible irritable bowl syndrom most of my adult life) - Align is the only thing that has helped me. Align Is the #1 Gastroenterologist Recommended Probiotic.....it is amazing stuff! You can buy it at Costco and it is $45 for 3 months - a nice change from $100 a month. For the first time in many many years my digestive tract is completely normal.
I've tried several myself and the one that I remember helped almost immediately when I was constipated was NOW Foods "Probiotic Defense" which is their version of Garden of Life "Primal Defense" suggeted by Stepka and a lot cheaper. For economy I ordered the one in the jar and just dissolved it in a bit of water and swallowed it, tasted a bit like grass. Come think of it I haven't ordered it in years, my last one was in caps and I never even took it consistently, so next time I should order this one again.
I chose it after reading "Patient Heal Thyself" by Jordan Rubin, he went to our church and gave it away for free, also his other book "The Maker's Diet". After a large number of doctors had let him down and he was near death, he got healed from a serious case of Crohn's Disease by natural means and he credits "soil organisms" (which Dr. Ohira's also has, plus a rather controversial strain of bacteria) for being what truly made a difference with him.
When I was on a macrobiotic diet years ago they recommended the sauerkraut but it had to be the "real" kind, as someone here here already said. It was expensive but it really tasted good! Also miso that is used in miso soup contains the beneficial bacteria. You can buy a container of miso and use it on other foods, not just in soup. If I could drink milk, I would drink kefir, which also contains the bacteria and tastes really good and is easy because you just drink it.
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