Is there a way around this?

good question, I see so many jars of organic raw cultured sauerkraut at Whole Foods and other health stores in the refrigerated section,

and its always loaded with salt, and I think, WHY???

One might ask "why don't you make it yourself?"

I like the convenience of buying things pre-made, just like I like to

have my kale juice made at the juice bar instead of making a mess in my own kitchen.

Those jars of raw cultured sauerkraut do look good though.

Because people put salt in it! LOL! But seriously, I have had pasteurized kraut that was wayyy too salty and it just doesn't taste good. When I make it, I don't necessarily put in 4 Tbsp. (per two quarts water) of sea salt, but I do put in some salt. Not only is it a preservative, but a flavor enhancer. I enjoy things with salt added. RAW sea salt (like Celtic or Himalayan pink) is supposedly not a bad thing in moderation, but I have also seen a recipe for kraut by Viktor Kulvinskas where you don't use any salt. So you can try it like that, if you like.

Edit: Another property of salt is to draw out water from veggies, so that may be another function of it, besides preserving the cabbage. It softens veggies when you are marinating them



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2010 11:15PM by banana who.

There are recipes for low salt and even salt free pickles and kraut. You'd have to search around for a good one and experiment with it. But be careful, salt is a preservative and part of what makes fermented food not get funky.

Here's a salt-free sauerkraut: [www.rejuvenative.com]

I'm sure it's expensive, but the ingredients are listed on the link, and a person can probably make their own.

Coco makes some great looking pickles!

I'm not a big sauerkraut fan, but it's easy to make kim-chi without salt. Just wash the veggies very carefully and stuff as much as you can into a jar. I like shredded cabbage and carrots, torn kale, and chopped cauliflower. You can also add garlic, shredded ginger, dried chili pepper, paprika, turmeric, salt-free garam marsala, or whatever herb/spice you like. Seaweeds are also an option.

When I've made this before, it's been ready in 3 or 4 days. I've only made a quart at a time, and ate it within a week.

Here are the salt-free Rejuvenated kim-chis:

[www.rejuvenative.com]

[www.rejuvenative.com]

I don't know why health food stores so often don't carry the salt-free products, but the products could probably be special-ordered through the store.

I have friends that make salt free sauerkraut using acidophilus to prevent the cabbage from spoiling.

It originated from the practice of salting sliced cabbages and kneading them until they leaked their juice enough to be pressed down into it and submerged with a weight. The right salt level (broth level) inhibits most all bacteria except lactobacilli. They would then digest the sugars in the juice and turn it into lactic acid, an excellent preservative from all except kahm yeast (nasty tasting but harmless, the submerging and covering helps stop those, they need oxygen so they only settle on top). The salt itself would not preserve (not the right level), except for the lactobacilli present on the cabbage leaves. The refrigerated sauerkraut may have gone through this process, or not. Sometimes they just add salt and vinegar (and/or industrial lactic acid) and call it "close enough." It's a faster process, anyway, and has a taste similar to what people may expect traditionally.

As Prana says, some people add a starter instead, to avoid so much salt. This is a time game, seeing if the lactobacilli in the starter turn the juice sour before bad bacteria can turn it nasty. With enough starter, it works. You can always make a batch the salty way, then set aside some and use that as a starter, repeat, and within a few batches it will be free of excess sodium.

Celastrus: That sounds about right. I just made some kraut with beets and I used 2 Tbsp. of salt instead of 4 and when I tasted it yesterday, it seemed a bit funky. I am still going to continue with it because I know that sometimes it may seem bad but isn't. I've never had a problem making it before so it would seem that proper salt levels are important. But thanks for suggesting saving some of the kraut for the next batch (so you can avoid the salt). Great idea!

suncloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a salt-free sauerkraut:
> [www.rejuvenative.com]
>
> I'm sure it's expensive, but the ingredients are
> listed on the link, and a person can probably make
> their own.
>
> Coco makes some great looking pickles!
>
> I'm not a big sauerkraut fan, but it's easy to
> make kim-chi without salt. Just wash the veggies
> very carefully and stuff as much as you can into a
> jar. I like shredded cabbage and carrots, torn
> kale, and chopped cauliflower. You can also add
> garlic, shredded ginger, dried chili pepper,
> paprika, turmeric, salt-free garam marsala, or
> whatever herb/spice you like. Seaweeds are also an
> option.
>
> When I've made this before, it's been ready in 3
> or 4 days. I've only made a quart at a time, and
> ate it within a week.
>
> Here are the salt-free Rejuvenated kim-chis:
>
> [www.rejuvenative.com]
>
> [www.rejuvenative.com]
> tm
>
> I don't know why health food stores so often don't
> carry the salt-free products, but the products
> could probably be special-ordered through the
> store.


Hey, I just saw this product at my health food store, and I might try it.


What exactly are the benefits of a raw cabbage saurkraut? Is it just something that tastes good for a persons raw diet?

Pineapple Girl: From that site:


What is it about Raw Cultured Vegetables that enhances health? Raw Cultured Vegetables are delicious and provide an excellent self-rejuvenating source of non-dairy lactobacilli, including acidophilus and lactobacillus plantarum, important for the maintenance of healthy intestinal flora and the alleviation of digestive disorders. This is important for people who are lactose intolerant, have pathologies that prevent the consumption of dairy or simply choose to avoid it.

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pineapple Girl: From that site:
>
>
> What is it about Raw Cultured Vegetables that
> enhances health? Raw Cultured Vegetables are
> delicious and provide an excellent
> self-rejuvenating source of non-dairy
> lactobacilli, including acidophilus and
> lactobacillus plantarum, important for the
> maintenance of healthy intestinal flora and the
> alleviation of digestive disorders. This is
> important for people who are lactose intolerant,
> have pathologies that prevent the consumption of
> dairy or simply choose to avoid it.


thanks...