Sauerkraut for beginners

Fermenting vegetables can seem intimidating at first glance. We've been raised in a culture that embraces all things pasteurized, homogenized, sterilized and stabilized. Anything that involves microbes, bacteria, or fermentation makes many of us a little uneasy. It wasn't always this way though. In the not so distant past, our ancestors learned to work with healthy bacteria and microbes to create Superfoods that had additional health benefits. It's really quite remarkable. As the acidity rises due to lactic acid-fermenting organisms,any pathogenic microorganisms are killed off, creating a safe and tasty product that is alive with nutrients. As author and fermentation expert Sandor Katz puts it: "Fermentation not only preserves nutrients, it breaks them down into more digestible forms." Sauerkraut truly is the perfect raw food!

If all of this information didn't ease your mind, that's where our fun little kit comes in. It takes the guesswork out of making your first batch of sauerkraut. One Cabbage(not included), one packet of seasoning (containing juniper berries and mustard seed, in typical German fashion), one packet of Cadwell's starter cultures (which ensures perfect, crispy results and leaves you assured that any harmful pathogenic nasties are long gone), a thick glass bail jar, chalk and label. Of course we've included step by step instructions for your benefit too.

We think you'll like it so much that you'll quickly graduate to our larger stoneware crocks, yielding even more tasty, crunchy and healthful sauerkraut and other veggies!

Cheers and happy shredding!

A.W. Cornwell -Director of Sales