ELECTRIC PINK SAUERKRAUT

S​auerkraut is a really great food for all of us during the cold and flu season to help get more healthy probiotics into our bodies and those of our children.  If there is anything I have learned about kids, its that they will almost always try anything they have had a hand in making.  This beautiful hot pink experiment is easy to do with even the smallest of your crew and is sure to have them excited and eager to try.
Ingredients:
1 Red Cabbage (3lbs)
1 Green Cabbage (3lbs)
6 T Himalayan Pink Salt
Dechlorinated Water
Equipment:
Sterilized Glass Jars (just clean with soapy water and place in boiling water for 15 mins)
Clean glass that fits into opening of glass jar or clean and boiled rock
Large non-metal mixing bowl
Instructions:
1.  Start by shredding the cabbages finely either in a food processor or a box grater.  My littlest one loves to put the hunks of cabbage and squish them down in the food processor and watching them get shredded up.  
2.  Pour the contents into a big bowl, big enough so that there is room to mix it up.  
3.  Spinkle half the salt overtop of the shredded cabbage and flip around to distribute.  
​4.  Add the remaining salt and massage cabbage for 5-10 mins squeezing to crush the cabbage a bit and extract some of the liquid.  This is my kids favourite part - getting their hands right in and making a mess. 
​5.  Stuff cabbage into glass jars pushing down between layers to remove air pockets and extract some liquid.  Leave room at top, about 1 inch, for expansion due to fermentation.
​6.  Place glass full of water on top of  the cabbage pushing down slightly so that all the cabbage is underneath the liquid.  If there is not enough liquid add some brine (1 T salt to 2 C water) until cabbage in submerged.  
7.  Place jars out of sunlight on counter on a plate (to catch any overflow) and let sit for at least 4 days.  you will see some cloudiness and bubbling which means fermentation has started.  You should try a bit after 4 days and if it's not sour enough, try in 3 more days until it's to your liking.  In the fall and winter months it takes me a week to get to the level of tang that my family likes. 
8.  Once ready, put a lid on the jar and store in fridge .  
You can add flavours to you cabbage as you massage it like dill seeds or caraway seeds.  My children especially like the dill seeds as it makes the sauerkraut taste like pickles.  
​Enjoy your experiments!  

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