My first experiment with sauerkraut did not go as planned. It was summer and I was living in Taipei, Taiwan. The temperatures were in the high 90s with humidity so high that mold was growing on my suitcases. Ignoring what should have been common sense given these conditions, I decided this was the time to experiment with making sauerkraut. I followed a basic recipe (mostly), waited, and soon had cabbage sporting an amazing array of mold. I learned two things that summer about sauerkraut: first, it is not foolproof, and second, you must follow the recipe to a tee. Going in with this knowledge, and the mild temperatures of the Bay Area, my next attempt was a success. The secret I had missed in my last try: completely submerge the cabbage beneath the brine. Anything you miss will mold.

In order to make sauerkraut, you literally chop up a couple of heads of cabbage (I like to grate mine), pour on a couple tablespoons of salt, mash it down in a crock, cover it with the outer cabbage leaves to keep the cabbage down, and put something heavy directly on the cabbage so the brine will rise above it. I got my recipe from the great man of fermentation, Sandor Katz. His book “Wild Fermentation” is a must for anyone who wants to embark on a fermentation journey!

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