Basic sauerkraut is the place to start your fermentation journey. Nothing is easier.

Ingredients: Green or red cabbage head, Salt, Water

Start by weighing your cabbage in grams. A pour-over coffee scale works great for this and as a bonus you can use it to make coffee also.

A 1.5 Liter jar (about 50 oz) holds one Kg (2.2 lb) of cabbage.

A 2 Liter jar (64 oz) can hold 1.5 Kg (3lb) of cabbage.

Reserve a couple outer leaves and chop the rest, stem and all. How fine or chunky is totally your call. There is no wrong way. Place in a large bowl.

Now take 2% of the cabbage weight in a clean salt such as Diamond. Do not use iodized or poor quality salt (the famous “M” brand) as it has caking agents.

For example if your cabbage was 1 Kg (1000g) then use 20g of salt. Anything in the 2 to 3% range is fine and it does not have to be precise. More is not better, stay with 2-3% range.

Sprinkle the salt on the cabbage and give it a massage with your clean hands.

Pack into a jar, press down as you add to keep the air pockets to a minimum.

Place a whole leaf or two, trimmed to fit the jar, on top. Add the glass weight or some other weight.

Now fill with clean filtered or spring water. Do not use tapwater as it has chlorine and other contaminants. Make sure there is water above the cabbage.

Seal the jar either with a bubbler on top or just place the lid on top without force. Gas will be produced and needs a way to release.

Let it sit at room temperature, out of sunlight. I prefer a 10 day ferment but there are no rules. Start tasting it anything after day 3 and refrigerate when it reaches the desired flavor. I wouldn’t go more than two weeks with plain cabbage as it can get soggy.