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Growing up, my mom and I spent hours in the kitchen together making preserved vegetables.
Giardiniera, an Italian method of vinegar-pickling and food preserving, is a method my mom learned from her mom and I learned from her. Together, we would harvest from our garden and I would help chop peppers, carrots, and cauliflower for giardiniera.
Back then, I didn’t know there was a difference between pickling and fermenting. I just knew that I loved the color, shiny jars that we filled and lined up on the counter and the briny, tangy taste of the pickled veggies inside.
As I got older, I learned:
Pickling uses vinegar or brine to preserve foods. The acidity stops ‘bad’ bacteria growth and keeps food safe to eat.
Fermenting is a natural process where ‘good’ bacteria convert the sugars in food into lactic acid. No starter vinegar is needed. This not only preserves the veggies, but also contains dietary ‘probiotic’ organisms.
And, it only takes TWO ingredients to make fermentation magic.
I have all of these linked on Amazon for easy shopping.
Sharp knife — 
I used this one from Shun Cutlery.
Cutting board
Large glass mixing bowl
Glass containers for fermenting, cleaned/sterilized
Wood or silicone spoon, cleaned/sterilized
Glass fermentation weights, cleaned/sterilized
Lid — fermentation lid, vessel lid, or clean cheesecloth and rubber band — the goal here is to ‘close’ the lid to prevent contamination but loosely enough that there is still air exchange.
This is not medical advice. Before making changes to your dietary or supplement choices, consult with your healthcare provider.
Fermentation tips:
Use glass vessels — no metal, which may interfere with the fermentation.
Choose salt without additives or iodine — these can disrupt the good bacteria.
Let time do the work — it’s worth the wait! Fermentation takes about 2–3 weeks.
Taste at the 2-week mark to find your perfect level of tang and funk.
Ingredients for sauerkraut:
Clean the cabbage.
Remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage.
Remove 1 layer of outer leaves and place them off to the side. We will use them later.
Slice the cabbage into thin ribbons using a sharp knife.
Weigh your shredded cabbage to determine the exact salt amount (2-3% of the cabbage weight.)
Place cabbage in a large glass mixing bowl and sprinkle with the measured salt.
Massage the cabbage with clean hands for 5–10 minutes, until it softens and releases liquid. This liquid will be your brine.
Transfer the cabbage and its brine into a clean glass jar, pressing it down firmly so the brine covers the cabbage completely. I use a wooden spoon for this step.
Leave about 1 inch of space at the top of the jar. Don’t overfill the jar. Use multiple vessels if necessary.
10. Take the outer leaves you reserved and place them flat over the cabbage. Trim them to the width of the vessel or use multiple pieces to cover the shredded cabbage.
*This is my unique tip for keeping all those shredded pieces under water. It’s like a little cozy blanket for fermentation.*
11. Pour the liquid released from the cabbage over the cabbage in the fermentation vessel. Everything should be covered by the brine. If not, you will need to make more brine. **See the note below.
12. Place a fermentation weight (this is the one I use) on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged.
13. Cover the jar with a fermentation lid or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band. You want the vessel to be covered to prevent contamination, but STILL allow for air exchange. Otherwise, you will need to ‘burp’ (open) the jar throughout the day to allow gases to escape.
14. Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 2–3 weeks.
15. Begin taste-testing at the 2-week mark. Continue fermenting if you prefer a tangier, funkier flavor.
16. Once it reaches your preferred flavor, remove the weight, seal with a lid, and transfer to the refrigerator.
17. Enjoy within several months – though it usually disappears much sooner!
**Additional Brine:
If you need additional brine to cover your cabbage creation, no problem!
Mix filtered, unchlorinated water + salt at a 2-3% salt water solution.
So, for every 1L of water, add 20-30 grams of salt.
Mix until salt dissolves and top your sauerkraut.
If you notice throughout fermentation that your water level is dwindling, make and add this solution.
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