Festive Christmas Sauerkraut Recipe

At Optibac we love fermented foods! They introduce live cultures into the body and support our immunity. The lactic acid produced during fermentation helps us to digest protein and absorb nutrients. Not only that, but they are delicious!

So we’ve teamed up with our good friend, Samantha Hadadi, to make a festive sauerkraut - her recipe, our live cultures! Because two good things are better than one! Sam is a health journalist, busy mama to three little boys, and lover of good food and nutrition – her Instagram feed is full of wonderful recipes and stunning snaps.

The recipe for our kraut is super simple, great for you to enjoy with friends and family, or as an original and homemade gift to share – give it a go and let us know how you get on!

Ingredients (makes 1ltr jar)

1 red cabbage, shredded

2 apples, grated

2 handfuls of dried or fresh cranberries

½-1 tbsp. of freshly grated ginger (to taste)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tbsp. whole cloves (optional)

1 tsp pink salt

Contents of 2-4 capsules Optibac ‘For every day EXTRA Strength’

Method

1. Place all of the ingredients into a bowl, except for the salt, and stir until well-combined. Sprinkle over the salt then massage into the ingredients for at least ten minutes. This is how the cabbage starts to release its brine – you want your cabbage to be dripping wet and softened. If it doesn’t start to release juices after a few minutes, add an extra sprinkling of salt.

2. Put the cabbage mixture and its juices into an airtight, sterilised jar. Press it down firmly with you hand or a weight, so that the cabbage is suspended below the juice.

3. Cover the sauerkraut with a clean cloth and rubber band, then place it in a cool, darkened room to allow it to ferment. Check it every day or so to ensure that it remains below the brine, pressing down once more if needed. Allow to ferment for at least three days, before checking for flavour and texture. We like to leave ours to ferment for up to two weeks, but experiment and see what works for you!

Although fermented foods don’t need to be made with added live cultures, in our opinion it’s a great idea to add some Optibac to make sure you're getting all the friendly bacteria you need. This booster can be especially welcome at this time of year, when you might have been less than friendly to your digestive health…