HealthyFoodJournal.com

Sauerkraut is of German origins and is made by fermenting thinly sliced cabbage in salt. In my family, we always made our own — I did not discover the packaged or canned varieties until I moved to the city. We typically had a large ceramic crock pot sitting on steps to the cooler regions of the basement.

Wikipedia gives this description of the fermentation process:

“Traditionally, sauerkraut is prepared in a stoneware crock and the seal is created with a piece of wet linen cloth, a board, and a heavy stone. This arrangement is not fully airtight and will lead to spoiled sauerkraut unless the surface of the brine is skimmed daily to remove molds and other aerobic contaminants that grow on the surface where there is contact with air.”

Cabbage is a major source of Vitamin C, and sauerkraut was often the only source during the winter months. Anything pickled correctly through a fermentation process will last for months without refrigeration. Sauerkraut is also a good source of Vitamin K, Calcium and Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. It’s got plenty of dietary fiber. High sodium content is one of its downfalls, but after all, the salt is the pickling agent.