Step 1

Using a food processor, finely chop the cabbage (and the carrots if added). The carrots will give your sauerkraut a sweeter flavor.

Step 2

Place all chopped ingredients in a glass bowl in layers. Sprinkle a bit of the sea salt on top of each layer, until it's all gone.

Step 3

Using your well-washed hands, massage the salted chopped ingredients together for approximately 10 minutes. Water will produce from the mixture - this is good, do not toss this out.

Step 4

Wash your hands and cover the massaged cabbage mixture in their glass bowl with a towel. Let them stay like this for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Spoon cabbage mixture into fermenting jars. Push them down with a tamper. Use the cabbage mixture water to evenly cover the ingredients in the jars. Place a glass weight on top of the ingredients. If you need a little more water, add filtered water. Make sure that all cabbage mix ingredients are under the water by about 1/2". For ease, you will want to get this fermenting kit.

Step 6

Place a fermenting top on each jar and seal tight. Remove the air from the cabbage mixture packed fermenting jars. This is most easily accomplished with the fermenting kit.

Step 7

Put the jars in a dark, cool place where the temperature never gets above 70 degrees.

Step 8

Allow to sit for 21 days. Once opened, keep in a refrigerator and use within two weeks. The refrigerator temperature stops the fermentation process. You can also freeze the sauerkraut up to 2 months.