Spicy Fermented Carrot-Kraut Recipe - The Self Sufficient HomeAcre (2024)

Fermented Spicy Carrot-Kraut

I love sauerkraut…plop it on a hot dog, cook it with roast pork, or toss it in a grilled Rueben sandwich…yum! My hubby and son? Not so much. If I made a big batch of sauerkraut, I would be the only one eating it.

So I thought I would try changing it up a little and use some of the other veggies from my garden to ‘hide’ the cabbage in a traditional sauerkraut recipe. I added some whole peppercorns for flavor and the final product is pretty darn yummy if I do say so myself.

See also How to Ferment Food in Small Batches.

Spicy Carrot-Kraut Recipe

• 2 cups grated cabbage
• 2 cups gratedcarrots
• 1 grated onion
• 1 tsp to 1Tbsp whole peppercorns, to taste
• 6 tsp Himalayan Salt

Mix the grated vegetables well and add the salt. You can use any fine, non-iodized salt but the weight might be different, causing a saltier or less salty flavor. Mix well and mash together to draw the juices out of your veggies. Spoon into your fermenting container. (You may use a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap and a weight to hold veggies under the brine solution. Or you might like to try the Fermentools fermenting system with a quart-size canning jar.)

I reviewed the Fermentools Starter Kit and received a free kit in return for my honest opinion.

Make sure that your veggies do not come to the surface where they will beexposed to air. This can cause spoilage. They need to be submerged under brine solution at all times. If you don’t get enough liquid from your veggies to keep them submerged, make up a 2% brine solution to pour over the top…just a small amount to keep the veggies under brine.

Allow your veggies to ferment for a week or more in a dark place at room temperature. Check flavor to see if you want a stronger flavor (longer fermentation). When it reaches the desired flavor, store it in a covered jar in the refrigerator or a cool spot (in the high 40s is good).

Notes: You can substitute dill, caraway, or coriander seed for the black peppercorns if you would like a different flavor. I liked the flavor after about 10 days and then put the jar in the refrigerator. It didn’t last very long, so you might like to have another jar started a few days after the first.

Do you like sauerkraut? Do you use lacto-fermentation to preserve your veggies? Leave a comment!