This was an idea from one of my patients doing the GAPS Protocol. She was trying to come up with an idea to use ferments more in her meals.
The hardest part of this recipe is getting the cabbage leaves off in whole pieces. Because of this, this is a great ferment to make alongside other cabbage ferments. No matter how careful you are, many leaves will break into small pieces. That’s ok! You can simply just chop them up into any of these cabbage recipes:
Use a very fresh cabbage for this! If there’s too much microbial growth from the cabbage breaking down, your ferment is much more likely to grow the wrong microbes.
Ingredients
- Cabbage Leaves
- 2 tbsp of Salt Per Quart of Water
- Filtered Water
- Gallon or Half Gallon Jar – It doesn’t really matter because you’re doing a brine ratio.
Directions
Remove any outer leaves that look like they are damaged or spoiling. Rinse the cabbage in filtered water.
Carefully remove the cabbage leaves in as full of pieces as possible. When you’re getting near the core – keep going! Even though the pieces of leaf are smaller, they are easier to pull off in a full piece. Set aside the smaller pieces to use in the other ferments.
Add the cabbage leaves you will ferment to a large bowl.
Make your brine with filtered water and salt. Add enough brine to cover the cabbage leaves in the bowl. Very gently press on the cabbage leaves to get them under the brine. If needed, cover loosely to keep the dust and bugs out.
This will start the breakdown process, ensure all the leaves are covered with the salt, and soften the leaves so they can be packed in the jar without breaking. Every five minutes or so, check on the leaves and swish them gently in the brine.
Fill your gallon or half gallon jars with leaves. Pack them snuggly but not tightly to allow plenty of space for the bacteria to move, which is needed for fermentation. Try to arrange the leaves so no smaller leaves are floating at the top.
Use the brine you were soaking the cabbage in to fill the jar. Fill the jar to the shoulder.
Clean the rims of the jars inside and out with a clean top. Dry and top with metal lids and rings. The rims, lids, and rings need to be dry to prevent molding.
Set on the counter for at least 2 weeks.
Whole Fermented Cabbage Leaves
Ingredients
- Cabbage Leaves
- 2 tbsp of Salt Per Quart of Water
- Filtered Water
- Gallon or Half Gallon Jar – It doesn’t really matter because you’re doing a brine ratio.
Instructions
- Remove any outer leaves that look like they are damaged or spoiling. Rinse the cabbage in filtered water.
- Carefully remove the cabbage leaves in as full of pieces as possible. When you’re getting near the core – keep going! Even though the pieces of leaf are smaller, they are easier to pull off in a full piece. Set aside the smaller pieces to use in the other ferments.
- Add the cabbage leaves you will ferment to a large bowl.
- Make your brine with filtered water and salt. Add enough brine to cover the cabbage leaves in the bowl. Very gently press on the cabbage leaves to get them under the brine. If needed, cover loosely to keep the dust and bugs out.
- This will start the breakdown process, ensure all the leaves are covered with the salt, and soften the leaves so they can be packed in the jar without breaking. Every five minutes or so, check on the leaves and swish them gently in the brine.
- Fill your gallon or half gallon jars with leaves. Pack them snuggly but not tightly to allow plenty of space for the bacteria to move, which is needed for fermentation. Try to arrange the leaves so no smaller leaves are floating at the top.
- Use the brine you were soaking the cabbage in to fill the jar. Fill the jar to the shoulder.
- Clean the rims of the jars inside and out with a clean top. Dry and top with metal lids and rings. The rims, lids, and rings need to be dry to prevent molding.
- Set on the counter for at least 2 weeks