Sauerkraut Love

I am so in love with making my own sauerkraut. I hope the hype is true, and that it's packed to the brim with crazy-powerful probiotics. Even if it isn't, I don't think I can live without it at this point. My favorite thing to add it to recently has been chilaquiles.

Here is my extra-simplified method:

1) Buy a Fido jar. I use the 2 liter (67 oz.) size.

2) Chop or shred 1-2 cabbages.
3) Toss with sea salt. My ratio is about 1 1/2 T of sea salt per cabbage. (3T salt/5 lbs. shredded veggies)
4) Stuff as much as possible into the Fido jar. Mark with the date, put it into a cardboard box (for worst-case-scenario explosions), and forget about it for 30 days. (I add a reminder to my Google calendar).
4) Open (carefully) and enjoy. Refrigerate from this point. Lasts at least a month.

Cabbage right after packing-- I pack the jars tighter now. 

Other specifics/tips (that you only need to skim once): Be sure all of your equipment is clean (duh). Try adding other ingredients, like carrots, onions, spices. I've used ginger, coriander, jalapenos, red pepper, caraway and more. I'm planning to try a kimchi version next with daikon, scallions and garlic. I usually buy two cabbages and do a grown-up (spicy) and a kid-friendly batch simultaneously. My kids love the pink color that results when you do half-and-half red and green cabbage, so I usually get one of each. If it all doesn't fit in the two jars, I make a fresh slaw.

I thank Phoenix Helix for getting me started; you can find lots more info there or elsewhere online. I started out burping the jars and all that, but have devolved to this very doable system with zero troubles. (I will admit that I did put on safety googles the first time I opened my buried Fido jar. I couldn't stop thinking about how embarrassing it would be to explain sauerkraut injuries at the emergency room.) I wanted to post my easy-peasy method to encourage anyone who might be intimidated by all the gadgets, warnings and hoopla you may read about.

After a month of lovely fermenting.