The Kitchen · Fermented
Cabbage, Carrot & Ginger
From The Kitchen · a prep-ahead staple
This is the ferment to reach for when you want something with a little more life than plain kraut — the ginger keeps it fresh and warming, the carrot adds color and a hint of sweetness. It brightens everything you set it beside.
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 small head green cabbage, finely shredded (reserve one outer leaf)
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1–1½ teaspoons fine sea salt (about 2% of the vegetables’ weight)
Method
- Combine the cabbage, carrot, and ginger in a large bowl with the salt.
- Massage firmly with your hands 5–10 minutes, until the vegetables soften and release their liquid.
- Pack tightly into a clean jar, pressing down until the brine rises above the vegetables.
- Lay the reserved cabbage leaf on top and weight it so everything stays submerged.
- Cover loosely and ferment at cool room temperature 5–10 days, tasting from day five.
- When tangy to your liking, seal and refrigerate.
Storage: Keeps 2 to 3 months refrigerated; it only gets better.
Gina's tip
No extra brine needed — the salt draws enough liquid from the cabbage itself. If it hasn't after an hour, press it again, or add a splash of 2% brine to cover.
Coach's Note
The massaging is the whole trick, and oddly soothing — a few minutes of working the salt in, and the vegetables do the rest on their own time.
I hope this recipe finds a place in your kitchen as it has in mine. Enjoy!
— Gina