I got this from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. I've tried it with red and green cabbage and loved the results. The picture shows red cabbage that I made into kraut in a huge vase. It was delicious.
Start with organic cabbage, sea salt and caraway seeds if desired. They give it a pickled taste I like. First, cut up the cabbage in small strips and put it in a large bowl, sprinkling it liberally with sea salt, about two large tbsp per head of cabbage. Squeeze the cabbage with your hands for a few minutes until it starts to soften up and let go of water. You'll be able to feel the moisture. Add the caraway seeds, and I think Ms. Prentice says you can use juniper too, but I'm not a big fan so I haven't tried it.
You'll need two glass containers: one large container with a wide mouth and another smaller container filled with water and sealed. I've been using an ice bucket and a spaghetti sauce jar. Place your cabbage mixture inside the large container, smashing it down with the smaller container to pack it in there as you go. Once it is all in the large container, smash it down until the water level reaches the vegetable level. Then leave the smaller container on top of the cabbage, cover the whole thing with a clean cloth, and wait 7-21 days, depending on your tastes. I've been doing just fine with 8-9 days because I like it crunchy.
Check every day to make sure the moisture level stays even with veggies. Press down on the cabbage with the heavy jar to keep the water level up. If it is very dry, you may have to add some salted filtered water.
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