In the early stages of the GAPS gut healing protocol, your body goes through some intense healing.
Food choices are restricted, and early in the introduction stage, even sauerkraut isn’t allowed. Instead, only the juice of the sauerkraut is allowed.
If you are doing GAPS as a family, you will need to make this juice, rather than just taking the liquid from the sauerkraut jar. Otherwise you will soon run out.
Sauerkraut juice is also really good for reflux and heartburn. Just have a glass every morning.
To make the sauerkraut juice, you will need:
1 large head of organic cabbage
6 tablespoons celtic sea salt
Filtered water
Sterilised jars (I sterilise for 20 minutes in the oven at 180C, the lids should be sterilised too, not screwed on)
For fermentation, always choose organic vegetables. You need the native microflora on the vegetables for a ‘wild fermentation’. Vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides will have a very different microflora. Organic vegetables are also higher in nutrients.
Using a food processor, chop the cabbage very finely. The more finely it is chopped, the large the surface area of the cabbage, the quicker the fermentation.
Put the finely chopped cabbage in a large bowl, and add 6 tablespoons of celtic sea salt. Mix the salt and cabbage mixture very well.
Leave the mixture to sit for at least 20 minutes, up to a few hours. After this time, the water will be drawn out of the cabbage and the cabbage will be limp.
Fill the sterilised jars one third of the way up with cabbage. Fill to the top with filtered water. Filtered water has the chlorine removed. Chlorine is added to water to kill bacteria. In fermentation, chlorine would kill the bacteria you are trying to grow.
Screw on the lids and leave in a cool dark place for about 2 weeks. Make sure the lids are tightly screwed on so mould can’t grow.
If you know you react badly to histamines, leave the juice to ferment for a much longer time.
When it is fermented, put the jars in the fridge and drink as required.
Enjoy!
