sauerkraut and salt?

[Ten]

Tell me if I have posted this in the wrong section but I have a question about sauerkraut.

I have only ever made it twice. The recipe was really simple. One large cabbage, 1tb caraway seeds and 2 tbs

good salt. I also added carrot this time.

It tastes so salty. If I have about a teaspoon I find the next day my eyes are so puffy. I dont get how the benefits of sauerkraut outway all the salt? I know you are not suppose to have lots of it and I dont. 

Has anyone ever washed and drained the sauerkraut before eating it to get rid of some of the extra salt?

[mary]

sorry we are not supposed to post links to any other sites here but there are recipes on the body ecology site on how to make their version of cultured vegetables (this is what they call sauerkraut).  It should be easy to google it. 

[Ten]

Great info Supermom. Thanks for that. I thought the salt is what made is ferment and was therefore necessary.

[Supermom]

Here is an excerpt from a website Wild Fermentation about Vegetable Fermentation Further Simplified, that might be helpful:

"Salt lightly, to taste. It is easier to add salt than to take it away, but if you oversalt, you can dilute by adding water and/or more vegetables. There is no magic proportion of salt the process requires—it’s just personal preference. As a starting point, try 3 tablespoons of salt per 5 pound of vegetables. More salt will slow the fermentation process; less (or none) will speed it up. Ferments with less salt may be more prone to surface molds. You can leave out the salt or use various mineral-rich substitutes such as celery juice (my favorite salt-free variation) or seaweed. Just be sure the vegetables are submerged in the liquid."

[Ten]

Thanks Mary, Never heard of that method.  Do you know I sight I can go to and look up a recipe for this?

[mary]

I use the body ecology method of making sauerkraut that does not involve any salt.