Ahhhh cabbage juice tonic. A very simple yet refreshing Nourishing Traditions beverage! I think it will be the new Gatorade! No more will I need to rob my sauerkraut of its juice, as I can make separate ‘sauerkraut juice’. This is considered to be a super food tonic because of the good probiotic bacteria in this juice.
Tips for making cabbage juice tonic:
- I like making this at the same time as I make sauerkraut, since I’m already cutting up cabbage anyway
- Once the fermentation is done after 2 days, remove the juice and put more water and a bit more salt in the jar. Let the jar sit on the counter for another two days. You get two batches from just 1/4 of a cabbage, although the 2nd batch will be a bit lighter in taste.
- This juice is really good with some cayenne pepper sprinkled in it. Sally Fallon says in the cookbook that it’s good for sore throats and I believe her!
Cabbage Juice Tonic
Rating: 1 fork (key)
Difficulty:
Easy
Page in NT: 614
Yield & Notes:
- Makes about 3/4 gallon of juice (using cabbage 2 times)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 organic green cabbage
- 1 T sea salt
- 1/4 cup whey (or omit for casein free and use twice the amount of salt)
Preparation:
This should be taken in small amounts throughout the day to improve intestinal flora.
Shred cabbage finely with a stainless steel knife and pound briefly with a meat hammer or a wooden pounder. Place in a 2 quart (half gallon) jug with salt, whey and enough water to fill the container. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.
Optional: Strain out juice and fill jar again with water and 1 tsp salt. Leave at room temperature for two days. The 2nd batch will be lighter tasting than the first.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the beet kwass looks more like gatorade!
Pat… very very true!! I think we could fool a few people into thinking that they’re getting black cherry gatorade with the beet kvass… hee hee…
Hey- I LOVE your blog. Keep it up! I’m so motivated to work on more of my NT recipes now:)
Wow! I’ve made lots of sauerkraut, but never the tonic. You’ve inspired me to try it.
Fabulous idea! I’m planning to make sauerkraut this weekend. I’ll have to pull the juice out and try it!
This is my favorite book and I am so excited that you are doing this! Can’t wait to follow along!
I recently made this and it is not that bad. I pour it in a shot glass and drink it in one swoop LOL.
You do not need nasty animal products like whey to make Sauerkraut. In fact the better Sauerkrauts are made without it. Just do a search for Bavarian Sauerkraut, which is my favorite. Although, I never remove any of the juice while making Sauerkraut. Real Sauerkraut takes four weeks to mature and needs to stay closed if made in a Harsch Crock. The Harsch Crock, while expensive, takes the guesswork out of making kraut. You can’t mess up with a Harsch Crock. It’s impossible and, like I said, no nasty animal products. They don’t belong in fermented foods anyway and will simply up your chances of cancer and heart related diseases.
Mark… I agree with you that you don’t need whey to make sauerkraut. It does inoculate the mixture enough to give it a head start though, helpful especially for beginner fermenters. I do NOT agree with you that animal products are ‘nasty’, and they DO NOT cause cancer or heart disease if they’re from pastured grass fed cows. You may want to check out Lierre Keith’s book The Vegetarian Myth, it’s eye opening.
Actually there are many links between animal consumption and increased rates of colon cancer, diabetes, and heart disease just to name a few. Tg as t veg myth book is a crock of sh!t !
How should the cabbage juice smell and taste?
It should smell sour like sauerkraut and taste a lot like sauerkraut too. The juice from actual sauerkraut is stronger but this has the same flavor and saltiness.
@Mark,
Nasty animal products? Whose cow are you referring to, certainly not mine! My dairy cow is on green pasture, frolics around in the sunshine and blesses us with weekly unprocessed fresh milk–nature’s perfect food.
What a shame someone has twisted your mind to hate animals, so. It is not nasty, but natural to use whey as a fermenting agent. Do some more homework and get out of that nasty animal hating cult you are in!
I’m just starting the GAPS diet and my regular fermented veggies don’t seem to have enough juice to supplement the diet with. I’m excited to have this! I just set it up and it’s currently sitting on the counter. I’m looking forward to trying it in a couple of days.
How long can you leave it out? I react to cabbage if not aged long enough. I’m sulfur sensitive.
You do not need the whey to make kraut or kim chi. Add thai peppers, ginger and garlic to “bam it”, step up the flavor.