Learn To Make Dr. Terry Wahls’ Favorite Ferments
A How-To Video with Recipe
Sharing an appreciation for ferments.
The earliest evidence of fermentation dates back 100,000 years. Back then, our ancestors used salt and the naturally occurring lactobacillus to make various forms of fermented vegetables, a practice that has continued for thousands of generations!
I have been eating sauerkraut since I was a little girl, but I didn’t discover kimchi till I was an adult. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with Napa cabbage plus a variety of vegetables. Kimchi and sauerkraut are high in vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and helpful probiotic bacteria, including lactobacillus and bifidobacterial species. Kimchi’s health benefits include antiviral properties, antidiabetic properties, and anticancer properties.1 It activates the Nrf2 pathways, which may be helpful in decreasing severity of respiratory infections, including both influenza and coronavirus infections, as well as reducing inflammation2,3. Kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented vegetables modulate the immune function favorably, reduce oxidative stress, and contribute to the maintenance of a healthy microbiome.4 For all of these reasons I encourage you to begin exploring how to add kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented vegetables into your diet and family meals.
Making ferments is easy, fun, and affordable. In the traditional method, the cabbage is soaked in a ferment saltwater brine for 5 to 6 hours, chopped along with the other vegetables, massaged to express vegetable juice, and packed into crocks to ferment.
I have since discovered a way to make kimchi that does not use a saltwater brine. I make it the same way I make sauerkraut. Red pepper chili flakes, ginger, and garlic create the heat. You can adjust the amounts of those ingredients according to your taste preference and heat tolerance. Kimchi is wonderful as a side. I also add it to soups and stews just before eating, or stir it into a skillet meal just before serving so that the health-promoting bacteria are not killed by cooking. Kimchi also makes a terrific addition to salads. Jackie likes to add kimchi to her breakfast eggs (she tolerates eggs as do the rest of my family, but for me eggs will trigger face pain).
If kimchi and sauerkraut are new to your family, I suggest you begin with a small forkful stirred into a soup, salad, or vegetable dish. Increasing the diversity of foods you eat and the diversity of fermented vegetables you eat will increase the diversity of your microbiome. A more diverse microbiome is associated with healthier outcomes.
I will demonstrate how I make my favorite fermented foods. It is a terrific family activity. Kids love mixing the vegetables and squeezing, packing the jars, and then watching the change that occurs each day. It is a little science experiment they can run with you, tasting every day to see how the flavor changes as the bacteria do their work. Kids are more willing to try new foods if they are involved in their preparation. Making kimchi with your family will inspire them to experience cooking, science, and tasting, and you can experiment and makes tweaks to the recipe to get the flavors you like best.
1.Das G, Heredia JB, de Lourdes Pereira M, et al. Korean traditional foods as antiviral and respiratory disease prevention and treatments: A detailed review. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2021;116:415-433.
2.Bousquet J, Anto JM, Czarlewski W, et al. Cabbage and fermented vegetables: From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19. Allergy. 2021;76(3):735-750.
3.Bousquet J, Cristol JP, Czarlewski W, et al. Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19: time for research to develop adaptation strategies. Clin Transl Allergy. 2020;10(1):58.
4.Shahbazi R, Sharifzad F, Bagheri R, Alsadi N, Yasavoli-Sharahi H, Matar C. Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Properties of Fermented Plant Foods. Nutrients. 2021;13(5).
Dr. Wahls’ Kimchi Recipe:
(use organic vegetables to decrease the residue of pesticides if possible)
>>> WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
• 1 head Napa cabbage, chopped (save two outer leaves to act as covers)
• 1-3 carrots, shredded or grated
• 1 daikon radish, shredded or grated
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 1-4 tablespoons red pepper chili flakes (adjust based on your heat preference)
• 1-2 inches fresh ginger, shredded or minced
• 3-9 garlic cloves, minces, crushed, or pressed
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sea salt (2 tablespoons if no starter)
• ½ to 1 cup of starter kimchi or sauerkraut
1. Grate, chop, or mince the vegetables. I generally use a food processor to grate the carrots, cabbage, garlic cloves, radish, and ginger. Because Napa cabbage is more fragile than a compact head of cabbage, I either chop by hand or use the slicing blade on the food processor to create thicker slices of cabbage.
2. Mix all the ingredients together and massage to express the vegetable juice. Use a wooden press if needed to express more juice. If the juice is insufficient, allow everything to sit for another 30 minutes.
3. Pack the kimchi into jars. I use a wooden press to push and compress the vegetables into the jar and eliminate air pockets. The goal is to have the vegetables under the juice. I make mine in a 2-quart jar (plus another smaller jar if I have more than fits into the 2-quart jar).
4. Cover the vegetables with the top of the daikon radish cut to fit the opening of the jar or a cabbage leaf.
5. Place a weight to hold the leaf or the daikon radish down to keep the vegetables below the vegetable juice line. There are a variety of devices that are available to help keep the vegetables below the juice line and oxygen out that will eliminate the need for the cabbage leaf or radish slice.
6. Place the jar on a plate or in a bowl to catch any overflow liquid in the event the kimchi juice rises over the top of the jar as it ferments.
7. Place a towel over the kimchi, which prefers to ferment in the dark.
8. Check the kimchi in 3 days for the taste and texture.
9. Repack the kimchi into smaller one-pint jars and refrigerate.
Dr. Wahls’ Sauerkraut Recipe:
(use organic vegetables to decrease the residue of pesticides if possible)
>>> WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
• 1 medium head red or green cabbage, chopped (save two outer leaves to act as covers). If the head of cabbage is larger than your head, double the salt.
• 1 tablespoon sea salt (use 2 tablespoons if you don’t have a starter)
• ½ to 1 cup of starter sauerkraut
• Optional: add 1 tsp to 2 tbsp of spices such as ginger, garlic, caraway, or turmeric. You may also add other vegetables such as carrots, beets, or radishes.
1. Grate the cabbage. I generally use a food processor for convenience. Growing up we used a large hand grater built specifically for sauerkraut.
2. Mix the salt, starter, and grated cabbage together in a non-metal bowl and massage to express juice. Use a wooden press if needed to express more juice.
3. Pack the sauerkraut into jars. I make mine in a 2-quart jar. If I have more than that, I put the extra in a smaller jar. I use a wooden press to push and compress the cabbage into the jar and eliminate air pockets. The goal is to have the cabbage under the juice; if you don’t have enough juice to cover the grated cabbage, remove from the jar and place back in the bowl for 30 minutes. Then pack again.
4. Cover the top of the cabbage with a cabbage leaf.