Easy recipes for tasty sauerkraut and dill pickles

Everyone has their own taste in pickles and sauerkraut, so why not make your own just the way you like them? We'll share fun, easy recipes that are packed with flavour.

1. Trim off the outer leaves before washing and drying your cabbage. Shred the leaves into small pieces.
2. Weigh out 35 grams (four level tablespoons) of salt for every three kilograms (6 1/2 pounds) of cabbage. Thoroughly mix the salt into the leaves.
3. Pack the salted cabbage into an earthenware crock or a plastic bucket. Press down firmly to help extract the juices, which will act as the brine.
4. Cover with clean cheesecloth weighed down with a plate. After 24 hours, check that the leaves are totally immersed.
5. If the brine does not fully cover the cabbage, pour in a solution of  one teaspoon of salt per 250 millilitres (one cup) of water.
6. Check regularly to ensure that fermentation is occurring properly. Remove any scum and change the cloth if necessary.
7. Keep the mixture at room temperature until bubbles stop rising to the surface (about four weeks).
8. Store sauerkraut for up to a month at 3°C (37°F). For long-term storage, process your sauerkraut in a boiling-water bath.

Here's that you'll need:

• 2 kg (4 lbs) pickling cucumbers, 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long
• 2 litres(8 1/2 cups) of brine. Use 1 1/4 to 3 cups of salt in 2 litres (8 1/2 cups) of water
• Cloves of garlic (peeled)
• Sprigs of dill
• 20 ml (4 tsp) mustard seed
• 300 to 500 ml (1¼ to 2 cups) vinegar
• 3 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 750 ml (3 cups) of water

Prepare the brine by mixing the water and salt. Scrub the cucumbers thoroughly and make sure that the plastic bucket and other utensils are perfectly clean. Small cucumbers are an old favourite for fresh-pack pickling, a process that transforms them into dill pickles.

1. Soak cucumbers overnight in a brine solution, then drain and pack into hot, sterilized jars.
2. Divide the mustard seed between jars and add one to two sprigs of dill and a garlic clove to each. Boil the vinegar, salt, sugar and water.
3. Pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers leaving approximately 12 millimetres (1/2 inch) space below the rim. Put lids on jars.
4. Prepare the pickles for long-term storage by processing them in a boiling-water bath.

Pickled and fermented foods are both flavourful and nutrient-dense. Use these recipes and you'll have a long-lasting supply of healthy and delicious sandwich toppers and side dishes.