1tablespoons ofmedium coarse sea salt, pink Himalayan salt is also GREAT
1tsp each ofwhole caraway and black peppercornsoptional
Instructions
Wash all utensils and bowls thoroughly, finishing by pouring-on a kettle-full of boiling hot water
Sterilize your bottling jar by washing, rinsing and drying in the oven at 100C; rubber seals can be sterilized in boiling water as above
Cut away the tough fennel tops and slice the bulb thinly with a knife or food processor. Save a couple of large pieces to cover the top of the bottled fennel
In a large bowl massage-in the salt, cover with a cloth or cling film and leave to rest for 10 minutes
Massage again and leave another 10 minutes. Your fennel should have lost much bulk and have produced some brine by releasing water
Add the spices and bottle the fennel with its brine. Cover with a couple of large slices of fennel and weight this down, keeping ALL of the fennel submerged in the brine.
Leave in a cool, dim place (15-20 degrees C) to ferment. The sauerkraut will be ready to eat in about 5 days but will improve over the forthcoming weeks and months. Putting it in the fridge slows down the fermentation once the product has developed to your taste
Remove any scum or mould which may form on the top and carry on regardless
Always trust your nose. If it smells bad, chuck it and start again!