Sauerkraut is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavour, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferments the sugars in the cabbage.

If you’ve only eaten canned sauerkraut, you owe it to yourself to try the homemade variety. Fresh sauerkraut has a crunchier texture, a delightfully tangy flavour and much greater potential for interesting dishes. The Happy Sprout, at both the Davies Park Market and the Jan Powers Powerhouse Markets, makes this colourful and chunky condiment, doing all the hard work for you.

The Happy Sprout offers a range of kraut, including two kinds of Happykraut. The first is made with salted red and green cabbage, is fuchsia in colour and great to toss through a salad, on a sandwich or with cheese and crackers. The other Happykraut is with green cabbage, fennel seeds and dill leaves. The Happy Sprout also offers two of the Korean-influenced kimchi. The first is bright red and big on flavour, made on wombok cabbage with garlic, ginger, chilli, shrimp paste, coconut, sugar, rice flour and shallots. The second version is vegetarian with no chilli or shrimp paste, but instead contains kombu seaweed, pine nuts, shiitake mushrooms, shallots and coconut sugar. Both are great with steamed rice and fried fish, on a poached egg, stirred through an omelette or as a flavouring for stock.

Wondering what the health benefits of sauerkraut are? First and foremost, it is an incredible source of probiotics. Secondly, the fermentation increases the absorption of certain vitamins and enzymes, and finally, it is a delicious way to get some extra vegetables in!