sauerkraut recipe

[insert giant life story and lots of pictures here]

... and now for... The Recipe!

Sarah's Colorful Kraut

Ingredients:

1 head purple cabbage, small
10-11 carrots, med to lg
1 sweet onion
1 head garlic
3 Tbs Himalayan sea salt

Also needed:

2 1-qt jars
2 plastic quart jar lids
cheese grater and knife or food processor
kitchen gloves (optional)
jar funnel (optional)

Instructions:

1. Set aside two large cabbage leaves. Finely chop the rest of the cabbage and onion, grate carrots, and mince garlic.
2. In a large bowl, alternate layers of veggies and salt. Knead salt into veggies with hands until there is enough brine to cover veggies in jars.
3. Fill both quart jars with veggie mixture and pour brine over top. (May use funnel, it makes it a little easier)
4. Using cabbage leaves set aside earlier, use one per jar to cover and push down veggies below the brine. Tightly screw lids on.
5. Leave jars on counter for 6-8 days or until sauerkraut has a tangy "pickle-like" taste and crunch. Can leave out longer to develop flavor. Be sure to loosen lids to 'burp' the jars every couple of days. Once the flavor is where you want it, store in the fridge. It keeps for a long time. (I'm using some now that I made 5 1/2 months ago and it's great.)
6. Enjoy!

When I first made sauerkraut, I was kind of like "what the heck do I eat this with?" Here are some ideas my friends and I have done:

Add it to grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.
Mix with tuna salad. It makes it pink! (from Katie R.)
Drop a couple forkfuls in soup.
Eat right out of the jar!
Finely slice bell peppers or other veggies and mix sauerkraut in as a salad.
Use anywhere you'd normally use pickles.

I feel obligated to add a picture.
I'm not going to.