Vegetable · leafy

Green Cabbage

The canonical lacto-ferment vegetable. Green cabbage is the backbone of traditional sauerkraut across German, Polish, and Russian cuisine. High water content (~92%) means it self-brines when salted and weighted — no added water required. Produces abundant Lactobacillus after 3-5 days at room temperature.

Salt calculator

Enter your vegetable weight and a salt percentage. We return the exact salt mass in grams, plus teaspoons for each common grain.

Vegetable weight

grams

Salt percentage

Salt grain

Grain matters: one teaspoon of Diamond Crystal weighs half as much as one teaspoon of fine sea salt. Weigh in grams when you can.

20g salt

3.51 tsp 1.17 tbsp 0.71 oz

Based on Fine sea salt at 5.69 g/tsp.

Safe range for lacto-fermentation. 2% is the most common default for cabbage, kimchi and pepper mash.

All salt grains

Grain	Grams	Teaspoons	Tablespoons
Diamond Crystal kosher	20 g	7.04	2.35
Morton kosher	20 g	4.17	1.39
Fine sea salt	20 g	3.51	1.17
Pickling / canning	20 g	3.64	1.21

Default salt: 2.00 %
Salt range: 1.50% – 3.00%
Time @ 68 °F: 14.0 days
Target pH: 3.40
Water content: ~92%
Preferred styles: sauerkraut, kimchi baechu, curtido

Technique

Shred fine (2-3mm) across the grain. Weigh, salt at 2% of vegetable weight, massage 8-10 minutes until liquid pools. Pack into a weighted crock or jar below brine. Keep 65-72°F for 2-4 weeks depending on taste preference. Taste weekly from day 7.

Source: NCHFP (UGA) — Fermented Sauerkraut.