Prepare your Ingredients: Remove any outer layers of the cabbage and then remove its core and discard. Cut the cabbage in quarters and slice into thin ribbons. Thinly shred the carrots, and slice the garlic.

Add to Crock or Fermentor:In a 3 or 5 gallon crock, layer the cabbage, shredded carrots, caraway seeds, salt, and garlic until you fill up the jar. In between layers, smash it down with a wooden spoon, your fists, or another sturdy kitchen tool to  as you add additional layers as you pack the crock until all of the ingredients are gone.

Prepare your Ingredients: Once all ingredients have been added, continue to tamp down until there is about a 1/2 inch of water above the sauerkraut mixture that has been forced out of the cabbage creating its own brine. I sometimes will use a mason jar to tamp it down until this happens. Don't give up! It should take about 10 minutes or so.

Submerge Ingredients: Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock. You can also place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the cover to continue to force the water out of the cabbage and keep everything submerged under the brine. Pressing down on the weight or plate will push more water out of it as well. Make sure all of the sauerkraut is kept under the brine as any exposed to the air will mold. Put a lid or loose cover over the crock to keep dust out.

Test and Wait: Let the sauerkraut ferment, checking every few days. I keep mine in a corner of the kitchen and place in a cupboard if the kitchen starts to smell a bit tangy as it starts to ferment. Continue to check on on the kraut, tasting it until it reaches the desired ferment. It should take about 2-3 weeks. Sometimes mold appears on the surface, and you can skim it off on the surface.

Taste and Enjoy: When the texture gets to where you like it, transfer into mason jars, refrigerate, and enjoy!