Well most anything is "possible". Whether it is safe or tasty or even sensible is another issue. While it is possible to ferment without salt by using wine or whey or kefir or potassium chloride (which makes it bitter), it isn't recommended vs. using at least some salt for both safety and quality reasons. And only fermenting it for 5-7 days doesn't meat the guidelines for safety. But they are assuming further fermentation during delivery will compensate for that. Note they say this is "cultured" so they'd have to be using one of the above but don't tell you which one.

They then try to compensate by shipping it fresh-made in insulated containers and require refrigeration immediately on arrival . That's fine if the shipping is fast enough and it doesn't get lost or delayed. In that case you'd end up with a jar of slime mess.

So one would need to really really be desperate for sauerkraut to eat to go this route and pay $21.78 for a jar (including shipping). There is no logical reason to want sauerkraut that badly IMO, especially when all the listed benefits are readily available in other forms where salt is no issue.

Any special diet has restrictions, has things one simply cannot eat. I'd love to have more carbs and red-meat daily but I simply cannot. Fermented foods would be high on that can't have list for those on a low-sodium diet.

Dave

Thanks, Dave. I'm with you regarding restricted foods. It's good to know your limitations and not waste time fighting against them. I'm appalled at all the people on the low sodium Facebook groups I follow that try to somehow make salt free pickles without benefit of canning or using the correct proportions of vinegar to water. Or fermenting without salt or cultures, etc. They find their info and recipes on blogs or make them up. And these are people who have serious health issues. They fuss about too many milligrams of salt but don't worry about using unsafe or untested recipes & techniques for pickles.

This time, I commented about my reservations and pointed to the NCHFP as the final word for canning and fermenting. Thanks again.

My family has been putting up sauerkraut for generations. We put it up directly in the jars after shredding it. Pack it very tightly with a packing stick, this is crucial. Put in some dill leaves(or seed), caraway seeds, and a little canning salt. You can add more salt later, but salt is needed to help with the fermentation process. Add warm tap water(not city water, but well water) and put the lids on. Keep them at room temperature for about 7 to 10 days when the fermenting stops. Do not put the lids on too tight, and they will bubble out juice so keep the jars in a tray to catch overflow. It is ready to eat as soon as it stops fermenting but I always wait a few days longer. Delicious! Best sauerkraut you will ever eat! I never heard of it made without salt.

"They fuss about too many milligrams of salt but don't worry about using unsafe or untested recipes & techniques for pickles."

Sadly I think it may be human nature for some to want to have their cake and eat it too.

In the case of lo-salt diets so many, as you say, count milligrams and then risk it all with some off-the-wall recipes. They can't figure out why they are still retaining water and their BP is still high but now they are having all sorts of digestive problems too. In some cases just eating the salt may be safer than some of the far-out ideas.

Dave