Homemade Sauerkraut and Dill Pickles

I love sauerkraut and dill pickles but haven't found a sauerkraut brand that I like here in Lisbon, Portugal and dill pickles are extremely hard to find so I decided to ferment my own.

The sauerkraut (recipe below) will take 2-3 weeks to ferment and pickles took just 3 days.  

Check out my live, on camera taste test of the two.

Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
large head of green cabbage
4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp caraway, optional
1 tsp black pepper, optional
10+ cloves of garlic, optional

Directions:
Using a chef's knife or mandoline, finely slice the cabbage. Place in a large bowl. Discard the cabbage core. 
Sprinkle the salt and spices over the cabbage. 
Mix thoroughly with your hands (about 1 minute). 
Allow soaking for at least 15 minutes. 
Mix again for 1 minute with your hands. The cabbage will release some of its water. 
Fill the jar with cabbage. Pour in the juice. Squeeze well as you go along. 
Fill the jar up to 1 inch (3 cm) from the rim. Add garlic cloves, if you are using.
Place a small mason jar filled with marbles and press down well. It helps to keep the vegetable chunks oxygen-free.  
Add water if the cabbage juice does not cover the cabbage leaf.   
Close the lid of the jar. 
Fermentation
Place the jar on a large plate in case it overflows during fermentation. 
Store the jar for 2-3 weeks at room temperature without opening it.

Here's the recipe for the dill pickles that I used/