Sauerkraut

[slbunge]

Outstanding. Thanks for the great photos.

[woodburner]

For further clarity, salt addtions should equal 3 Tbs of pickling (non-iodized) salt, per 5lbs of shredded cabbage in volume, or between 2 1/4 -2 1/2 per cent of weight.

In search of alternative methods to canning the fermented cabbage I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'll store my portion fresh here in my cellar, in a air tight covered crock. I've not been overly happy with the kraut which we have normally set up in canning jars and further processed.

Canning tends to turn the sauerkraut a brownish tint, and takes away the important crunch in the bite.

woodburner

[DanConnor]

Excellent style, woodburner!

I make quite a bit of kraut myself. Usually, I grow a couple of rows of cabbage in the garden; big late-season varieties.

I shred it with a kitchenaid shredder attachment; seems to work pretty well. Then mix it up in a giant (about 5 gallons) glass jar I have with some salt. I just do it roughly to taste. Also I don't bother to sterilize the jar, after all the cabbage certainly isn't sterile. I do rinse it out though.

Pack it nice and tight in the container and add a little water if its too dry. To get a good seal on the top I cover the kraut with platic bags half-filled with water. They deform themselves to seal every opening pretty well. I put the glass cover on too.

I let it go for about a week, then jar and store in the refrigerator. It makes a good dozen or so jars.

Kim chee is fun too!

[mtigges]

I don't pressure can, but I do use the water bath method. I think that this is relatively important. If you don't kill the bacteria, there is the chance that they will continue to produce CO2 and produce bombs. This can be alleviated for the most part by storing at <5C and/or releasing the pressure every now and then. The other reason to stop the bacteria is to ensure that the flavour does not go too sharp. I think that a water bath method leaves good bite to the kraut.

[DanConnor]

That's something I've been a bit confused by. I followed a recipe once for making a single jar of kraut, in which I was instructed to seal the jar for fermentation! I did, but hid it in the top of a closet wrapped in towels because I thought it would explode. It didn't. In fact it worked fine.

I have no idea why.

[Ktepi]

I've made sauerkraut twice since seeing this thread. The first batch came out excellently. The second, I'm not sure of:

I used red cabbage, which I mention only because it was a change from the first.

The room I kept it in was colder thanks to the weather, with some warm days breaking it up.

I checked on it today because of that cold -- I guess it's been about ten weeks -- and the protective layer of whole leaves had a small amount of fuzzy grey mold on it. I removed them, and the kraut underneath has a strongly yeasty, beery smell.

Is the kraut okay, or should I just toss it?

[Magictofu]

I started my first batch of sauerkraut a few weeks ago... I can't believe how bad the smell is... it makes me think that it is not turning out ok but I have read that making sauerkraut does smell bad so I hope it's ok. How do I know that I won't poison myself by the way?

Also, can you eat sauerkraut straight out of the crock or does it have to cook? The only recipes I know require some cooking...

I know, I know... I am a total sauerkraut newb.

[Magictofu]

Because I have doubts about my first sauerkraut experiment, I have decided to start another batch, using a slightly different method (described by others in this post). This way, I should be able to compare the two batches.

1. The ingredients:

2. Mashing the salt into the cut cabbage:

3. Adding outside leaves on top:

4. Then a plate:

5. And finally plastic bags full of water:

Now I just hope that this one won't get as stinky as the first one and that it turns sour a bit faster. I am now thinking that it is because it did not turn sour fast enough that my first batch was so stinky, could it be the case?

[beccaboo]

5. And finally plastic bags full of water:

←

I've read that you should fill your plastic bags with brine so that if they leak they won't dilute the saltiness of your sauerkraut.

[Magictofu]

I've read that you should fill your plastic bags with brine so that if they leak they won't dilute the saltiness of your sauerkraut.

←

I have read that too but being such a lazy guy, I decided to trust my plastic bags.

On the happier side, I have read today that the bad smell will be neutralized when my sauerkraut is ready... there is still hope for my first batch!

[Magictofu]

On the happier side, I have read today that the bad smell will be neutralized when my sauerkraut is ready... there is still hope for my first batch! 

←

I changed my mind... there is no way the first batch will improve... it is definitely going to waste. My guess is that yeast got in before anything could happen and wasted the whole bucket.

My second batch smells much better than the first one. The reason?... I have no clue... less contact with the air maybe. Or maybe the cabbage are just less reliable at this time of the year. And my plastic bags did not seem to leak.

[Chris Hennes]

Is there any trick to knowing when the sauerkraut is done, or do you just taste it periodically as it approaches the specified end date? I'm fermenting mine in my charcuterie cooler, which is about 60°F, and I think it's taking a little longer than I expected. It's been two weeks today, and while it is a bit sour, the predominant flavor is still just saltiness.

[DanConnor]

Homemade kraut is so easy and great- everyone should do it! I use a kitchenaid to grate it, and ferment in a 4 gallon glass crock with water-filled plastic bags on top to locjk out atmosphere.

The one thing I don't bother with is sterilizing the crock- it's being filled with unsterile cabbage, after all. I do make sure it is nice and clean though.

[SheenaGreena]

I decided to say the hell with it and make sauerkraut with a leftover half head of cabbage. That way if I seriously screw up, I only wasted a mere half a head. So I chopped, salted, pounded, and layered and unfortunately not a lot of water has been coming out of the cabbage and it's been sitting for over 12 hours. To compensated, I added a bit of water (more salt to make a less watery brine) and wondered if this was okay? I know that if the cabbage isn't completely submerged in the water it would make it quick to spoil? Is that correct?

[Chris Hennes]

SheenaGreena, I'm actually using Ruhlman & Polcyn's brining method for making my kraut, so they certainly don't think there is any problem with adding water; the recipe calls for several liters of it. As long as you added enough salt to make up for the loss in concentration I think it should be fine.

[SheenaGreena]

thanks so much (:

How do you feel about adding other items to your kraut? I heard of adding such things as onions, apples, garlic, and carrots. I was going to add shredded apple but decided to go against it as I just wanted the non adulterated taste of cabbage.

[Chris Hennes]

This is my first attempt: I was cleaning out the fridge before leaving for the holidays and had a whole cabbage left, so I just tossed it in the brine and let it go while I was away, with no extras. I have no moral objection to additional flavors, but I haven't personally tried it.

[qrn]

One thing I have found, is that the time of year you buy your cabbage and make Kraut, makes a huge difference...I only make it when the stuff is at its prime, ie. late fall...I think its the sugar content of the cabbage at that time of year, and the sugar is what converts to the "sour "taste.

Bud

[OliverB]

interesting! Reminds me that I bought a book fittingly called Sauerkraut last time in Germany, have to dig that up. Might give it a try before it gets too warm here...

I love good sauerkraut, which is almost completely unobtainable here in the US. At least I have not come across it in the Bay Area, unless it was imported stuff from Germany. And that just seems a bit too silly.

[Lora]

How do you feel about adding other items to your kraut? I heard of adding such things as onions, apples, garlic, and carrots. I was going to add shredded apple but decided to go against it as I just wanted the non adulterated taste of cabbage.

I make small batches of kraut, a quart or two at a time, and so I experiment a lot. I like the addition of carrots and caraway seeds. I also like to use red cabbage, in whole or in part, because it turns pink when the acidity rises and helps you know when it's ready!

[SheenaGreena]

So the sugar content from the shredded apple should make the cabbage ferment faster?

[AngerBoy]

Hi all!

I'm a brand-new eGullet member, posting here for the first time.

I have just finished letting my first-ever batch of sauerkraut ferment for about a month, and I think I'm ready to scoop it out of the crock and move it into the fridge. I used red cabbage, and it's now a gorgeous shade of magenta!

Before I scoop out the kraut, though (I'm planning to move it into individual mason jars), I have what is probably a really dumb and simple question:

Should I keep the kraut submerged in its brine when I jar it, or should I strain it and only keep the cabbage itself?

Thanks in advance for your patience with a first-timer!

[vice]

Welcome, AngerBoy. That's not a dumb question, at all. I'd transfer the kraut to jars, brine and all. It's not strictly necessary to keep it submerged like you were during fermentation--the temp in the fridge should be cool enough to prevent surface mold from developing--but there's good flavor in the brine and it will keep the cabbage from drying out.

[OliverB]

Just picked up a little "Making Sauerkraut and pickled vegetables at home" book, it talks about a Harsch Crock pot from Germany like this one: Harsch Gairtopf

I'm intrigued, the idea of playing with bags full of water in my pantry is not all that great to entertain. This pot is not cheap, but then, what is :-)

Does anybody use this or something similar? And if I get one, what size? 5 liter, 7.5 liter, or 10 liter? price is more or less the same, but since I've never made this I have no clue if I end up with sauerkraut for 3 years or 3 weeks at any given size. I'd tend to get the 7.5 liter one, as it's nicely in the middle, but open to suggestions.

I love Sauerkraut, and the Safeway brand I bought recently (because of a bacon wrapped hot dog thread here...) is pretty decent, but doesn't compare with the real thing I know from Germany.

Oliver

[andiesenji]

I'm bumping this topic up because this seems to be the "season" for sauerkraut and I have come across some information that might be of interest.

The previous post mentions the Harsch Crock, 7.5 liter, available at Amazon.

A few days ago the current Lehman's catalog arrived in the mail and on page three they are offering 4 German fermenting crocks, different sizes - from a 5-liter for $69.95 to a 20-liter for 149.95.

I've long been a fan of Lehman's and can't begin to count how many items I have purchased from them over the years - long before they had an online store. I think I first "discovered" them through an ad in Mother Earth News in the early 1970s and have probably ordered from them at least once a years since then.