I'd Like to Make a Good Sauerkraut
I've tried it twice, using just salt and working it into the shredded cabbage. I cannot get the taste I want, and eventually I get scared and throw it out.
It seems so simple, And I'm a pretty good cook. Anyone have a fool-proof method?
Comments
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Have you left it to ferment long enough? We make ours in a big seven gallon crock. Shred cabbage and mix with salt and press down into the crock in layers using a potato masher to get a good press. As you do this the liquid formed will eventually rise over the top of the cabbage as you keep adding and pressing firmly. Once all cabbage is in, we use a few squares of cheese cloth and tuck it down the sides against the cabbage, then use weights to keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Remove any bits of floating cabbage since those will start to mold and wipe down the inner sides of the crock. Cover - we use a clean dishcloth topped with a large plate that fits the top perfectly. Ferment for two to three weeks, checking occasionally for signs of mold, floating bits, and taste. We choose to can most of ours and have found that the flavor complexity develops while they are in the jars. Now, we try not to open jar until it has been on the shelf for a year! - perfection :)
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@Mary Linda Bittle , actually Mary you have a foolproof recipe you are using, you've just got to get over the "scared factor". If you follow the necessary steps, there is no reason to get scared. So here is how I learned how to make it if you wish to give that a try.
Ingredients
one head of green cabbage (for one qt size mason jar/sea salt- 1 tablespoon per head (never use iodized salt)/ 2% brine (may be optional- see below)/ one clean mason jar with lid
To start make sure all of your equipment is clean and sterilized (just run it thru the dishwasher if you have one or just use clean soapy hot water and rinse well in hot water)
- inspect your cabbage and remove any outer wilted leaves
- quarter the cabbage, remove the core from all four quarters and then slice the cabbage in uniform thin slices (the thinner the slices are the faster your ferment will be ready). As you slice, place the strips in a large bowl (preferably a glass or stainless steel bowl... not plastic). Continue until all four quarters are ready.
- Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sea salt over the top of your cabbage slices. Gently work your hands thru the cabbage in the bowl just to get the salt stirred into the cabbage slices. This takes about one minute. Now allow the cabbage to just sit in the bowl so the salt/cabbage mixture will start to make its own brine. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
- Here is the part that is different between different people. Some people say to massage the cabbage repeatedly for about 10 minutes by smashing, pressing and flipping the cabbage slices in the bowl (you are still using just your hands). As you do this you will notice the cabbage is getting wetter and you will have a puddle of juice starting at the bottom of the bowl.
- Myself, I prefer the next method. After you have sprinkled the 1 tablespoon of salt and hand-stirred your cabbage, cover the bowl with a tea towel and place it on a countertop at room temperature and just let it sit. Could be about 8 hours, could be even up to 24 hours. It depends how warm your room is. (Do not place it on a hot appliance to try to speed this up). Every few hours I once again use my hands and just flip the cabbage around a few times to make sure all the cabbage stays moist. Each time you go back you'll notice the puddle at the bottom is growing larger.
- Now it's time to pack your jar. Place a handful of your cabbage slices in the jar and push down using a hard tool (like a wooden spoon etc.) Push , push and keep pushing. You need to get all the air pushed out. After you have that handful pushed down well add another handful and keep pushing. Repeat this continually until you get about 2" away from the top of the jar. (One jar will usually always hold the whole head if you have pushed enough to remove all air). After all the air is out you will see some more of the brine has been released from the cabbage in your jar. If the liquid level is already over the top of your cabbage... Great! If not, pour some of the juice in your bowl in the jar. If you don't have enough still to cover the cabbage you will need to make a brine (I'll put those instructions below)
- Be sure the liquid level now is over your cabbage slices. If so, you need to add some weight at the top of the jar (within those 2") to keep your cabbage below liquid level at all times. Anything below liquid will ferment. Anything above will usually wither and turn black. So as a weight, if you have a glass weight use it. If not, take those discarded cabbage cores and wilted leaves from step one. Put the cores in and cover as much of the top of your jar as possible. Push them down gently because next you add the wilted leaves to keep those cores in place. Now add one thin layer of waxed paper over the top of the jar and screw on the lid handtight. Do not force the lid tight. Place your jar in a small bowl or a plate (sometimes as it ferments the jar will leak over the jar rim). This is normal also. Again set that jar on a countertop so it can start its fermenting, again not in the heat or sunlight.
- Once a day now everyday, release the lid and just let any trapped air in the jar to be able to come out. You won't see or feel anything. Just remove the lid and put it back on.
- Continue this for four days to up to 2-3 weeks. ( Usually after the first few days I only release my lid about twice a week). After four days, grab a few strands of kraut and see if it is sour enough to your liking. If so, remove the waxed paper, the wilted leaves, the cores and DISCARD. These were above the liquid level and they never should be used. If any kraut on the top of your jar pushed up and looks discolored or foamy skim that off and discard. As each day goes by the kraut will just keep getting more sour. So whether you wait four days or three weeks to eat there is no difference to them except the flavor itself. Once you have decided it tastes like you like it after the top portion is removed and discarded now place a regular lid on it and refrigerate.
- To Make a 2% Brine: if you need more juice to cover your kraut...
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon fine sea salt in 4 cups non-chlorinated water. Stir until all the salt is dissolved. If you don’t use all of the brine for this recipe, it will keep indefinitely in the fridge. Cover the exposed cabbage with brine, leaving 1/2″ of headspace at the top of your jar because it will swell some as it ferments .
That's all that is to it.
The one thing I did not explain above is the waxed paper between the lid and the cabbage. This is a type of fermenting so mason jars always use a metal lid. You do not want metal touching a ferment at any time. So I always seperate the two by placing waxed paper between the lid and the actual food stuff so they do not contact each other and no metals leach into your food.
Once you try this a couple of times and find it works well start experimenting by adding other veges or spices. I also like to use red cabbage to make kraut also. Or you can combine the two in the same jar (it turns out more purple than the green.)
If you have any questions just ask.
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@Mary Linda Bittle This is an excellent article. It also works with carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and other vegetables.
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Ditto to everything everyone else said. I never use a brine for kraut - just chop the cabbage, salt it and work it in with my hands. One trick though, is to use about 1/4th cup of kraut juice from a previous batch, brine from fermented pickles, plain kombucha or whey. That cuts ferment time and protects against molds, because after you pack everything down you just pour it over the top. My kraut is usually ready in 10 days without the starter or 7 days with - of course, it improves over time... but, sometimes I like young, sweet/sour, fresh kraut and will put it in the fridge then to hold it at that stage longer.
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I have made kraut before but there isn't enough time in the day to accomplish everything I would like to (or enough room in my kitchen for all my projects) so I buy my kraut from a local farmer in my area. Its absolutely delicious and I know where it is grown and fermented so the next best thing to my own. So my comments are on the types that she makes. Once you get your recipe to where you want it and are ready to start experimenting try some of these flavours.
Russian Red - Made with Red Russian Garlic and Red Cabbage
Double Dill - This one is one of my favourites
Bavarian Horseradish - With a bit of a kick
Ragged Jack - Also a favourite, this one has small pieces of kale in the mix.
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We made ours just like everyone else suggested, but we let ours age more like a month. We found the longer it sat the sweeter it seemed to get. We did have to add some water to keep it submerged and we used a 1 gallon glass dill pickle jar, which didn’t impart any dill flavor. Man was it good! After eating a good portion of the gallon myself, I am not pleased with any store bought versions.
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Thank you so much for all your encouragement and advice! I have to admit that I'm a little scared I'll create some crazy poison. The one thing that I did not do was add brine, and I probably should have to completely cover the cabbage. I did get some glass weights, and used one.
Here's a question - how important is room temperature? I tend not to use the window air conditioner in the summer, just a window fan if I can tolerate it. So in the summer, the house is considered hot by many of my friends. At 80 degrees inside, I will turn on the air for a while. And in the winter, I keep it about 68 degrees since I'd rather bundle up than run the heat. I wondered if my jar got too hot this summer? And if I will have any luck now that the kitchen is cooler...
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A few things do come up here, yes? Grey matter at the top? Metal touching? Problems can arise...thank God there r answers out there!
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@Mary Linda Bittle brine is only as important as you will reduce your losses at the top of the jar. All you have to remember is anything below the water line should remain totally safe. Anything above, throw it out anyway. It may be good but why risk it?
If you use the wait and allow it to make its own brine method you may find at first you don't have enough brine. Usually within the first 12 hours of jarring you will notice the juice level is going up and you didn't do anything to help it. But if you have a long way to get to the top you need to add something. Some people just use water, some use fresh kombucha or kefir. Others make the brine.
As for temperatures, yes you can still make it in the winter. My house is proof of that. My description is like yours in the winter. Who needs heat when you can just add another layer of clothes. I hate "canned" heat blowing all over me anyway. So the other difference is go ahead and prepare it as per directions above just know it is going to take longer to ferment. Lots of people say once you want it to stop fermenting you put it in the refrigerator. That is incorrect. It does not stop...it just slows down. So make it but don't worry about checking it so often.
Mine, I usually like my flavor at about 5-6 days in the Summer (no air conditioning in my house). In the winter though, that is usually during the 2-3 week timeframe until it reaches that stage of flavor.
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@greyfurball thank you so much for the detailed instructions and the encouragement! I will give it another try soon, and let you know how it goes.
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I make kimchi the same way. My daughters love it but don't care much for sauerkraut. I was apprehensive the first couple times I made it as well. Now we ferment all kinds of things. Two summers ago someone gave me a ton of tomatillos so we made large jars of fermented salsa. It was so good we put it on everything.
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