Home Made Sauerkraut

DieselkW

Rons Recent Reuben Report got me thinking of how most Americans experience sauerkraut. (yes, intentional alliteration)
I love a good Reuben. The only change I would make, and it's easier than you might think, make your own sauerkraut.

Like tuna, once you have the "real" thing, the kraut you buy in the store is just a weak over-processed food like substance.

Just cut a cabbage into thin ribbons, add some kosher salt and optional caraway seeds, and pack it all tightly in a jar covered with cheesecloth to keep bugs out and let it breathe. (I say "just", but it takes some time and you have to clean up a lot of cabbage particles that didn't make it to the mixing bowl, not to mention the core, which is fought over for who gets to eat it, tastes like radish to me.)

Set it on a counter away from direct sunlight. In about a day or two the salt will pull the liquid out of the cabbage and it will start to float if you haven't prepared to keep it mashed down. You have to keep all of it under the liquid level or it will grow mold - I use an outer leaf of cabbage held down by a (clean) narrow jar full of rocks that fits in the jar opening, then lay the cheesecloth back over the top. I do this right away, old wives tale says wait for it to float.

Two, maybe 3 days later you'll see bubbles gathering... it's fermenting. Naturally occurring Lactobacillus is thriving in the warm salty water. Nothing that can hurt you can live in that wet environment, which is why you have to keep the water level over the top of the kraut, even if you have to add some salt water to the jar. (Not too much, the natural cabbage juice is best)

7 days will make sauerkraut that is crunchy, flavorful, and loaded with pro-biotics. Refrigerate whatever portion you want to stop fermenting. We eat it cold, but of course it can be cooked. If you're buying pro-biotics now, I am offering you a 30 day supply for 49¢/lb. that you can culture on your kitchen counter.

Anything you leave on the counter will simply continue fermenting, getting more "sour". I like it best around the ten day mark. I set some aside to refrigerate and use as the "mother" to kickstart the next batch.

I'll watch this thread and be back to answer any questions.

Prepare:
Clean jar. Don't skip this step - you have to give the "good" bugs every possible chance, and you don't want "bad" bugs to muck up your fermented vegetables - start with a very clean jar.

Clean mixing bowl. When I add the cabbage and salt I mix it all together and use my fists to bruise the cabbage, it gets the water released a little quicker that way. (Clean hands!)

It's a little bit of work for a lot of benefit. If you like store bought kraut, you're going to love this stuff.

NonaScott

I just recently had some homemade kraut that was given to my mom by a friend. You are right. It is absolutely delicious. Way better than any store bought. Do you have guess to the ratio of salt to cabbage you use? I definetly am going to do this.

Webass

We make our own sauerkraut almost exactly the way you've described, with no caraway seeds.  We visit one of the local farms here in E. Tenn in early summer and buy fresh cabbage, 6-8 large heads, usually harvested that day or day before. 

Slicing's the laborious step and we've eased it by cutting the heads into quarters and using a mandolin. We use a butter churn that's been in wife's family for many years and keep it in the cool basement.  When fermenting is complete we prepare it in quart jars using the regular canning process.  The churn usually provides 18-20 quarts which we keep in the basement.  We eat it and share with family and friends.  We also do tomatoes bought at the farm and hot banana and jalapeno peppers we grow ourselves.  

You're spot on.  After eating homemade kraut you'll never go back to store bought. 

  

DieselkW

NonaScott said:

Do you have guess to the ratio of salt to cabbage you use? I definetly am going to do this.

For a head of cabbage, I use about 4 tablespoons of salt, in batches. A quarter of a cabbage, a tablespoon of salt... mix, put that in the jar. Then another quarter of cabbage, another tablespoon...

If you're low sodium, you can use less salt, it just takes longer to draw out the cabbage juice.

HeavyG

I make sauerkraut all the time.

However, I'm one that prefers to have more "sauer" so I don't even look at it for about three weeks.

Also, I place mine on the floor out of the way somewhere so it is a bit cooler than it would be at counter height.

I have a couple of those nice German style ceramic fermentation crocks but I have come to prefer these Korean fermentation containers - http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Korean-Cooking-Sauerkraut-Fermentation/dp/B00M40ANMO?ie=UTF8&keywords=sauerkraut%20crock&qid=1462371274&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

Also, I'm not Rocky so I don't pound my cabbage by hand. I use a big rolling pin/dowel - http://www.amazon.com/J-K-Adams-19-Inch-2-Inch-Rolling/dp/B000IYYG26?ie=UTF8&keywords=wood%20rolling%20pin&qid=1462371711&ref_=sr_1_8&sr=8-8


Over the years I've tried a few different kraut recipes with various added ingredients but I still prefer (and mostly make) just plain straight up cabbage kraut.  Good stuff!!

HeavyG

DieselkW said:

NonaScott said:

Do you have guess to the ratio of salt to cabbage you use? I definetly am going to do this.

For a head of cabbage, I use about 4 tablespoons of salt, in batches. A quarter of a cabbage, a tablespoon of salt... mix, put that in the jar. Then another quarter of cabbage, another tablespoon...

If you're low sodium, you can use less salt, it just takes longer to draw out the cabbage juice.

That's an awful lot of salt. You must be using one of those giant Alaskan grown cabbages.

I only use about 3 tablespoons per 5 pounds of cabbage which usually works out to about 3-4 heads after cleaning/coring. I always weigh the prepped cabbage to try and get/keep that ratio right.

Of course that can vary quite a bit as the size/moisture content of a cabbage head can vary quite a bit.

I also go ahead and make some brine beforehand as I don't always get cabbages that have enough moisture content after pounding them out to have all the cabbage under liquid.

Here's a link to a page with someone regarding the amount of salt for kraut and making brine - http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/safe-methods/sauerkraut

DieselkW

Teaspoon, not tablespoon. my bad.

BizGreenEgg

Been making my own for years and I love it.  I'm a caraway seeds kind of guy though.  Only recommendation I would give is to not ferment on your counter.  It does produce some pretty funky aromas, so my wife makes me ferment in the garage.  And make sure it's kosher or canning salt.  Non of that iodized crap.

DieselkW

Started a new batch today, pictures or it didn't happen, right?

I think I'll take a picture or two every few days to show chronologically how cabbage becomes sauerkraut.

Of course, the order comes out wrong when I attach multiple pictures, so here is the filled jar, topped with a cabbage leaf, as viewed from the top:



And here is how much salt I put in with about half a cabbage:  You can see the edge of my trusty Kitchen-Aid mixer, which I find is the best way to shred cabbage to uniform size.Clean jar, clean everything. You gotta give those bugs the best possible chance to live and make more beneficial bugs. 

DieselkW

So, two heads of cabbage fit in this size jar if I tamp it down real tight.  This picture is one head, pressed down as tight as I could get it.




This is how one head looks before pressing it:

By tomorrow, maybe next day, I'll be able to see a fluid level.

bgebrent

Dislike sauerkraut.  Enjoy seeing you that like it!

DieselkW

I'm going away for the weekend, but here's this morning's fluid level:


Notice the bubbles already forming at the edges, it took less than 20 hours to get fermentation started, and to cover the top of the kraut with protective cabbage juice.

The green silicone is a quart water jar, filled with water, to keep some weight on the top so the kraut doesn't float above the water line.