Does anyone here make sauerkraut?

[MEmama]

Yesterday I came home with a ginormous head of leafy cabbage from my CSA. I'm looking for new ways to prepare or, preferably, put up some of the greens I get each week. It was suggested that I make a quick kraut using salt and raw apple cider vinegar. I made enough for several servings, and then packed the rest into a mason jar. The cabbage is fully submerged with liquid, and I have cheesecloth covering the mouth of the jar.

 

This morning I'm reading conflicting information about whether using the vinegar is a good idea (if unnecessary) or not.

 

What say the Hive's food preservationists? Any other kraut making tips you'd like to share?

[xixstar]

I have never added vinegar to mine but perhaps it is just a variation. :)

[momacacia]

I've always used Caldwell's fermented vegetables starter. My M I L tries to do it the old-fashioned way with salt, but I'm not sure it ever comes out correctly for her.

[Cottonwood]

I've been making kraut for 2 yrs with just salt and cabbage. The surface of the cabbage has more than enough microbes to start the process. Mine comes out really good every time. However, mine isn't quick kraut. I let it go 6 weeks. Maybe the vinegar is used because its the 'quick' kind.

[MEmama]

I've been making kraut for 2 yrs with just salt and cabbage. The surface of the cabbage has more than enough microbes to start the process. Mine comes out really good every time. However, mine isn't quick kraut. I let it go 6 weeks. Maybe the vinegar is used because its the 'quick' kind.

Thanks. I think you are right about the vinegar, but since I had so much left over I figured I'd try to properly ferment the remainder. I can't see why the vinegar would hurt (it is raw so it should have microbes too, right?), but this my first experiment with kraut and I don't want a moldy mess/ to kill anyone. Lol. Or more likely, just have it not work.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I've made fermented kraut, too, with just salt, no vinegar.

 

[Cottonwood]

Thanks. I think you are right about the vinegar, but since I had so much left over I figured I'd try to properly ferment the remainder. I can't see why the vinegar would hurt (it is raw so it should have microbes too, right?), but this my first experiment with kraut and I don't want a moldy mess/ to kill anyone. Lol. Or more likely, just have it not work.

I'm not sure if the vinegar will help or hurt, even being raw, but the thing I love about fermentation (I ferment a lot of different things) is that it's an experiment! So try it out...see how you like it. Or..see if it ruins it. Just do a little and go from there.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We make it.  We don't use vinegar.  We have a large kraut pot.  We shred up the cabbage and put salt on it and then pound it with a wooden spoon handle until it starts to release enough water to cover the cabbage.  We cover it with a special stone thing it came with and then we put the lid on.  You fill the area around the lid with water and keep it filled with water.  That seals it off.  Sometimes we add a bottle of Kava to the kraut.  Sometimes we don't add that.  I prefer it without.  We add a few juniper berries, cloves, and bay leaves too.  We let it rot there for months.  The longer it rots the better it tastes in my opinion.  We do it certain times of year when it's not too hot or too cold.  It makes a ton all at once.  I bag it up and freeze it. 

 

 

[Cottonwood]

We make it. We don't use vinegar. We have a large kraut pot. We shred up the cabbage and put salt on it and then pound it with a wooden spoon handle until it starts to release enough water to cover the cabbage. We cover it with a special stone thing it came with and then we put the lid on. You fill the area around the lid with water and keep it filled with water. That seals it off. Sometimes we add a bottle of Kava to the kraut. Sometimes we don't add that. I prefer it without. We add a few juniper berries, cloves, and bay leaves too. We let it rot there for months. The longer it rots the better it tastes in my opinion. We do it certain times of year when it's not too hot or too cold. It makes a ton all at once. I bag it up and freeze it.

I wasn't gonna mention the kraut crock thing...only because there seems to be controversy about it v/s Mason jars. But...it does need to be anaerobic as it ferments to keep mild completely at bay. I use the exact method you describe. The 5 gallon one.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wasn't gonna mention the kraut crock thing...only because there seems to be controversy about it v/s Mason jars. But...it does need to be anaerobic as it ferments to keep mild completely at bay. I use the exact method you describe. The 5 gallon one.

 

I think we have a 15 liter one. 

 

Never had any problems with it.  I've never tried the quick mason jar method, but I suspect the flavor would not be as complex.  Granted it is much faster though.  I've heard of using whey with that version.

[Closeacademy]

I do the crock method as well and follow the directions in the Ball book.  I shred the cabbage and layer it with salt in the crock.  I cover that with cheesecloth and then put a plate on top of that and weigh it down until water shows up at the edges.  I let it sit there for a couple of weeks but check it every day for mold or scum which I clean off.

 

The longer you let it go, the more sour it will be.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Actually I find it to not get more sour with age.  It seems to develop a more complex flavor.

 

Different batches do come out differently though.  Some I haven't liked at all.  Some were so amazing I wished I could know exactly why it came out so good.

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh and don't go too crazy with the salt.  We did that once and it was so awful we had to throw it out. 

 

 

[MEmama]

Normally I wouldn't have used vinegar, I was just trying to do something with the extra quick kraut I had already made. I think what I'm doing to it is pickling it rather than fermenting it. No idea if that's safe to keep at room temperature or not, but it still smells good. Maybe I'll get another head next week and can try a more traditional method.

 

If you freeze it after fermenting, what happens to the texture? Does freezing harm the beneficial microbes the same way heating does? I'd never heard of storing kraut that way. Are there benefits to freezing over just leaving it in the crock or jarring it up?

[Snickerdoodle]