Fermented Saurkraut?

[sylvie]

Made in the harvest before frost, it sat in the root cellar in the large crocks until New Years Day, when we ate the first batch. We ate lots of it all winter long. Sauerkraut soup is a family favorite.

That soup sounds very appealing! In your opinion is it better with newly made sauerkraut or longer fermented? Would it work with a can of store sauerkraut until I make the good stuff later this year?

 

[sylvie]

I just got to "babysit" my sister's kefir grains while she was out of the country So, I made my first batch. It was awful. I could barely gag down the smoothie I had put it in. So, I don't think I'm a good source of info on kefir Gotta find out if I did it right or wrong. It's very simple--soak the grains in milk for 24-48 hours. Drain. Repeat. Drain and keep the drained liquid this time. Hmm....

I have been reading about Kefir and it needs to be jostled several times a day. Some hang the container in a doorway so it must be moved to pass, assuring the movement of the grains. It distributes the microbes and yeast.
I'm eager to try making it, looking for the grains.

 

[keljonma]

Made in the harvest before frost, it sat in the root cellar in the large crocks until New Years Day, when we ate the first batch. We ate lots of it all winter long. Sauerkraut soup is a family favorite.

That soup sounds very appealing! In your opinion is it better with newly made sauerkraut or longer fermented? Would it work with a can of store sauerkraut until I make the good stuff later this year?

Yes, sauerkraut soup can be made with any sauerkraut; we ate it all winter long at my grandmothers. I personally dont like the sauerkraut in a metal can, as I think it has a metallic taste compared to homemade. Our family makes sauerkraut soup two ways. The first was the leftovers from Choucroute Garnie and the second is my grandmother's soup recipe.

 

[BeccaOH]

I'm just now finding this post since I bought 3 heads of local cabbage this weekend. I'd like to try homemade sauerkraut. I do have an old crock I could use. Now to find the time to shred.

Can I use natural salt with minerals or does it have to be canning salt?

 

[freemotion]

I use good sea salt in most things I make that the salt will be staying in. It has minerals in it, and that will look like there is a little bit of fine dirt in the finished product. I have cheese I made with this salt. I know that it is not dirt, so it is just fine with me.

Go for it!

 

[big brown horse]

I used seasalt too, make sure it is not iodized though.

I didn't use a food processor because I dont own one. I just sliced up two cabbage heads (one white, one red) and a couple of carrots. I used my wooden meat mallet to mash each quater head up (after it was sliced thin) and added a few shakes of coarse sea salt to each layer and mashed it up.

The first batch didn't produce enough liquid and there fore molded throughout. The second batch I added a seasalt brine to cover up to the top of the cabbage.

(I also threw in some caraway seeds.)

Then I did what freemotion did and put a plate over the kraut and weighed it down with a freezer bag filled with a gallon or so of water to really weigh it down.

Every few days, you can skim off the foamy stuff off the top during the process. (I think it is supposed to be good for you though too.)

Oh, yeah, expect a foul odor. My daughter calls fermentation "farting" now.

Now we all enjoy a bright pink serving of delicious sauerkraut with each dinner meal. It was worth it.

Don't can it or you kill the bacteria, it will stay in the fridge for up to 3 months.

NEXT TIME I'M ADDING THE WHEY!! THANKS FOR THE TIP FREEMOTION!!

 

[freemotion]

You need quite a bit of salt, so set the shaker aside and use a spoon or your fingers and spread it liberally!

If the sea salt is white and can be used in a shaker in the summer's damp days, it is really no better than other salts. The good stuff clumps up and is a bit damp feeling, and is colored by the minerals in it, grey, reddish, beige, etc. I keep a couple of tablespoons of it in a small wooden bowl with a small sea shell as a scoop, but I use my fingers to sprinkle it, mostly. The rest of the package lives in a very tightly closed jar.

Real Salt and Celtic salt are two good brands. I'm sure there are others, but those are the two I can get around here.

 

[big brown horse]

You need quite a bit of salt, so set the shaker aside and use a spoon or your fingers and spread it liberally!

If the sea salt is white and can be used in a shaker in the summer's damp days, it is really no better than other salts. The good stuff clumps up and is a bit damp feeling, and is colored by the minerals in it, grey, reddish, beige, etc. I keep a couple of tablespoons of it in a small wooden bowl with a small sea shell as a scoop, but I use my fingers to sprinkle it, mostly. The rest of the package lives in a very tightly closed jar.

Real Salt and Celtic salt are two good brands. I'm sure there are others, but those are the two I can get around here.

Thanks for that info! I will look for that salt for sure. I was wondering why my Baleine Coarse Sea Salt didn't leave that "dirt" looking stuff you were talking about! (I used about 3 tablespoons of salt.)

 

[freemotion]

Oh, and I skipped the plate and just used the water-filled ziploc. This way you can really seal out all the air, so mold cannot form.

 

[ORChick]

If you ever decide that you want to spend the money on a crock for your fermenting I highly recommend the Harsch crocks. They are expensive - all crocks are expensive - but they have a water seal that keeps the air out, so you don't have much in the way of "stuff" to be skimmed off the top of the kraut. And the smell is pretty much contained as well. I chose the 10 liter crock, because it is only a few dollars more than the next size down, but isn't too big to carry. My sauerkraut started in October last year is still good, though no longer so crisp. It was in the crock until last month, and the remainder is now in a glass jar in the 'fridge. Not heat treated at all. I have never been very fond of sauerkraut, but like some others here I have been trying to eat more fermented foods for health reasons. The 'kraut I made was actually pretty good; I put juniper berries in instead of caraway - tasted good, but I will use fewer next time.

http://www.wisementrading.com/foodpreserving/harsch_crocks.htm