Fermented Saurkraut?

[Iceblink]

Does anybody here make their own saurkraut? I especially love polish kraut, it is so earthy and mellow with a deep brown richness.

I have read what little I can find on making it at home, and it seems there are 2 ways, straight up canned and fermented. I think maybe the fermentation adds the extra flavor?

If you do make it, does it stink your house up? What supplies do you use? Do you add carrots, and if so at the beginning or later on in the process?

And of course I would love recipes.

 

[punkin]

I don't know anything about making polish kraut.

My dad, who is 83, makes the best "white" kraut.

This is what he does:

Chop up cabbage and pack in jar (qrt. or pint)
Pour 1 tsp. salt on top (less for pint jar)
Fill with water to cover
Tighten hand tight
Put in cool dark place for about 2 months.

He doesn't go by signs or anything. When the cabbage comes in, he makes kraut.

It does tend to smell some as it "works". I don't think I would place it under my bed.

 

[sylvie]

Great questions!
Americans don't eat enough fermented products like we used to.

I want to make raw fermented sauerkraut this year, too. I tried it once in a new crock but it went bad and I don't know what I did wrong or if my directions were faulty.

Doesn't it give off gases that would cause a closed container to rupture during fermentation?

 

[ams3651]

you need a large crock which can be hard to find and expensive. I dont know if anyone uses anything else, our crock has been in the family for generations. You also need a stomper. you need to shave the cabbage thin and put a layer in the bottom, add salt and caraway seed if you like and stomp. Repeat till within maybe a few inches of the top. Weight it down, we use a turned over plate and something heavy on top. Put it in a dark place and cover with a dish towel. Check it occasionally as you may have to take off some of the water. Should take 4 - 6 weeks, taste it to see if its sour enough for you.

Ive seen this made so many times since I was a child.....which is why I dont eat it I cant get past the rotten cabbage thing. My gram does can it after its done.

 

[freemotion]

I made some last fall in a gallon glass jar. I weighted it with a ziploc freezer bag filled with water, that kept the cabbage and carrots (shredded in the food processor) under the liquid. I used a sturdy potato masher as my stomper and did the stomping in a large stainless mixing bowl before transfering into the jar, packing it as I filled the jar. I added salt as I stomped, and a bit of whey to speed the process. This really brings up the juice.

I don't like sauerkraut at all, but after reading extensively about fermented foods, I wanted to give it a try. My digestive system is a mess and I have many food allergies and intolerances. Cabbage was one of my worst ones.

I can eat my own sauerkraut.

I would never can or cook it, as the fullest health benefits come from the lactofermentation. Like yogurt, the beneficial bacteria will be killed by cooking. I eat a small amount as a condiment. I want to get into the habit of eating something fermented every day.

So I will be planting cabbages this year!

I gave some to my folks, who love sauerkraut. Apparently I put it into the fridge too early. Mom put it in the cool pantry for a couple more weeks or so and then said it was wonderful.

 

[poppycat]

You can also make it in a food grade plastic bucket. It's not the same as a crock, but it's definitely more economical.

I went on a fermentation kick a few years ago where I fermented just about every vegetable that came my way.

Basically you shred cabbage (ideally a variety that is especially suited for kraut) and layer it with canning salt in your container and then tamp the heck out of it until it is packed tight and submerged in it's own liquid. Weight it down with something ( I used an inverted dinner plate, some use a Ziplock filled with salt water.) Then let it sit in the dark for two weeks to a month. Every other day or so you have to skim off the scum that forms on top. You can start taste testing it after two weeks and then refrigerate or freeze when you want the fermentation to stop.

It doesn't stink up the whole house, but it isn't exactly odorless either. I cleared out a cabinet in the basement and kept all of my various ferments in there. The smell was contained to the cabinet.

 

[Iceblink]

Wow, thanks everybody, those are awesome ideas.

What kind of cabbage is especially suited for saurkraut?

Once it's done fermenting and you put it in the fridge, how long does it last?

I too love fermented foods, I would really love to try making kefir sometime. Has anyone made it? Maybe I'll have to start a seperate thread for that.

 

[me&thegals]

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 would like to try sauerkraut for fermented products, too. Haven't tried it yet. A really heavy, dense cabbage would seem to be the best variety for sauerkraut.

 

[freemotion]

Hmmm, maybe I won't invest in kefir grains after all....or I'll buy a small bottle of prepared kefir and see if I like it. But that is not even a good test, because I don't like yogurt, and I like the batches I made this week! So different from storebought, even the "good" stuff.

I've made a few fermented things so far, or cultured, and I think the sauerkraut is the best. The seed catalogs, like RHShumway, will say which varieties are best for kraut, best for storage, best for coleslaw, etc. I made my kraut this fall from the two biggest cabbages from my favorite farmstand and it is still going strong in the fridge. I think I made it in late October or early November, because that farmstand closes on Oct 31. So four months now. I made two gallons and transferred it into quart canning jars for easier storage in the fridge. If you have a good root cellar, I don't think you have to refrigerate it. But check on that, I am not experienced.

I plan to add cabbage to my garden this year, for kraut and the rootcellar.

 

[keljonma]

Reader's Digest's book Back To Basics has a section on making sauerkraut. It is similar to the way my grandmother and grandfather made it.

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.