1st Batch Of Sauerkraut

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:)Actually now Im thinking starting with a gallon glass jar since Ive never made it before. Doubt anyone here likes it as much as I do so that should be enough.
 
Well, I came to this forum to post my sauerkraut recipe, but after reading this thread it seems everyone has a recipe. So, thought I would just post a few observations I've made over the years of making sauerkraut. Use what you like, ignore the rest.
1. Temperature is critical to the finished product and fermentation time required.
70-75 degrees -ideal temp -fully fermented in in 3-4 weeks
60-65 degrees -acceptable but may take up to 6 weeks
Below 60 degrees - probably will not ferment
Above 75 degrees - kraut will be soft and mushy and/or spoil
2. Only use a stone crock, glass or food grade plastic for fermenting (you can sterilize a plastic container by washing with bleach/water solution. Rinse throughly)
3. Weight on top of cabbage
a. Some people use a plate and jars of water or stone to keep cabbage submerged. However, this leaves the cabbage exposed to air and scum will form which must be removed daily.
b. I prefer to seal the top of crock by placing a plastic bag filled with a water/salt solution on top. With the surface sealed from open air the scum should not appear and you do not disturb the crock until fermentation is completed (stops bubbling).
4. Know the danger signs
Do not eat if you see mold on the surface, has a slimy texture or has a bad odor (not the normal kraut odor).
Ref: Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

After all this, I must confess my last batch was a dismal failure...mush. :mad: (temp was too high in heated room)
 
Dad's recipe for homemade sauerkraut was simple. Go over to John 's and buy a #$% load of cabbage. That was always an interesting scenario. John would try to give Dad the cabbage and Dad would try to pay for it. John was a pretty generous farmer and a life-long friend of Dad's. One of his better moments occurred when John, his brother Wally and his brother-in-law Clyde were walking down a trail to start a drive one day in deer season well over 50 years ago. A large buck was laying beside the trail and it jumped up as they approached. The buck was ambling down the trail away from them and John said to Wally, "Look at that buck!" Wally replied, "Yeah, Ain't he a dandy?" All the while stepping in front of Clyde who was desperately trying to get a shot. He finally got the .35 Remington past the brothers and proceeded to bail lead at the buck. As Clyde said, "When that first bullet went past his ear he kicked it into high gear and didn't let up." Needless to say they didn't get the buck. But that is a story for another time. With the sauerkraut the idea was for Frank to have his younger son pound the *&^@ out of the shredded cabbage with a 38 ounce Hillrich and Bradsby Louisville Slugger until it was sufficiently compressed. All the while he added salt and complained that his younger son was doing it all wrong. Ah those were the days. I still have the smaller crock and I think my sister has the cabbage shredder. One of these days I might actually try making sauerkraut. Around Michelmas Day is when it should be made. I'll just have to find an American ash baseball bat.
 
kraut story

What a wonderful story and I look forward to more. There are so many great family stories around food. Perhaps we should start a thread or is there one already going about food stories. I have a great one about brunswick stew, and another about fried apple pies. Does anyone know if there's such a thread?
 
I made (2) 1 gallon zip lock bags of saurkraut right after St. Pat's day, and last night I canned what was left in pint jars in a hot water bath. ping ping ping!
I've made red cabbage into saurkraut that tasted wonderful and looked beautiful, then I pressure canned it, it turned into GRAY MUSH--don't do that! :ermm: ~Bliss
 
Hi y'all, been awhile since I have been on here but got caught up on this thread. I still have the gallon jar of kraut that I made in the fridge and it turned out wonderful. I have been using it to make my favorite sammich, the rueben. Thank you so much for your help. I definantly didn't can it, I just get some from the jar whenever I want some.

Jim
 
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