[capozzoli]

Xmas and New Year is coming up quick folks.

Dont get caught without homemade sauerkraut!!!

For this batch I used: about 10 -15 lbs of cabbage, six granny smith apples, bay leaves, caraway seeds, juniper berrie and kosher salt.



Peel and slice the abbles and slice the cabbage as well. then start adding the cabbage to the crock with a few of the sliced apples some of the spices and a good amount of the kosher salt. Mix it well so that the shredded cabbage is well coated with salt. Then pack it down well with a meat hammer or some other heavey kitchen tool.





Repeat this step in layers until you have done all of the ingredients.Then pound it and push the cabbage to the middle as you go. The cabbage will start to wilt and begin to yield juice.





Then with your fist continue to punch, push and pack the cabbage down until the cabbage is submerged under the juice.



Then put a plate n top to hold it all down. I put a pot of water on there to help hold it under as well.

You can also use a a gallon container filled with water or a cleaned rock.
I keep it on the counter this way for a week or so until fermentation begins. Then I rempve the weight cover it with a towel and move the crock to the basement or closet.

[Thirsty_Monk]

Apples???

[capozzoli]

Oh yeah. Ya have to try it that way. The apples actually make it more sour.

Sometimes I put carrots and celery in there too.

[beerocd]

Is cabbage cabbage - or is there a specific type for pickling?

-OCD

[capozzoli]

Good question.

And yes there is a best kind of cabbage. Around here it is called winter cabbage. I get them from the Amish. They are only available from late fall to early winter.

They are usually huge too. The ones in the pictures are small in comparison to the average size I usually get.

The heads should be sound, heavy and dense.

If you try to use just any cabbage they dont seem to yield enough brine when you salt and pack it.

 

[capozzoli]

OK, its late season cabbage that you want. Cause it has more moisture. Also early season cabbage usually does not have enough sugar to produce a good fermentation.

[bluesman]

Capp - I just picked up 4 huge heads of cabbage. Probably about 20+ pounds. Now I need to find a crock.

[capozzoli]

They are giant this year. Was it all the rain?

Tasty too.

I was gonna save some and post a recipe for Slatka Kapusta too but use it all in the crock.

Try using a fermentation bucket. Any food grade container will work really, provided it can withstand the force of you compressing the kraut.

[capozzoli]

Checking the Kraut.



I noticed that if you set it to ferment in cooler temperatures it doesn't create those "farty" smells associated with fermenting sauerkraut. It has been about 65 in my basement. I have done it up stairs and in the warmer months. It gives off some smelly gas at warmer temps for sure. The stuff in the basement now has a nice lite sauerkraut smell.

I am planning on having this kraut ready for Christmas. It is doing nicely and it should be ready by then.

[babalu87]

ROFL

The Huggies in the background are soooooo appropriate to this thread 

I have got to try this over the weekend.

[bluesman]

ROFL

The Huggies in the background are soooooo appropriate to this thread 

I have got to try this over the weekend.

If your suggesting wearing some huggies while making your kraut...well it's time to retire. 

[bluesman]

I'm a little late for the holidays...but you know the old saying..."better late than never".

I prepared the kraut for fermentation yesterday.



sliced the cabbage thin



used a food grade 5 gallon bucket and smashed the cabbage with the wood



ready for fermentation.

I just used kosher salt for this batch.

Next time I'll try some spices. 

[capozzoli]

My wife likes the cabbage sliced fine. I prefer it sliced wide because after a whikle of fermenting it still has a little bite to it instead of being completely wilted.

One of the things I like to make with it is Bigos. It is saurkraut stew with smoked meat and game. I try to muster up some venison and some wid pig to put in it as well as klobasa. After the thicker cut kraut cooks for a while it will still have body.

We do Bigos just after Christmas so I will post some pics and a recipe.

[Jeff Renner]

Since I'm finally getting active on this forum, I'm going over some old posts that are of interest, and this is one of them.

Those are great photos and clear instructions.  I made kraut this fall as well and have a few things to add, even though it might be a little late to find good cabbage.  I got big heads of organic cabbage from the grower at the Ann Arbor Farmers market.

First, the correct amount of salt is important.  Most recipes call for salt by volume (3-4 Tbs/5 lbs cabbage).  Salt varies all over the place in density.  It took a bit of digging to find it by weight - 2.25-2.5% by weight.  (I love the interwebs.)  I used Trader Joe's sea salt (Spanish).

I used a 2 mm slicer glade on my Cuisinart.  Much faster than slicing by hand.  (BTW, just use the white leaves, the outer thin green ones don't make good kraut.)  Since I'm of traditional German ancestry, I didn't add anything other than cabbage and salt.

Here's a trick that I find easier than weighing down the fermenting cabbage with a plate and weight to keep it all under the liquid.  I fill a clean plastic trash bag with water, put it in another clean trash bag (in case of leaks), and put it in the bucket on top of the fermenting kraut.  The brine seeps up the sides around the bag and the kraut is always under the brine.  Back in the old days (early 70's) when I used a plate and weight, we got some pink cabbage on top which we had to toss.

I fermented in the cellar in the lower 60s F, which made for a slower fermentation without strong smells.  I now have a wonderfully flavored, fairly mild, crunchy kraut.  I just keep the bag on top when I'm not getting some out to eat.  Even after it's finished, air can still cause problems.  I suppose at some point I'll transfer it to Ziplocs and keep it in the fridge for convenience.

Jeff

[bluesman]

My kraut will be ready very soon. I didn't weigh out the cabbage and salt, but probably should have. It is fermenting in my cellar at about 60F. This is my first ever attempt so it should be a learning experience. I'll let you know how it turns out.