[tschmidlin]

While at our best specialty grocer this past weekend, I did see some Jones Scrapple so I grabbed one.  The wife doesn't like it because she claims she once saw "pork face" on the list of ingredients.  I don't doubt it's in there; I doubt that it would be listed that way on the label.

It may have been listed as pig cheeks or pork cheeks.  They're supposed to be tasty, but I've never (knowingly ) had them.

[tschmidlin]

Dont forget the corn maze either or the late season cabbage for makin kraut. 

How often have you made kraut, and how much do you make at once?  I've read up on it, but haven't done it yet.

[capozzoli]

I make it every year at this time.Been doing that for the last seven or eight years or so.

I make it as soon as the Amish start selling the late cabbages.They are gigantic,and loaded with sugar. That is why late cabbages work best.They have lots of sugar and juice to aid in the fermentation.

I pack a fermenting bucket with cabbage, granny smith apples and kosher salt.

[tschmidlin]

I make it every year at this time.Been doing that for the last seven or eight years or so.

I make it as soon as the Amish start selling the late cabbages.They are gigantic,and loaded with sugar. That is why late cabbages work best.They have lots of sugar and juice to aid in the fermentation.

I pack a fermenting bucket with cabbage, granny smith apples and kosher salt.

Do you just have these pictures lying around, or did you make kraut last night?

I might have to try it this year.  I need to find a container to do it in, and a place to do it . . . I can't imagine my wife will want it in the house, she doesn't even want a jar in the fridge. 

[euge]

Is that a specialized bucket for kraut? One of my bro's has an old heavy duty ceramic one he uses to store his canes in. Comes up to my knee.

[tschmidlin]

I've got one that sounds just like that euge, about 5 or 7 gallons or so, ceramic.  My wife's grandfather used to make wine in it.  That container would hold a bit more kraut than I want though.

[capozzoli]

That is a pickling crock. The the two lips are for tying a rope around it to hold a cloth cover. Acts as a dust shield but lets it 'breath'. Pickling croks come in all different sizes some of them huge as do kraut crocks. Its not really made for sauerkraut they are a little different then these. You can tell the difference buy the lip. If it has a lip like above it is a pickling crock. If it has a channel about an inch wide and inch or so deep it is kraut crock. The kraut crocks go with a lid. The lid has a male lip that fits into the channel groove on top of the crock. The lid sits in the groove and then it is filled with water. The idea is that this creates a lock that lets gas out but does not let air in.

If your friend has a kraut crock they can be worth a LOT of money. If it still has the lid it will be worth even more.

Those picks are from a short run batch from last year I think. I can only get two or three heads in there. We usually make enough to last all winter and be able to give it away. I now fill a 7 gallon fermentation bucket. By the time it settles I end up with five- 6 gallons of kraut. It takes a month or so to be ready but gets only better if you leave it sit. I keep it in the basement and it does not smell that bad. After it is fermented completely it does not give off much gas. But if you want to you can wrap the bucket in a trash back and it will contain the odoriferous vapors.

If it lasts till after January we then vacuum pack or can what is left.  

Its easy to do.

[tygo]

What are the spices you have on the plate there.  Looks like maybe bay leaves, black peppercorns, and .

[capozzoli]

Bay leaf, caraway seeds and Juniper berries.

[tygo]

Nice.  That makes sense.  I may need to give that a try.

[redbeerman]

Living just south of Lancaster County and in an area where Amish farms abound, I have no reason to try to beat them at their own game, although my wife makes a killer potato filling.   What I enjoy the most is the abundance of fresh meat and poultry available, awesome is all I can say.

[tschmidlin]

Stopped by the farmer's market today and picked up a bunch of stuff, including some cabbage to make kraut.  I've got a little over 5 lbs of it going now in a 3-gallon plastic bucket I got from Tillamook creamery a few years ago for a dollar.   5 lbs is not that much in a bucket that size.  The recipe I used has onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, cumin seed, dill seed, and cloves.  I hope the recipe turns out ok . . .

I've got another cabbage to do some smaller batches and test out some other spices, including a faster one that has szechuan peppercorns, soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin.  Should be good.  I might do some kimchi too.

I'll also be fermenting some cucumbers, and doing some fridge pickles.  My wife likes beets and picked up a lot of them, so I'll probably pickle the ones she doesn't roast.

Here's the kraut . . . the liquid level is still rising, not quite where it needs to be yet.  The pics don't really show much, but here they are anyway.

[bluesman]

Yea...it's about that time to make some kraut again.  I need to pick up some cabbage heads and prepare it...maybe next weekend.

Hey Tom...did you weigh your cabbage to salt additions?

For best results weigh the cabbage and the salt using a ratio of 40 pounds of cabbage to 1 (one) pound of salt.

Here's some tips I learned over the years.

This was taken from an online recipe but I certainly agree based on my experiences with kraut.

During the curing process, kraut requires daily attention. Remove scum as it forms and wash and scald the cloth often to keep it free from scum and mold and wipe the side of the crock. Fermentation will be complete in about three weeks. The kraut should be kept in a place where the temperature is in the mid 50s to low 60s. It needs just enough warmth to keep it working during the fermenting process. Yet not so hot that it will spoil.

Kraut works from the top down. To check to see if the kraut is ready wait about 2 weeks and dig down in the center of the kraut about 5 or 8 inches. Take a little out and taste it. The kraut should be firm but not crunchy and should have good kraut flavor. If it is not ready let it sit for a few more days and then taste it again.

The following is for canning the sauerkraut. As soon as kraut is thoroughly cured, pack into clean canning jars, adding enough of the kraut juice, or a weak brine made by dissolving 2 tablespoons salt to a quart of water, fill jars to with 1/2 inch of top of jar. Put on cap, screwing the band tight. Process in water bath for 15 minutes. This method cooks the kraut.

We use double bags (one bag inside of another) to pack the kraut in and then we put it in the freezer. When using this method to store the kraut you need to leave some space in the bags because the kraut will continue to ferment until it is frozen. (We learned this the hard way. Had Kraut spill out into the freezer. It really smelled.) By freezing the kraut it is fresh when taken out of the freezer and has not been cooked. I find that cooking the kraut with the pork chops on a low temperature for three hours it turns out the best. Kraut tastes good raw too.

It is not often that we add any sugar at the end of the cooking time but, sometimes if the kraut seems too sour we will add a little sugar.

The main thing is to measure your salt and weigh your cabbage. The ratio of 1 pound of salt to 40 pounds of cabbage is very important. To little salt will make the kraut spoil and to much salt will make the kraut to salty.

Hints: Weigh cabbage and salt to get the correct ratio. This is important. Keep in a temperature where the kraut will work yet not spoil. Check the kraut often and keep it clean. When the kraut is ready remove about the first inch of kraut from the top and throw it away. The top inch of the kraut usually is kind of soft. You may find that at some time during the fermenting process that there doesn't seem to be enough juice. Just add some plain water. Don't put any more salt in the kraut. The good thing about homemade kraut is that it does not have the preservatives that store bought kraut has.

[tschmidlin]

I weighed the cabbage, but measured the salt by volume.  I didn't do so much that I can dig down 5 or 6 inches, and removing the top inch or two would remove a lot of what I made.   If I'd used two or three times as much cabbage there would probably be enough liquid, but as it is I'm going to top it up with some brine.  I left it in the house overnight to kick off the fermentation, put I'm moving it to the garage tonight to finish.

[HydraulicSammich]

Hey, guys

You're making this kraut process way to complicated IMO.   I just bottled mine and it is perfect.  IMO, leave out the spice!  Traditionally, simple is best, add spice as per the dish.  Use the ambient heat to your advantage.  Stomping the kraut is of prime importance.  Get the juice, break the fiber.  Medium handful of salt, no iodine, per three or four nine inch heads of late cabbage.  Use Danish Bald etc. Use a kraut cutter.  You can find these at any second hand store or antique shop.   I go six weeks.  Clean it every week or two.  Just get off the scum.  I have never had to add water.  Some at canning if need be.  Use a weight on top.  It must have down pressure.  This keeps water on top and a place for the scum to live.  That is about as simple as you can get.  I prefer to cold pack as opposed to freeze.  You can always start another pot this time of year and just leave it through the winter at near freezing.  Again, I prefer it cold packed.  This allows twice cooking.  Personal preference.