mamabear, I use a stoneware crock but my Aunt uses a 5 gallon plastic yogurt bucket.

I don't think I'd have any where that I could put sauerkraut around St. Pat's where the temperature would be right for fermenting, everything would be too cold. It sure would be a great time of year, though, when cabbage is cheap and there isn't much else to deal with in the canning department.

Annie

Annie,
How cold do you keep your house? Yikes! Wouldn't it just take a little longer to ferment?
Melly

Melly, I'm a Michigan girl. My thermostat NEVER goes above 60, ever. My kitchen gets a lot warmer than that but not consistently, just when I'm baking and canning, and even my basement stays about 55, which is too cold for sauerkraut to ferment properly.

However, the real problem is room to keep the crock. The only place I can put it out of the way is the unheated garage or the unheated front porch, both of which will freeze water in the winter. Mid March in Michigan those rooms will never reach 60.

Annie

Annie,
The first apartment we lived in as newlyweds was in Maine. We didn't know enough to reject an apartment that had electric baseboard heaters. We had the downstairs set at 65 and the upstairs at 58. I had a three inch thick down comforter on the bed and sometimes I stayed in there a long time since it was the only place I could ever get warm. It was a bit of a miserable experience for me. They kept telling me my blood would thicken up, but I'm here to tell you, it didn't happen. When the lease was up that summer, we hightailed it to an apartment where the whole building was heated. Then, if it hadn't been for the dog, I wouldn't have left the building. But hey, during the summer, I'm not suffering quite as much as some other folks. I will admit to keep the a/c on 78 though.

Last year I used 25 lbs of cabbage for my kraut and did it all at once. If I start my crock today, can I add to it tomorrow? Is it possible to pound it too much?

Starting my buckets next week. I learned that kraut made from cabbage grown in black muck (black soil) is better and sweeter than the one made from regular cabbage. Since I live in a black muck area, that is the kind I will try. Never done it before, but I love saurkraut (and I am the only one that does around this house). Here is a cool trick I learned from a German friend. When she cooks hers, she adds cream soda to it, and some pineapples, it is amazing.

Marie

Shirley, I wouldn't hesitate to add cabbage to your crock today if you only started it yesterday. I think you CAN pound it too much, and mush up your cabbage threads, but you'd really have to be pounding on it to do that.

Annie

I forgot all about my saurkraut! And some dill pickles! Putting them in the garage was a bad idea...out of sight, out of mind.

I've never made saurkraut before, first off. It smells good/sour, the tiny bit I put on my tongue tasted good/sour. However, the plate that was under the weight had a creamy colored film on it...looks almost like disolved bread yeast, and while the color in the middle looks pretty (I used some red cabbage as well as green), the outer edges are simply green, as though the red just leached away. I don't even remember how many weeks it's been out there...but the last few weeks it has been pretty cold (I'm in California) but not cold enough to freeze my sodas that I keep out there.

Is this film normal?

I haven't had the heart to check the dill pickles yet. I'll do that this afternoon.

My first time viewing this thread. First off, I really liked Melly's sharing experience in the cold. I grew up in Minnesota and have experienced -30 many times. No way I could live there now. In fact Missouri is too cold for me & if win the lottery will move to Florida or Texas.

On topic...

rachelellen,

The creamy colored film is most likely kahm yeast and although tastes bad is harmless.

The smell and taste test indicates safe & sounds great from what I have read. Now don't take me for an expert as have only been lactic acid fermenting for a few months and am on only my second batch of sauerkraut.

I would like to hear about your recipe/method a bit more. The kahm can be avoided.

And I have some dill pickles that need checking too! They should be way past done.

I would like to know more about canning sauerkraut. Water bath or pressure processing? I expect that it loses it's crunch? It's just me now and would like to put up in 1/2 pint or pint jar after fermenting. I have a one gallon jar going now.

Certainly can identify with Minnesota - spent teen years there and earlier years in Dakota prarie country. Can't abide the cold any more, but especially the dark winter time and staying inside.

If you do win the lottery, you probably would like California better. Florida - nice in winter, humid in summer - but I liked the islands very much. My 2nd place to live after Calif., would be on a boat in Florida.

Anyway - about sauerkraut. I found a neat recipe for just 1 or 2 people - right here a few years ago. If I can recall it. I made quite a few pints last year, just the right size for my GD and myself, making one casserole for both of us.

I used my regular canning jars - wide mouth. Shredded the cabbage, and added 1 tsp salt, pressing the cabbage down hard in the jar. I used a regular canning cap and lid. Then set the jars in a plastic container - to catch drips. The covers should not be screwed down too tightly, as they will leak some.

These are then allowed to ferment (similar to what you have been doing) with encouraging the lactobacillus to perform it's wonders in a protected space - not completely sealed.

After several weeks, the juices will flow out a bit and bubbles appear in the jar - smelling good. From time to time, open up and taste test - I don't remember how long, but when I think it tastes right to me, I go ahead and process it.

Processing:

Sterilize pint jars and lids (you know how already).

Drain the kraut, bring the juice just to a boil. I taste the juice, and sometimes add a bit of white vinegar (my preference). Add the juice back to the kraut and heat just to boiling point - don't overcook.

Pack in jars and seal, process BWB 5 minutes. (just long enough to seal jars).

So that is how I did it - and although it tastes a bit more "cooked" than a raw sauerkraut that is left to linger in a cool celler, it keeps a long, long time that way, and is fine for making into casseroles.

For the one we like -

Peel some potatoes, slice, dot with butter and microwave until almost done.

Layer chopped onions, and sliced KIelbasa sausage on top.

Layer sauerkraut on top of sausage, top with Jack or other melting cheese.

Pop into microwave and heat until cheese melted.

Sounds a bit "German" and that is probably where I picked it up sometime in the far distant past (but they probably used an oven).

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Sauerkraut can be waterbath processed or frozen, John.

Rachel, a scum or film on sauerkraut is very common, most "recipes" will say to skim off the scum. If your sauerkraut smells good and tastes good, it's good. It's just fermented cabbage, after all. Grandpa used to just keep it in the basement in a crock all winter and never process it at all, it got eaten right out of the crock as needed.

In California the weather may be warm enough to spoil the kraut though, if you don't process, so I'd be freezing that kraut or canning it pretty shortly.

Annie

Bejay writes: > My 2nd place to live after Calif., would be on a boat in Florida.

And possibly rub shoulders with Randy Wayne White (one of my fav authors) His books alone would make one fall in love with Florida. Not a California person here. Texas 'Hill Country' would be my 2nd choice at this moment.

Bejay,

Your casserole recipe sounds like would make a great burrito.

So... a hot pack water bath would work. Depending on the pH I'll probably go with 5 or 10 minutes.

rachelellen,

How did your pickles turn out? Mine turned out wonderful beyond hope and expectation.

JohnT

JohnT, my extension service says 10 minutes for pints with a hot pack, 20 minutes for pints with a cold pack. Up that to 15 and 25 minutes for quarts.

Annie

Annie,

Thanks much! The 20 min cold pack could save me a lot of time. I've never cold packed before. Do I start with cold water in the canner, put the cold packed jars in, fill canner with cold water 1" over top of jar, heat to boiling and then start the 20 min? (I'll be doing pints)

JohnT

John, here are the instructions from my beloved Michigan State University. Water for raw or cold packed foods should be heated to 140 or so, then the food added and the water brought to boiling.

1. Fill the canner halfway with water.
2. Preheat water to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for
raw-packed foods and to 180 degrees Fahrenheit
for hot-packed foods.
3. Load filled jars, fitted with lids, into the
canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack
into the water; or fill the canner, one jar at a
time, with a jar lifter.
4. Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water
level is at least 1 inch above jar tops.
5. Turn heat to its highest position until water
boils vigorously.
6. Set a timer for the minutes required for
processing the food.
7. Cover with the canner lid and lower the heat
setting to maintain a gentle boil throughout the
process schedule.
8. Add more boiling water, if needed, to keep the
water level above the jars.
9. When jars have been boiled for the recommended
time, turn off the heat and remove the canner
lid.
10. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and place them
on a towel, leaving at least 1-inch spaces between
the jars during cooling.

Again, I could have retyped the whole thing but it's easier to copy and paste, as long as I give credit to the original source. :-)

This is where I get my canning instructions, my sauerkraut "recipe", lots of information about canning nearly anything. They are also the people who "approved" my salsa recipe, I love 'em.

Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: My favorite canning instruction website

jt -

"Randy Wayne White" favorite author - you say?? That is absolutely telepathic! I just finished reading one of his books "North of Havana" - which my son picked up somewhere.

We are quite familiar with the islands - my son was a fishing guide on Sanibel in the 1970's, before the "big real estate interests" ran over the islands. I worked at Cabbage Key as part of "the family" where everything had to be brought in by boat. Really fell in love with the place.

It was kind of fun reading the book and have old memories re-awakened. I also have a grandson there - his grandparents (other side) were one of the first families.

The islands took quite a beating during the hurricanes. They often wondered how those causurinas that lined the only exit road, might hinder things a bit - and indeed they did. A shame tho - they don't intend to replant them.

Been reading your posts with interest. Perhaps some of your drying of powders will help me next year - I just received my pepper seeds that I intend to play with using the dehydrator. Haven't planted yet, waiting for weather to warm up.

Bejay

Annie:

One question about cold pack sauerkraut - I'm assuming the juice is not boiled in a cold pack then - am I right?

However, it seems to me that bringing the drained juice to a boil, might stop any fermenting that might still be lingering (after sealing?).

But I agree a cold pack would probably maintain the kraut's crispness, and would be the preferred method from a taste point of view.

However, the longer processing time of 10 minutes for pints, may also cover any possibility of further fermentation.

It is curious to me that commercial "sauerkrauters" will keep sealed in-glass jars of kraut in the refrigeration department of grocery stores - along with cheeses, ham, sausages, etc. I've always wondered why ???

Bejay

Yes, Bejay, the heat will stop the fermentation of the kraut. However, if it's sufficiently fermented before canning, that's not a problem. The reason for canning the kraut rather than just keeping it in the crock is for long term storage, not further fermentation.

Frankly, I don't see a difference in the quality of kraut between hot pack and cold pack. I just dump the kraut and brine from my crock into the biggest pan I have, bring it to a boil and pack it. It's less trouble than draining off the brine, packing the cold kraut and then boiling the brine, IMO.

If you really want it crunchy, freeze it. I never have because my freezer space is reserved for beef, pork and chicken that I raise yearly, but I know other posters say it stays crunchier if frozen.

I think the refrigerator packed kraut is just like those refrigerated pickles. I haven't looked at the ingredient list but I'm betting there is either vinegar or some type of preservative that extends the shelf life. Of course, I could probably keep those 55 quarts of sauerkraut in my refrigerator, if it suited me, but there's more room in my basement for jars.

Annie

Whee - 55 quarts of kraut!

You know, though - here it is almost the middle of winter, and a lot of the things that I canned this summer have vanished. Never thought that 2- or sometimes 3 people could eat that much.

Next year, I need to preserve more fruit, more canned chicken, and dill pickles, also berry-type jams and jellies. They seem to "go off the shelf" faster. I thought it would be the tomatoes, but find the frozen work well.

Thanks for the heads-up on the sauerkraut - sometimes I wish we had a basement - hard to beat sauerkraut made that way.

Bejay

> It is curious to me that commercial "sauerkrauters" will keep sealed in-glass jars of kraut in the refrigeration department of grocery stores - along with cheeses, ham, sausages, etc. I've always wondered why ???

Bejay,

I believe it is to further develop flavor and aroma. In a cool place the acid forming activity stops and other processes take over. Don't know exactly what they are, but the idea is to not let the warm acid forming stage use up all the food. In this day and age you would think there would be much more exacting information about the how to and why parts. Which is why I document and test. Someday the info might be useful. I bought a special 45 compact fridge just for this 2nd stage.

One thing I do know... I lucked out and made a great tasting kraut my very first try in quart jars and am now doing a batch in a one gallon jar and just today put it into the 45° fridge for at least a month.

Annie writes: > Frankly, I don't see a difference in the quality of kraut between hot pack and cold pack. I just dump the kraut and brine from my crock into the biggest pan I have, bring it to a boil and pack it. It's less trouble than draining off the brine, packing the cold kraut and then boiling the brine, IMO.

Annie,

You have to boil the brine in a cold pack? I totally missed that. See my last post on the 24th.

JohnT

No, John, you don't. I just do it because I have this notion that at least heating the brine will cause the contents of the jar to be a bit warmer and thus can avoid thermal shock and jar breakage and maybe let the water come up to boiling a bit more quickly.

I've even packed everything into jars cold and put it into the pressure canner, to see if I can bring it to pressure, process for 15 minutes and then reduce the pressure and have it take less time. It doesn't.

There is no information to support this, it's just my theory. (grin)

Annie

My mom got me this crock and mom helped me with my first batch of SourKraut.. mom said to wait a certain amount of time which was almost 3 mths... but I must say mom lives in NJ and I live in FL.. BIG difference I might add... Well I figured I would check it today since it was due to be checked in 2 days... of course all this time I "HAVENT" opened this crock to check because mom said no to... LOL! well I have some pictures for someone to look at to tell me if this is BAD or maybe just skimming and tasting the "HOPE" to be sourkraut... or start over and test sooner... I really have "NO" instructions on how this is done and I LOVE Sourkraut... any help would be appreciated.

http://www.fullwaveradio.com/sourkraut/crock01.JPG

http://www.fullwaveradio.com/sourkraut/crock02.JPG

Hi

I hope you don't mind that I downsized your pictures to make it easier for those on dialup connections.

jt

nope that is fine.. figured the bigger the better to see..

Hi again,

I was hoping someone with more experience would answer as I've only used the crock a couple of times and did not have adequate instructions at the time so moved on to a different method of fermenting.

The first six illustrations may be of some help:

Fermentation

The first thirty illustrations may be of help:

Sauerkraut & Pickled Veggies

Assuming that your methodology was correct it looks like you have a harmless kahm yeast mold and probably a good ferment. I rely on a pH meter to tell me, but you probably don't have one.

Just want to clearly say that I am not qualified to say whether or not your ferment is safe or not. Sorry for all the unwanted pictures in the albums, but is so much easier to post an album link than to post code for the thirty-six illustrations that might be helpful.

jt

Thanks... still waiting to hear from anyone else.. but will check the other info out JT

Beejay, where do you keep your kraut for the fermenting time? We don't have a big fridge and the outside/garage temp reaches ~80 in the day here in FL and inside it's usually 75 (72 if my hubby from ME gets hold of the thermostat). I have secured a 5# pail and can easily get cabbage cheap but where to ferment is the Q.
-Laura

Maybe an old refrigerator with the shelves removed, and the you place the crock inside. It need not have a big freezer, obviously, and could be the type that has an attached 'ice box'. The thermostat need only be set to the warmest setting and that would keep it under 60 degrees if necessary. Even in a >80 degree garage, it would work well in an old fridge.

I made 'kraut this past summer in a room that was 85º F during the day. The fermentation goes much quicker, I left mine for 15 days and it was too acidic /strong. My neighbor who supplied the cabbage left his for only 8 days, and his was perfect.

It is, of course, better to do it when its cool, but that isn't always possible.

Here is the finally product... my dad said a little salty but tasted fine to
me...

{{gwi:939384}}

I am in florida and started this August 2007 checked it Sunday 25th 2007... have to hurry and start my next batch since now is going to be the coolest weather we will ever get here in florida...

I did have a faster ferment with my last batch. It was during one of our heat spells. Although it was a bit softer than the other batches, it still was OK.

It probably would be best to keep a close eye on it if your weather is warm, not let it over-ferment. I made a note to try to keep it cooler next time, as my pantry is not temperature controlled - where it was "cooking" the last time.

I like the in-jar method too - closely capped - but not sealed. Seems to keep out the adventitious yeast formation better. It is necessary to catch any ooze that way by putting jars in a catch basin.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Thanks Bejay... This was my first time doing it... hopefully next time will be better...

Annie (and others) thanks for the response to my question re film on my kraut and color changes. Actually, I ended up throwing it out because I read somewhere something about "food grade plastic" and my bucket wasn't. :(

Probably a waste, but that's the way it goes.

However, I am going to try again this year, and will be slicing cabbages tomorrow, now that it's finally cold enough that it won't cook in the garage.

You know, I make Japanese salt-pickled cabbage all the time, in small quantities, and all I can figure is that kraut is just fermented longer...oh, and you don't add ginger, carrots & chili peppers to kraut. :D

> ...oh, and you don't add ginger, carrots & chili peppers to kraut. :D

Speak for yourself. LOL

I'll have to admit that it is better w/o hot peppers though. I've changed just about everything since '06.

My Harsch crock should be delivered today in Cortland, NY weather permitting. I gave it away to a chile-head friend of mine.

jt

Oooh! Juniper berries! That sounds tasty! Now see what you've done, you've got me thinking about experimenting before I've even made a respectable but plain batch!

Another very strong herb is Russian black caraway. It goes thing san 'old world' taste and is great when a few of the seeds ae mixed into a bagel dough. My grandfather who owned and operated a bakery used to use them in his bagels and bread and I found them quit strong, so use very few.

RachelEllen, will you share your recipe for the Japanese salt-pickled cabbage? Thanks--Gina

Oh gosh! I don't use a recipe, as I worked at a Japanese restaurant for years and just sort of learned by watching. However, I found a recipe in one of my cookbooks that sounds about right for proportions of cabbage to salt, so I'll adapt that to what I do:

Kyabatsu no Tsukemono (Cabbage Pickles)

*2 pounds cabbage (Napa, or Chinese cabbage works well too, but has a very different flavor than regular cabbage)
*1 1/2 T salt (I use pickling salt, but at the restaurant they just used plain old table salt)
*about a tablespoon of peeled, minced fresh ginger root (to taste, really)
*1 carrot,peeled & julienned

Core and slice the cabbage...I like it sliced fairly thin, about 1/4 inch, but it is really a matter of personal preference.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl large enough to vigorously mix the salt well through the veggies, squeezing handfuls of the veggies as you mix. You're just bruising them a little to help start the salt drawing water out of the cabbage.

Now, Japanese stores have pickle presses, with a lid that screws down, but we always just used a bucket with a close fitting plate at the restaurant. Here at home, I have a plastic food storage container and a different container's lid that just fits inside it. You basically need to be able to weight the cabbage down so it is completely submerged in the brine created by it's own juices and the salt. You don't add water.

Anyway, put the vegies in the container you are using, cover with the lid, and weight it down. I use a big, screw top jar full of water. If the cabbage hasn't released enough water after a couple of hours to be submerged, you probably need more weight.

The fermentation process can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week, depending on how warm the weather is. When it starts to smell sour, take a piece out every day, rinse it off and taste it. I like it pretty sour, but again, it's really a matter of preference. It should definitely not have any of the raw, cabbage flavor to it.

When it's sour enough for your liking, just put it into jars with it's own brine and refrigerate. When you want to eat some, rinse off the amount you want, adding a dash of soy sauce if you like. I don't know how long it lasts in the fridge, I've never had any go bad.

Variations: The Japanese salt-pickle many kinds of vegetables. Turnips and cucumbers (the pickling kind, not the big seeded salad type) are quite good, and sometimes I mix half turnips/cukes and half cabbage. If you like things a little spicy, you can add some Shichimi Togarashi which is a seven-spice blend you can get in Japanese markets...essentially slightly coarse cayenne (I think) mixed with other spices and sesame (or, you could just use a bit of cayenne). If you can get a hold of some Shiso (green or red perilla http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla )you can substitute it for the ginger for an interesting flavor.

Sometimes, I slice the carrot into thin rounds instead of julienne, and use some tiny cookie cutters to cut it into flower shapes which makes it pretty.

Hope that helps!

Oh, it's such a shame to can sauerkraut! You don't need to if you can keep it in a crock in a cool basement, or else in a jar in the fridge. Aside from being a hassle and a lot of electricity or gas to can on the stove, that process kills all the probiotics like the lactobacilli, that are good for your intestinal and gut health. People used to know that sauerkraut and other naturally fermented foods were good for you, but it was because they had these active probiotics that people are now buying in the grocery store in their milk and yogurt... and then going and canning their sauerkraut, which kills it and also does no good for the flavor.

Can it if you must, but if you ferment it cool (as someone said around 60 degrees) then it is fine to store in the basement if it's cool enough there, or else in the fridge. Canning is a big hassle and destroys the nutrient content and the priobiotics that make sauerkraut so good for you, and sauerkraut was invented many centuries before canning was.. so that should tell the tale.

Oh and I should also mention that canning destroys the vitamin C, as well as the health-giving probiotics. Morse's sauerkraut and other artisanal sauerkrauts (as well as homemade) are never canned, and are live and healthful.

To find out how easy it is NOT to can sauerkraut, (and why you don't need to, yet it is perfectly safe) I recommend www.wildfermentation.com or google the term 'sandorkraut'

Good luck, and I think you will all be amazed to know that the hassle of canning not only is unnecessary, but makes the kraut less good. Think of the storebought canned on-the-shelf kraut, and then think of the type you find in the deli section, under refrigeration, either in tubs or bags. The deli type is squeaky/crunchy against the teeth, and more complex and delicious. It also still has full nutritional value, whereas the canned type has its nutrients destroyed by the heat and pressure.

The farmers market had the most gorgeous early cabbages today and I just read Well Preserved - so I'm dying to add sauerkraut to my canning repertoire.

I have a 5 gallon GLASS jar - could I use that? Or must it be ceramic? If it needs to stay dark, can't I just wrap it in something that would keep out the light?

I could really use some advice from all you veterens out there. Thank you so much!

Cathy in Washington, DC

I didn't want to start another thread on Sauerkraut, so I'm adding my questions here.

Long story short, 2 years ago, i tried to make kraut. It didn't turn out well, it was just like salty cabbage after about 7-8 weeks. I dumped it.

This st. pattys day, since cabbage was super cheap, I decided to try a small batch, and see if I could get it right.

1. I started my test batch of kraut 4 weeks ago (3/26/10). It smells like kraut, and tastes like kraut, but it is a little crunch, is that normal? If I let it go a little longer, will it get any softer? or does it get softer after cooking?

2. The top liquid is a little cloudy, but yellow, I have skimmed any mold off continually. Do I keep that liquid w/ the kraut, or remove it?

I've got my kraut going now also.
Don't know how warm your fermenting spot is but mine is 60 to 75 degrees. For me, 21 days is about max. I will taste it until it tastes how I like it. I'll start tasting in about 10 days.
7 or 8 weeks is a long time by my temp. standards but again it depends on how warm your crock or pot is.
With respect to the saltiness, rinse it off before you taste it. When I prepare a quart for a meal, I throw the whole lot into a plastic colander and rinse it off with cold water. Better for you without all the salt in any case.
Most folks like the crunch. That is why some folks refrigerate it instead or keep it in a cold area so it does NOT have to be cooked. Read thread above with respect to nutrition also.
Good luck. Don't over think it. Taste and enjoy! It does not cost a bundle to make it for sure.
Jim in So Calif

It was a lot of fun reading these old posts. It must be "that time of year" cuz, I've got 5 pints "cooking" away in my pantry. Also, looking at another 6 or so HUGE cabbages still growing. My goodness, what a lot of rain can do for cabbage!

Anyway, I'm hoping this is successful. As I mentioned, I make it in my pint-sized canning jars, because we are a small family, and because my garden yields usually come in smaller numbers.

This year's cabbages are heading up nicely, and with only minimal damage from aphis - just in time, as there is only one jar of "kraut" left in the pantry.

Bejay

Thank you for your responses.

The 7-8 week one was done a few years ago, I think I just did way too many things wrong when I tried this.

I did more homework and my current batch was started 4 weeks ago yesterday. And seems to have worked out.

I now understand about the crunchiness.

What about the top layer of liquid, the kind of yellowish colored stuff, does that stay or go?

I haven't had many problems with the "yellowish stuff" - probably because I have put a plastic brine bag on top of the kraut - to exclude air and bacteria/molds/etc. However, I am a bit concerned about this year's fermentings, because of our cool weather. Previously, I had some warmer temperatures to work with in my pantry, but this has been a crazy spring - very cool. I would prefer at least 65 to 70 degrees for quicker fermenting.

So far, all 6 jars appear to be doing OK, and today, will shred and start another 4 to add to my collection.

Bejay

Mrs. Moosepants, the yellow brine is fine, the color depends on your cabbage, I think. Sometimes mine is yellowish, sometimes nearly clear. Don't ask about the red cabbage, LOL.

It's too late for Mrs.Whlbarrow, but glass is just fine, as is plastic. Clear is fine, or not clear is fine too, it's all good.

No sauerkraut here for quite a while, we're still having freeze warnings so my cabbage won't go into the ground for at least three weeks. I do have some started on the kitchen counter, though, right next to the purple brussels sprouts and the Tigerella tomatoes!

Annie

Bejay & Annie,

Thanks for the info, I canned my kraut on Sunday. Everything turned out great. It's mighty tastey. My husband has already eaten a whole jar in 1 day.

Thanks for the help. I will definately be making more of this.

Hi, I also am new to sauerkraut making. I found a crock in the attic of my parents house, dragged it home and decided to try my hand. I remember the smell at my grandmas house when she was making sauerkraut.

Mine also has a filmy look to the top. I checked it yesterday and there were a few bubbles, I really cant tell if its still fermenting. Its been 10 days. I does not have a sour smell like I remember at my grandmas house. The first few days it was in 70 degree temps during the day and night went down to 55 or 60 degrees. I moved it to a more stable temp at about 65-70.

I guess I just need some hand holding!!!

Eight