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I did it! I made sauerkraut!!!

17 years ago

It's been about 4 or 5 weeks, I've lost track, since I sliced up a head of cabbage and salted it down to make homemade sauerkraut. I checked it before Christmas and it seemed rather bland so I let it go a couple more weeks. Today, I have sauerkraut! It's pretty good actually. I'm going to put it in glass jars to keep in the refrigerator and this week I'll be making country-style ribs and 'kraut!

Thanks to Annie and other kraut makers for their support and good information!

Teresa

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Comments (7)

lindac
17 years ago
I saw the threadw here you started it.....bit forget.
What did you make it in?
Linda C
teresa_nc7
Original Author
17 years ago
I used a large plastic food grade container that I usually keep extra flour in. I sliced the cabbage on a mandoline-type slicer - very thin - layered it with salt and used my plastic potato masher to pound it down and get the juices flowing. I did have to add some extra brine - 1 cup boiled water mixed with 1 t. kosher salt and let it cool. When all the cabbage was sliced and pounded, I topped it with a couple of well washed cabbage leaves and a small pottery plate to keep the cabbage submerged below the brine. Then I added a glass canning jar filled with water and a zip bag filled with brine to weight down the plate.

I set it in my unheated laundry room - the container was set in a large plastic bowl in case there was overflow. The temp should be around 60 F to 65 F. I read that above 75 F it can go bad and below 50 F it won't ferment. I have a thermometer in the laundry room and opened/shut the door to the kitchen as a means of maintaining the right temp. I really thought it was not going to turn out because we have some warmish days the last few weeks.
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rachelellen
17 years ago
Yay! Another convert! Congrats! Now that you've made your own, you will likely not buy a jar from the store again. A word of warning though, if you start feeding it to friends, you'll soon be making gallons of it to keep up with demand! :D
annie1992
17 years ago
Hooray, Teresa, I knew it would be fine. In 40 years or so of kraut making, I've only had one batch mold on me, so I was sure your's would be OK.

I agree with Rachel, you can't go back to the commercial stuff after having the homemade stuff, you'll be looking for a bigger container to make the next batch, I'll bet.

Enjoy!

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gardengrl
17 years ago
I'm jealous! I want to make 'kraut and fermented pickles but it's too hot down here...wahhhhhh! :-(

Congratulations! Have you tasted it yet?
teresa_nc7
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, I've tasted it and it tastes like....sauerkraut! I checked it after 3 weeks and it was rather bland and not sour and tangy so I let it go a couple more weeks. If I make it again I want to be more sure of the weather (yeah, right!). My launder room isn't heated and can stay between 50 F and 60 F by opening the door just a little. I wasn't counting on near 70 F weather in December.

Teresa
sands99
17 years ago
Yay! Save some for me, I have a lonely kielbasa...

[scans for Jesse...]

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