To answer your question more directly: I am sure the color in the brine is not due to leaching out a dye from the plastic plate. I've never seen a plastic that would do that. Also, a great many old crocks were glazed inside with Albany slip, a clay which melted to a dark brown coating when fired and which contained no lead. The outside of these crocks were often salt glazed, which produced a light gray color with a slight orange peel texture. They were marked or decorated with cobalt blue. If your old crock is one of these, there is nothing to fear. Jim

gardenmom - Have you made kraut before? I find that the size of a cabbage head can be very misleading when it comes to weighing it. It always looks like it will weigh much more than it really does especially after the heads are trimmed and cored. We make several batches of kraut each summer for canning and 3 large heads, quartered for shredding, cores and coarse ribs removed, often comes out to about 5-6 lbs total - just right amount for most crocks. We once tried adding additional shredded cabbage (before we knew it wasn't recommended) and Carol is right - very uneven fermentation and taste results. The older kraut in the crock absorbs the new salt brine much faster than the new shreds do so you get a mix of some 1/2 done and some far too salty. Just some thing to consider. Dave

Please do a search for the word.. Its a popular topic that has just recently been discussed in great detail.. Here is a link that might be useful: Sauerkraut thread links

Another agreement, that's far too short for truly fermented sauerkraut, although I have no idea what a picklemeister is. I use the same technique Grandpa used, which coincidentally is the same as is posted by Michigan State University at their "preserving food safely" website. They even give a time frame for fermenting, depending on temperature. SAUERKRAUT 25 lb. cabbage 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt QUALITY: For the best sauerkraut, use firm heads of fresh cabbage. Shred cabbage and start kraut between 24 and 48 hours after harvest. YIELD: About 9 quarts PROCEDURE: Work with about 5 pounds of cabbage at a time. Discard outer leaves. Rinse heads under cold running water and drain. Cut heads in quarters and remove cores. Shred or slice to a thickness of a quarter. Put cabbage in a suitable fermentation container (see explanation following processing times) and add 3 tablespoons of salt. Mix thoroughly, using clean hands. Pack firmly until salt draws juices from cabbage. Repeat shredding, salting, and packing until all cabbage is in the container. Be sure the container is deep enough so that its rim is at least 4 or 5 inches above the cabbage. If juice does not cover cabbage, add boiled and cooled brine (1-1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water). Add plate and weights, cover container with a clean bath towel. Store at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit while fermenting. At temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, kraut will be fully fermented in about 3 to 4 weeks; at 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, fermentation may take 5 to 6 weeks. At temperatures lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit kraut may not ferment. Above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, kraut may become soft. If you weigh the cabbage down with a brine-filled bag (6 tablespoons salt to 1 gallon of water), do not disturb the crock until normal fermentation is completed (when bubbling ceases). If you use jars as weight, you will have to check the kraut 2 to 3 times each week and remove scum if it forms. Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months or it may be canned as follows: Hot pack--Bring kraut and liquid slowly to a boil in a large kettle, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fill hot jars rather firmly with kraut and juices, leaving 1/2- inch headspace. Process pints 10 minutes, quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Raw pack--Fill jars firmly with kraut, and cover with juices, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Process pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes in a boiling water bath. SUITABLE CONTAINERS, COVERS AND WEIGHTS FOR FERMENTING FOOD A 1-gallon container is needed for each 5 pounds of fresh vegetables. Therefore, a 5-gallon stone crock is of ideal size for fermenting about 25 pounds of fresh cabbage or cucumbers. Food-grade plastic and glass containers are excellent substitutes for stone crocks. Other 1-to 3- gallon non-food-grade plastic containers may be used if lined inside with a clean food-grade plastic bag. CAUTION: Be certain that foods contact only food-grade plastics. Do not use garbage bags or trash liners. Fermenting auerkraut in quart and half-gallon Mason jars is an acceptable practice, but may result in more spoilage losses. Happy canning! Annie