Home brewer Sauerkraut?

My first attempt with grocery store cabbage did not work for some reason, it just didn't seem to want to ferment, even though I had added whey. I'm wondering if it was GMO cabbage I had gotten, and maybe if it was somehow poisonous to the fermenting organisms.

porcupine73 said:

My first attempt with grocery store cabbage did not work for some reason, it just didn't seem to want to ferment, even though I had added whey. I'm wondering if it was GMO cabbage I had gotten, and maybe if it was somehow poisonous to the fermenting organisms.

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How long did you let it ferment?

It was 5 weeks without looking in crock and not adding brine. It was RANK smelling when I did look.

escapeman said:

How long did you let it ferment?

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Those were let ferment for a few days at room temperature then for several months in a fridge set at about 45F. It was an attempt at fermenting in mason jars.

After that, I got two Harsch 10L crocks and buy organic produce to make the kraut (I actually make something more like curtido). Organic is far from perfect but supposedly organic foods cannot be GMO so that makes me feel a little better anyway.

I'm hoping to maybe grow all my own produce next year if I can squeeze it into my schedule. I've heard cabbage almost always gets a worm in each head I think from cabbage moths if they aren't sprayed with anything. But I'm wondering if that is such a bad thing ... supposedly many insects are actually very nutritious.

For those of you that do smaller batches of sauerkraut, what vessell options are there other than crocks? Id like to try my hand at making some, but spending $150 for a crock doesnt seem very cost efficient or plausible. OTOH Ive read that its tough to make good kraut without the crock and stone.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Google making it in mason jars ( Internet is down). I saw one made from a chef and I followed his directions and it worked well.

The main benefit of the crocks such as Harsch is that they pretty much eliminate the yellowish yeasty stuff growing on the top since they maintain pretty much a perfectly anerobic atmosphere. But they are definitely definitely not required. A popular option is the 5 gal Ohio Stonware crocks for about $50, if you have an Ace Hardware nearby you can get free shipping to it. They have smaller ones too. Then you use some elastic and tie a bedsheet around it. You do need a few inches of brine over the top and then you scum off the yucky stuff in the first inch or two when harvesting it. Because you can easily to sauerkraut as an open ferment for the entire time.

mrmcdowe said:

It was 5 weeks without looking in crock and not adding brine. It was RANK smelling when I did look.

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I scrape off the scum when the kraut starts to stink. I'm then good for a few days until I scrape if off again.

I use small buckets (2 or 2.5 gallon icing buckets - often free at grocery store bakeries). A layer of plastic wrap on top of your kraut and some weight in top bucket and you'll have a nice anaerobic fermentaion environment for fermentation. I'm thinking of rigging up a 2nd mash tun similarly for sour mashes.

I tried making sauerkraut earlier this year, but it was fairly warm. It got pretty nasty. I found that you need to ferment it at a cool temperature for best results.

I've still left the jar of goo on the counter. I'm waiting for someone in the household to either dump it out or pay me to do it...

Does anyone have a suggestion on what I could use in lieu of buying a weight for that express purpose? Maybe a flu tile or something?

I personally use the crock from one of my crockpots with a 1 gallon ziplock bag filled with water for the weight.

Homer, do you know how warm it was when you tried it and it went bad?

TheBrewinator said:

I personally use the crock from one of my crockpots with a 1 gallon ziplock bag filled with water for the weight.

Homer, do you know how warm it was when you tried it and it went bad?

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It must have been in the 80s. I started it this spring and it was a very warm spring.

FYI - I used the bag before and it worked well, but I switched to a styrofoam plate to hold the kraut down after my first gross batch. Turns out the heat was the culprit I think.

Thanks for all the tips on alternative vessels and weights. The bag full of water is a great idea.

You have to cover the kraut in liquid. I use winter cabbages after the 1st frost, because I can. It's a harder, denser head that slices thin.

Salt and spice in 5 lb increments. mix well. Pound ll (a base ball bat can be adapted. Wash first.)

If enough juice hasn't arisen from the salted, pounded Kraut, then it won't. Time for brine.

Memory tells net it that e brine id 6 tbs to the gallon

I'm going to try this soon. I acquired a HUGE (>20 lb) cabbage.

Any reason I can't use my old Ferm Bucket? Would one of my airlocks help? Or does that defeat the purpose?

I'm just a little nervous about finding a lid to go down inside this bucket. I need to check one of our dinner plates, maybe I'll get lucky . . .

I'm not sure why a plastic bucket wouldn't work. It would be worthless for anything else that wasn't pickled.

I'd love to have a real crock. The glass jar I am using has a lip to deal with. The crocks I have seen at yard sales have all been "ANTIQUE" priced. For some reason they are all really expensive at the store too. I should really sign up for pottery lessons. I could probably make a crock in the class for the same price and get lessons on turning at the same time.

I use plastic buckets. Just cabbage and kosher salt. I have used garden, farmers market, and grocery store cabbage, all with good results. I don't use extra brine. Just keep packing the cabbage down until it covers itself in liquid. Leave in the basement for 2-3 weeks and you're good to go. If I pickle anything else I make a 5 % salt brine, submerge the veg and wait a few weeks. Sauerkraut is just a natural cabbage pickle. Same methods for carrots, cukes, pretty much anything.

Thanks guys. I realize that would become a pickling bucket, but I haven't used it for anything except water since I got my carboys.

I have been looking for a crock over the last year or two, and realized that they are antique priced. I don't need one that badly.

I made sauerkraut last year. I just used pickling salt and cabbage, with some caraway seeds for flavor. It turned out very good, but next time i might skip the caraway, and decrease the salt a bit. I love the smell of kraut which smells like vinegar but is actually an acidic smell from the bacteria that ferments it

If you ever find you've over salted your kraut, just give it a little rinse or soak before using. I do this a lot of the time when using kraut in a dish anyway so a as not to make the resulting dish too salty.

Thanks for the input, I've rinsed before but its just not the same especially if i give it away like to my parents (my Mom doesn't like it too strong)

NickTheGreat said:

I have been looking for a crock over the last year or two, and realized that they are antique priced. I don't need one that badly.

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I made a small batch fermentor that I use for pickling stuff like sauerkraut. I was in Target a week ago and can verify that they still have them for $19.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/2-1-2-gallon-montana-jar-fermenter-200328/

How do you store the kraut once it's ready? Does it need to be water bath canned, or can it just be put in mason jars and stuck in the cabinet?

corkybstewart said:

How do you store the kraut once it's ready? Does it need to be water bath canned, or can it just be put in mason jars and stuck in the cabinet?

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I canned mine, water bath process. It might lose some of it's crunch, not sure. I like it just the same.

I kept mine in mason jars in the pantry for about six months without processing and it was fine


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I researched a little and found this:

"If you want to store your stuff in a pantry, you will need to heat-process the jars. This will kill the microbes in your food (making it sterile but ending any probiotic action) but preserve most of the vitamins. Look up a home pickle jarring recipe for a good heat-treating procedure."


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I like to keep it in the fridge after fermenting. It lasts all winter or longer if I don't use it all by then. I usually do about 20-30 pounds a year. Polish/German descent here. We'd almost eat it for dessert!

Well . . . I have 16 lbs of cabbage that I hope to be kraut in a few weeks . . .

You guys are all making me hungry.

StonesBally said:

Polish/German descent here. We'd almost eat it for dessert!

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Ain't that the truth, same here.

Took care of the farm for the folks a few years back and dad had a stockpile of sausages from his own hogs and a mountain of the neighbours own kraut. Add some orange and yellow tomatoes from their garden and that's pretty much all I ate all week washed down with some ale. :rockin:

*runs out to buy cabbage*

passedpawn said:

I made a small batch fermentor that I use for pickling stuff like sauerkraut. I was in Target a week ago and can verify that they still have them for $19.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/2-1-2-gallon-montana-jar-fermenter-200328/

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Hey PP,

Do you weigh your cabbage down at all? I'm doing my first batch right now. I'm using a similar container and I put a couple of leaves of cabbage on top and a small Pyrex bowl to weigh things down but there's still little pieces floating.

I also put a bag on top of the jar with rubber bands. I'm wondering if I should drill the lid for an airlock like you did instead.

Grapesmasher said:

I researched a little and found this:

"If you want to store your stuff in a pantry, you will need to heat-process the jars. This will kill the microbes in your food (making it sterile but ending any probiotic action) but preserve most of the vitamins. Look up a home pickle jarring recipe for a good heat-treating procedure."


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

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Or just remember to vent it every couple of days. It'll keep getting more sour.

sourkarute as described in this thread is lacto fermented cabbage
very easy, normally 10% salt to cabbage weight or any other veg for instance.
different countries/ cultures have different recipes... for example korea has kimchi..yume, poland and germany sauerkraut , the french choucroute

the basics are always the same
here is a very good tasting recipe without the benefit of lacto fermentation
but its gorgeous

2 spanish onions thinly sliced
1 full head of dutch cabbage
1 garlic bulb cut in half
2 bay leaf
10 juniper berries
1 small bunch of thyme
1 tsp whole white peppercorns
1 bottle of riesling
300 ml champagne vinegar
200ml duck fat
100g alsace bacon trim
2 morteau sausages or smoked garlic sausage

sweat the onions and garlic, all the herbs, bacon and sausages in duck fat untill the onions are soft and translucent but not cookes,(5-10min) add some salt so onions stay white

in a separate pot blanch the thinly sliced cabbage for 10 seconds then drain and add to onions

add wine and vinegar

cover with a greaseproof paper and simmer gently for 45 minutes to and hour

adjust the seasoning with white pepper and maybe some more salt
lovely

jsguitar said:

Hey PP,

Do you weigh your cabbage down at all? I'm doing my first batch right now. I'm using a similar container and I put a couple of leaves of cabbage on top and a small Pyrex bowl to weigh things down but there's still little pieces floating.

I also put a bag on top of the jar with rubber bands. I'm wondering if I should drill the lid for an airlock like you did instead.

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I've had pretty good success weighing down my cabbage by putting a jar full of water on top, and then wrapping a large rubber band around the whole thing, from bottom of the fermenting vessel to top. Some little pieces occasionally float to the top, but you just pick them out every day or two and toss them. It's not a lot of loss, even in a 3 lb batch.

jsguitar said:

Hey PP,

Do you weigh your cabbage down at all? I'm doing my first batch right now. I'm using a similar container and I put a couple of leaves of cabbage on top and a small Pyrex bowl to weigh things down but there's still little pieces floating.

I also put a bag on top of the jar with rubber bands. I'm wondering if I should drill the lid for an airlock like you did instead.

Click to expand...

I didn't weigh mine down. But if you want to, and maybe it's a good idea, fill a big baggie with water and just set it on top of the kraut.

I added the airlock because I like to fiddle with things. It's probably not necessary.

passedpawn said:

I didn't weigh mine down. But if you want to, and maybe it's a good idea, fill a big baggie with water and just set it on top of the kraut.

I added the airlock because I like to fiddle with things. It's probably not necessary.

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Well I obviously needed something to do so I just went and added an airlock. I had already added some to some mason jar lids for pepper mashes that I have going. So, done deal. I had heard of the bag of water thing but I liked the airlock idea better.

I have to assume the cabbage particles floating didn't cause any problems then. Awesome. I'd love to have one of those nice crocks with weights but they're just so expensive.

ETA: I meant to say that I'd heard of people just putting the bag of water on top as a weight and to keep oxygen out.

jsguitar said:

Well I obviously needed something to do so I just went and added an airlock. I had already added some to some mason jar lids for pepper mashes that I have going. So, done deal. I had heard of the bag of water thing but I liked the airlock idea better.

I have to assume the cabbage particles floating didn't cause any problems then. Awesome. I'd love to have one of those nice crocks with weights but they're just so expensive.

ETA: I meant to say that I'd heard of people just putting the bag of water on top as a weight and to keep oxygen out.

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You got a Goodwill or other thrift store nearby? You can frequently find a round crock pot in there for under $10. The ceramic crock out of that works great, and I use one for 1 gallon batches.

burninator said:

You got a Goodwill or other thrift store nearby? You can frequently find a round crock pot in there for under $10. The ceramic crock out of that works great, and I use one for 1 gallon batches.

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I need another one anyway because mine just cracked. What's your procedure for weighing down and covering?

jsguitar said:

I need another one anyway because mine just cracked. What's your procedure for weighing down and covering?

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I use a plate with a jar full of water on top. I have a large rubber band that I then wrap around the whole thing, for added pressure. For the first few days, I find that I still have to pack it all down daily, but after a while, the cabbage stops expanding, and it all settles down tightly, at which point the rubber band isn't really critical. I imagine I could use twine, and it might hold more tightly.