Home brewer Sauerkraut?

[jsguitar]

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.

Ah, a plate. I see. Do you cover the whole works with a cloth or something?

 

[burninator]

Ah, a plate. I see. Do you cover the whole works with a cloth or something?

Yeah, I have a piece of fabric that fits over it pretty well, to keep flies out. I drape it over the top and put another rubber band around the rim of the crock to hold it tight.

 

[jsguitar]

Yeah, I have a piece of fabric that fits over it pretty well, to keep flies out. I drape it over the top and put another rubber band around the rim of the crock to hold it tight.

Ok, thanks for all the details!

I'm new to this food fermentation thing and have been thinking about it a lot, maybe over thinking!

I started this first batch of sauerkraut with a cloth over it and then noticed that the available fermenting crocks have a type of airlock, a water reservoir between the lid and rim to keep oxygen out. I'm guessing that the main difference between having an airlock and not is whether or not you have to skim off surface 'undesirables', but otherwise it works just fine either way.

 

[burninator]

Ok, thanks for all the details!

I'm new to this food fermentation thing and have been thinking about it a lot, maybe over thinking!

I started this first batch of sauerkraut with a cloth over it and then noticed that the available fermenting crocks have a type of airlock, a water reservoir between the lid and rim to keep oxygen out. I'm guessing that the main difference between having an airlock and not is whether or not you have to skim off surface 'undesirables', but otherwise it works just fine either way.

I know a lot of people swear by those Harsch crocks. Me? I like the ritual of the whole thing. Scraping the yeast off the top for those first couple of days (or leaving it...I can't really tell a difference). Tasting the salt cabbage whenever a piece floats up. I ferment so that I can be closer to what I eat and drink, and an hermetic seal just seems antithetical to that. Maybe I'll try one someday.

 

[jsguitar]

I know a lot of people swear by those Harsch crocks. Me? I like the ritual of the whole thing. Scraping the yeast off the top for those first couple of days (or leaving it...I can't really tell a difference). Tasting the salt cabbage whenever a piece floats up. I ferment so that I can be closer to what I eat and drink, and an hermetic seal just seems antithetical to that. Maybe I'll try one someday.

Haha! Nice. Well, I'm just glad it works either way. Thanks for your help!
Fingers crossed on my first batch.

 

[burninator]

Haha! Nice. Well, I'm just glad it works either way. Thanks for your help!
Fingers crossed on my first batch.

It'll be great. Just keep it under the brine, and the bugs do all the work.

Before you know it you'll be chopping up all manner of fruits and vegetables in your kraut.

 

[NickTheGreat]

My kraut has been in the fermentor since 8/18. It looks and smells great. But I'm scared to remove my water bag of weight!

I don't know what to do with it, and I figure I'll need to decide soon once I open it.

I should can it, but I need to get more jars!

 

[burninator]

My kraut has been in the fermentor since 8/18. It looks and smells great. But I'm scared to remove my water bag of weight!

I don't know what to do with it, and I figure I'll need to decide soon once I open it.

I should can it, but I need to get more jars!

Just start eating it. Take out the bag, pull out some kraut for a snack, then repack and cover it again.

If you want to store it, move it all to a jar and put it in the refrigerator. Fermentation will basically cease, and it'll keep that way for months.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Just start eating it. Take out the bag, pull out some kraut for a snack, then repack and cover it again.

If you want to store it, move it all to a jar and put it in the refrigerator. Fermentation will basically cease, and it'll keep that way for months.

Yeah, but I also had 17.5 lbs of cabbage to start out with! :fro:

I need to just try it, and replace the bags. There really isn't much that that can do to hurt anything.

 

[burninator]

Yeah, but I also had 17.5 lbs of cabbage to start out with! :fro:

I need to just try it, and replace the bags. There really isn't much that that can do to hurt anything.

Not at all. That's a big batch!

The stuff at the bottom will probably still be pretty crunchy, so it won't hurt to let it keep going, if you have the space.

Sauerkraut is tough, man, and with all the salt and the highly acidic environment, there's not really any infection to be concerned about, unless you let the cabbage float.

 

[mendozer]

homemade kraut is awesome. I do it kind of like Yooper. Big jar with cabbage, hand massaged with salt (1 T per half head (about 3 lbs)) and press it good. I use an outer leaf as the surface to prevent little bits from floating up to mold. I use a n old fashioned glass juice quart jar because it fits nicely in my large container, fill it with water, and that's my weight. If in 24 hours it's not completely subrmerged, I add salted water (1 cup per gallon ratio) then every day squish a bit more. I left it a week because I like it tangy but not "pucker your face tangy". I also ad caraway seeds, a MUST to get the authentic german flavor.

Just had some last night actually with a cheese stuffed bratwurst. MMMMM.

Also, I canned some after the fermentation to preserve it more.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I have finally tried mine. I think it is good. It doesn't taste that much like the canned stuff from the store, which is probably a good thing.

I have a gallon jar in the fridge. I'm probably going to can the rest, once I acquire a few more jars, from my mother.

 

[kaffeenjunkie]

Red cabbage with apples, ginger and whole allspice. 3 weeks in.

 

[burninator]

Left: sauerkraut with caraway, dill, and mustard seeds
Middle and right: caraway and dill only

We have a toddler and a kindergartner who absolutely love this stuff.

View attachment 1424275438319.jpg

 

[burninator]

Haha! Nice. Well, I'm just glad it works either way. Thanks for your help!
Fingers crossed on my first batch.

Surely this is done by now.

 

[jsguitar]

Surely this is done by now.

Ha!

Yeah, it turned out great and lasted a long time in the fridge. I need to make some more!

 

[NickTheGreat]

I just canned my second batch a few weeks ago. It is lighter in color, and maybe not as "strong" tasting as my batch from last year. Which is weird, because this year's spent a few months longer fermenting.

Oh well. Still tastes pretty good though.

 

[BeekeeperGreg]

I use an airlock. Keep the cabbage submerged. Be clean.
Youtube !

 

[YeastFarmerBeemer]

My kraut has been in the fermentor since 8/18. It looks and smells great. But I'm scared to remove my water bag of weight!

I don't know what to do with it, and I figure I'll need to decide soon once I open it.

I should can it, but I need to get more jars!

We must realize that back in the day, this was THE WAY (and the ONLY way) to store your produce long term, like through the winter. There was no option to can it in jars, or put it in the refrigerator (yes, you could put it in the root cellar and that would help, but it's not quite the same). You made your kraut, pickles, etc. and ate off the top throughout the lean months of winter, sure it went bad sometimes, this happens all the time in home canning, a jar goes bad and you throw it out, hopefully you still have enough to get through the winter. This is why those crocks are so big, you made enough to get through the winter, and some more, just in case (ie multiple crocks in case on or more went bad). Also this is not just a fermentation process, it is fermentation turning the sugars to alcohol, then bacteria turning the alcohol into acid (usually vinegar) (this is a very simplified version of what really happens, and of the beasties that do the work).

 

[StonesBally]

Except with this type of anaerobic fermentation there is no alcohol production. You need yeast for that. Kraut and pickles are lacto-fermented and there is no intermediate alcoholic stage. Kombucha on the other hand had that intermediary step.

 

[NickTheGreat]

So my kraut I did eventually can. I think in February or January. It is tasty but it has a much milder taste than my previous batch. The weird this was that this years was in the fermentor much longer, by a month or two.

Is being in longer the reason it is milder? Gave things more time to mellow out? Or is it just a difference in the cabbages used?

 

[YeastFarmerBeemer]

Except with this type of anaerobic fermentation there is no alcohol production. You need yeast for that. Kraut and pickles are lacto-fermented and there is no intermediate alcoholic stage. Kombucha on the other hand had that intermediary step.

I stand corrected on the process, I am not a kraut or pickle maker (although I do make pickles the modern way, by just adding vinegar to reach the proper acidity). The point I was trying to make was that these processes, kraut/pickle, beer/wine, making etc. are all bio/chemical processes that produce some substance (lactic acid/acetic acid/alcohol etc.) and when it reaches a certain concentration will preserve the produce that you are trying to store long term, and they have been used for thousands of years before we even knew about germs, bacteria, yeast etc. (often in what we would call unsanitary conditions). And once you have reached this point it is pretty shelf stable and unless you do something really dumb like dip it out with a dead rat, it is hard to contaminate it, so just go ahead and eat some off the top, don't worry about things like moving it to smaller containers, or refrigerating it, you wont hurt it.

 

[StonesBally]

Sorry for being a bit strong worded. I wasn't trying to call out, just explain. I often come across that way. Just ask my wife.

 

[YeastFarmerBeemer]

Sorry for being a bit strong worded. I wasn't trying to call out, just explain. I often come across that way. Just ask my wife.

I did not think you were being strong worded (no matter what your wife says ), I just thought you were correcting me, and I WAS wrong on that point. Its all good. I just wanted to make sure that it was understood that I was making a point about the finished product being robustly stable, and safe under most any circumstances. Actually I was really expecting some negative comments about the dead rat more than anything .

 

[burninator]

So my kraut I did eventually can. I think in February or January. It is tasty but it has a much milder taste than my previous batch. The weird this was that this years was in the fermentor much longer, by a month or two.

Is being in longer the reason it is milder? Gave things more time to mellow out? Or is it just a difference in the cabbages used?

When you say you canned it, do you mean you pasteurized it, or you just transferred it to jars? If you pasteurized it, you may have affected the flavor complexity. Also, recipe, time and temperature, and exposure to oxygen (or lack thereof) can affect sourness. What'd you use in your kraut?

 

[NickTheGreat]

When you say you canned it, do you mean you pasteurized it, or you just transferred it to jars? If you pasteurized it, you may have affected the flavor complexity. Also, recipe, time and temperature, and exposure to oxygen (or lack thereof) can affect sourness. What'd you use in your kraut?

I hot water bathed it. Which I did last year as well. It's just my second year doing it and I just use cabbage. And salt.

It's simple and basic, but we've stopped buying store kraut now