I took advantage of fresh cabbage being 17¢/lb and whipped up a
Small Batch of Fermented Sauerkraut. My goal was 1. To play with the
mason jar air lock set I bought last year. 2. To see if I could actually do it. And 3. I wanted a sauerkraut I could keep indefinitely in the fridge since I live alone and eating a whole can just never happens. They say fermented kraut will stay good in the fridge for up to a year,
if it lasts that long:@)
I started this batch on 3/13/16 at 5PM, it's been on my kitchen counter since then. It took two days to start bubbling and bubbled like crazy for three days. Then the cabbage turned a light color and the bubbles broke down. I used a fancy Himalayan pink salt that came with my air lock kit, I'll try regular canning salt for my next batch to see if it makes a difference.
Oh how I love my kitchen toys:@)
Fermentation kit (air lock, rubber stopper, lid with hole, glass weight, salt) found
HERE.
Can you make sauerkraut without the special equipment-absolutely!
Sauerkraut's been around forever. Ma says my grandparents had an old whiskey barrel on the porch and made it in that every year...
Outside, in the Philadelphia heat and humidity, without measurements... Long before we ever heard of the Food Police...
Just sayin'.
This first batch created a nice mild sauerkraut, which is very easy to eat cold or hot by the forkful.
I'm going to do a little research and see if I can find one with a little more pucker power-I'll report back.
4/17/16 Update: I'm hooked folks... I feel like a mad scientist:@)
I'm not going to write up directions or a recipe, I'll refer you to the seasoned expert
HERE.
Another write-up from
thekitchn.com can be found HERE.
These notes are a quick reference for a quart jar:
1 3/4 lbs = 28 oz = 800 grams cabbage/veggies
1 Tblsp salt
Extra brine = 1 Tblsp salt per 2 C water
(400 gr cabbage = 1 1/2 tsp salt; 600 gr cabbage = 2 1/4 tsp salt)
