Sauerkraut harvest! 2015

[Lipps]

This year we were running a couple of weeks late, but it's finally ready to eat! That odd looking jar in front the toaster has fermented whole cabbage leaves for stuffing/wrapping. That's 9 quart jars and 6 pint jars -or three gallons of kraut there in the pic. We are filling the crock again tomorrow -for a total of 6 gallons. That should last us all year and have enough to give some away for Christmas.

If you've never made sauerkraut, now is a good time. Makes a grilled cheese sandwich taste like heaven! Makes a good sausage even better!


And it's good for you! Eaten raw (like on top of yummy cheese toast) it replenishes good bacteria inside your tummy. Has vitamins and stuff too.


Also makes great Christmas presents. Everyone prefers homemade Christmas presents.

Kraut will last well over a year in your fridge. Without refrigeration it can last weeks or months depending on the temperature. Cabbage is cheap to buy and cheaper to grow in any economy. We use a nice fermentation crock, but you can make it in a bucket if you want. Good survival food can be tasty.

 

[Davetex]

Very nice, haven't had any in a long time. Your's looks good.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

Cool. I've made several small batches already this fall. I just do quart jars with airlocks, ferment for about 5-6 weeks. Never tried a crock, heard they're tricky.

 

[Lipps]

Not too tricky. If you have a fermentation crock it's basically bullet-proof. If you use a regular crock you might have a few minor issues, but nothing serious if you monitor it regularly. I've used the jars. I like the pickl-it jar for a small test batch.

 

[Anger]

looks sweet but I'm way too lazy for that. My other hobbies take up more than my spare time.

 

[Southpaw]

 

[JohnnyLoco]

looks sweet but I'm way too lazy for that. My other hobbies take up more than my spare time.

a small batch, quart jar and one large head of cabbage, takes about 15 minutes.

 

[Anger]

a small batch, quart jar and one large head of cabbage, takes about 15 minutes.

ok you convinced me. i "may" give this a try. I love 'kraut. dam my mouth is watering.

 

[Lipps]

ok you convinced me. i "may" give this a try. I love 'kraut. dam my mouth is watering.

It still takes 4-5 weeks to ferment.

 

[Anger]

It still takes 4-5 weeks to ferment.

4-5 weeks (i.e. wait time) doesn't seem too important as long as the input to the product (plant, harvest, prep) is fairly limited. Thinking about kraut on brats and that kraut on ham is making my mouth water.

 

[Tony2]

Awesome Pulled mine a couple weeks ago taste great and same benefit as yogurt if you eat it for medicinal value as long as you don't heat it up. Checkout wild fermentation website for recipe

 

[Lipps]

Checkout wild fermentation website for recipe

Great resource/learning site.

 

[Tony2]

Great resource/learning site.

I use a crock as well one with the water seal. Makes it easy and more than I consume. Last batch biggest ever at 20 lbs cabbage. would like to do pickles one day.

 

[Lipps]

Yeah, we use the water seal crock too. You can see it there in the pic. It's the Ohio Stoneware fermentation crock. I like it waay better than a regular crock.

 

[Tony2]

Yeah, we use the water seal crock too. You can see it there in the pic. It's the Ohio Stoneware fermentation crock. I like it way better than a regular crock.

Looks like a good one. Recently changed to the glass weights for easy clean up and prep.

 

[jpatm2]

I have a couple questions for you sauerkraut chefs... How many heads of cabbage do you use for a batch. Have you ever used Brussel sprouts or Chinese cabbage in the kraut? Where do you get your favorite recipes. I love kraut and would like to try it. Just wanna know what I need to plant. Thanks!

 

[Tony2]

I have a couple questions for you sauerkraut chefs... How many heads of cabbage do you use for a batch. Have you ever used Brussel sprouts or Chinese cabbage in the kraut? Where do you get your favorite recipes. I love kraut and would like to try it. Just wanna know what I need to plant. Thanks!

I got mine off the Wild Fermentation site http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/. Just standard cabbage 5lbs per 3tblespoons salt. Gives the other directions there. Brusselsprouts might be interesting I like those to. you can definitely add and mix somethings

 

[Lipps]

I have a couple questions for you sauerkraut chefs... How many heads of cabbage do you use for a batch. Have you ever used Brussel sprouts or Chinese cabbage in the kraut? Where do you get your favorite recipes. I love kraut and would like to try it. Just wanna know what I need to plant. Thanks!

As Toney says, Wild Fermentation is a great site for starting out. When we buy cabbage we usually make a rough guess as to the weight of each head. Figuring a medium head will weigh 3 to 4 pounds, small heads 2 to 3, and large heads 4 to 5. I have noticed that if the rain has been good, a head will weigh a little more, less if no rain. The salt to cabbage ratio is a guide. You can play with it within reason. The process is very forgiving -remember this is really a very ancient form of food preservation.
The number of heads you can use is determined by how big your fermentation vessel is. We use a 3 gallon crock so anywhere from 8 to 10 heads (depending on size) will fill it. If all you wanted was a quart you could probably fill it with half or three quarters of a medium head -again depending on size of the head.

Adding other veggies is fine. Some will bleed color like beets or too much red cabbage, even carrots. Chinese cabbage will ferment just as nicely as American cabbages. You can also season the kraut with various herbs. Caraway seeds and juniper berries are popular. Rosemary, garlic, ginger, and dried chillis are not uncommon. I am preparing a test batch with curry leaves. (Yes, I grow curry leaf trees). I would like to try a batch with szechuan peppercorns -sounds tasty.

 

[Tony2]

I usually weigh mine after slicing it up and use salt sparingly. I don't like a lot of salt. sea salt, kosher salt any kind without iodine (kills the process) Peppers do sound good think I will try the chili piquin