This was great! I have home made sauerkraut before. Its fun, delicious, and an easy way to jump into Lacto- fermentation of food. I would love to see more of this stuff, because we are always learning!
Thanks so much, Chris. William is a sort of mad scientist of sorts with fermented foods so I'll let him know that we gotta get on top of some more projects like this. There are also other NBers who do things at home as well. No shortage of ideas. What sort of things would you like to see or do you think homebrew-minded folks with appreciate? Cheers!
@@NorthernBrewerTV Well, its a little late in the year for Fresh garden Vegetables. But showing people the ability to ferment and long term storage, any food, is a good idea. Especially in this day and time! I think many home brewers don't even realize you can ferment food. (Plus they already have most of the equipment!)
My people are Luxembourgers (from Wisconsin). We have made kraut for generations. Somewhere, I have a 20 gallon ceramic crock with a wooden floating lid that I have been dragging around the country (I'll bet it weighs 150 Lbs). Now, I make kraut, giardiniera, and kimchee in 1 gallon pickle jars. I bought some of the plastic crosshatch embroidery "fabric" and cut it to the inner diameter of the jar. I weigh it down with the glass canning weights - works perfectly. I use natural yeast, but the Omega yeast is a good touch -- just keep it away from your beer gear. Chip says that his taste for the chiles may be more radical than the typical Minnesotan. Try making kimchee. The twin cities have a rich southeast Asian community. There have got to be some experts available to you. The Hmong have a fermented salad that is awesome. Regarding the 20 gallon crock with the wooden lid: I'll bet it works like kviek. The enchanted bugs live in the wood, and make a perpetual "family" strain of lacto culture...
First off, this is a wonderful jam-packed comment; it has everything: history, geocultural awareness, and brainstorming! I have indeed had some wonderful (and spicy) local kimchi and pepper oil sauces here in MSP area, and appreciate the proximity to Hmong people and food. I think it would be a fun video to produce in finding someone more tied by heritage to the dish than William or myself to do a demo. You mention giardiniera, the Curtido-style kraut William made sort of reminded me a bit of that just with difference ingredients, but a similar vibe. Cheers, Chip
Excellent work! Note the spice profile of the crab boil and pickling spice mixes. That said, any basic kraut can make a very authentic traditional meal by balancing the sharp sourness with savory and sweet. While slow cooking on the fire or inside oven your favourite ribs picnic meat or cushion cut of beef or pork till tender then cover with the kraut and onions salt pepper and finally adjust the acidic sourness down with small additions of palate pleasant sugars or fruit like apples or sauce. The meld of savory, sweet, sour, and spice is a simple artful expression. Beer adds a nice aroma at the end.
Info below is fom William Richartz and his wife Cheryl. We'll add making a video of this to our list of fermented foods projects we'd like to do in the coming months. Cheers! Fermented Pickle Recipes Below. Same as kraut your primary fermenter should allow for gases to escape, once they taste good to you place in an air tight container in the fridge. Both of these recipe I like to let mature in the fridge an extra week after fermentation. I find the flavors meld together a bit better. Pickling cucumbers are best. You always want to remove a small amount (1/8") of the blossom end on cucumbers as they contain an enzyme that can soften the pickles. There should be extra brine in each recipe, that can be kept in the fridge for future batches or tossed. The brine will turn cloudy during fermentation from the bacteria doing it's job. Half Sour Pickles (Cheryl's Traditional Ukrainian families recipe, old school) - 1 Gallon jar filled tightly with cucumbers - 4 cloves garlic - 1 head of dill. - Brine: 1 gallon water, 3/4cup sea salt - grape, oak, or horseradish leaves to cover the cucumbers in the jar Place cucumbers, garlic, and dill in jar and cover with brine. Ferment 2-4 days and then refrigerate. More traditional New York Style half sour pickles: ~20 cucumbers (blossom end removed, they contain an enzyme that can make the pickles soft) - 15 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed - 2 dried red chili peppers - 2 tbsp. pickling spices - 4-6 bay leaves (optional) - 2-4 dill heads (optional) - Brine: 1 gallon water, 3/4 cup sea salt - grape, oak, or horseradish leaves to cover the cucumbers in the jar Combine everything into fermenter, cover with brine, and top with grape leaf. Ferment 2-4 days for half sour, 6-8 for full sours. When they taste good to you place in fridge.
Thanks for this video. Much appreciated. You're my go-to source for home brewing, but as I cut down on my beer consumption (I'm getting old) my interest in fermented foods is growing. And I happen to have a pouch of Omega Lacto in my fridge.
I'm not 100% sure where William got his, but we don't carry those on our site. A quick Google search pointed me here, but I'm sure you could find them other places as well: www.amazon.com/Stone-Creek-Trading-Weights-Patented/dp/B016HKY9EO/
Excellent video, have wanted to make kraut for a long time. Once you have gone past the 1 week or so fermentation period, what the shelf life of it, assuming stored in the fridge. Just got to the end of the video and you answered my question. Sounds like bottom line is, as long as the kraut is submerged in liquid, you should be good to go
Exactly. And if you like your kraut with that more shredded texture to it, consider using a mandolin to cut it or a few quick pulses in a food processor if you don't have great thin slicing knife skills.
@@NorthernBrewerTV Thanks for the note. I prefer the coarser version vs the super thin you get at the store. Do have a mandolin/knuckle slicer that would work well as you mentioned, does speed up the process. The Lacto blend, do you guys have that at your place?
06:59 It's like kimchee. If you leave the top off of the jar for a few minutes, it'll be trying to escape. You got to close it quickly or it'll be all over the place.
Does NB have a dry lactobacillus yeast to use? I won't be by the store for a while and would love to get something shipped and not wait for cooler temps for liquid shipping.
We do carry two dry options (see links below). Both come in 10 gram packets, which is a LOT of lacto, considering that 1 gram of lacto will work on 2.5 gallons of beer. So, for a kraut project like this you'd be looking at just a pinch of lacto worked into the cabbage. Then you'd have plenty for more kraut, other fermented food projects, or even a homebrew or two. www.northernbrewer.com/products/lallemand-wildbrew-sour-pitch-10-grams www.northernbrewer.com/products/lallemand-wildbrew-lactobacillus-helveticus
We fermented at room temperature and then moved it to the fridge one week later after transferring from fermenter to storing/serving vessel. I've never heard of fermenting it cool but am intrigued at what the effect might be.
According to the University of Minnesota Extension: "Store the container at 70 to 75 F while fermenting. At these temperatures, the sauerkraut will be ready in 3 to 4 weeks. At 60 to 65 F, fermentation may take 5 to 6 weeks." In a bit of contrast this blog called makesauerkraut.com (ha!) says: "Fermentation at 72° F (22° C), or higher, is too warm. Though these temperatures result in a rapid formation of acid, you often end up with mushy, soft, and even pink sauerkraut." So, I'd say aim for low 70s.
In this case, it's now beer yeast as in typical brewer's yeast. Instead it's lactobacillus, which is often used to sour beer styles like gose and other degrees of tart beers. Lacto is often used in fermenting other foods as well as a direct pitch or by creating it naturally with use of salt on unwashed veggies, fruits, etc. Here is one of my favorite video primers on the topic: th-cam.com/video/u80eGi6pTso/w-d-xo.html
Check out our blog post with full sauerkraut recipe: bit.ly/3WQ3aYQ
What other fermented food projects would you like to see featrued here on NBTV?
This was great! I have home made sauerkraut before. Its fun, delicious, and an easy way to jump into Lacto- fermentation of food. I would love to see more of this stuff, because we are always learning!
Thanks so much, Chris. William is a sort of mad scientist of sorts with fermented foods so I'll let him know that we gotta get on top of some more projects like this. There are also other NBers who do things at home as well. No shortage of ideas. What sort of things would you like to see or do you think homebrew-minded folks with appreciate? Cheers!
@@NorthernBrewerTV Well, its a little late in the year for Fresh garden Vegetables. But showing people the ability to ferment and long term storage, any food, is a good idea. Especially in this day and time! I think many home brewers don't even realize you can ferment food. (Plus they already have most of the equipment!)
My people are Luxembourgers (from Wisconsin). We have made kraut for generations. Somewhere, I have a 20 gallon ceramic crock with a wooden floating lid that I have been dragging around the country (I'll bet it weighs 150 Lbs). Now, I make kraut, giardiniera, and kimchee in 1 gallon pickle jars. I bought some of the plastic crosshatch embroidery "fabric" and cut it to the inner diameter of the jar. I weigh it down with the glass canning weights - works perfectly. I use natural yeast, but the Omega yeast is a good touch -- just keep it away from your beer gear. Chip says that his taste for the chiles may be more radical than the typical Minnesotan. Try making kimchee. The twin cities have a rich southeast Asian community. There have got to be some experts available to you. The Hmong have a fermented salad that is awesome. Regarding the 20 gallon crock with the wooden lid: I'll bet it works like kviek. The enchanted bugs live in the wood, and make a perpetual "family" strain of lacto culture...
First off, this is a wonderful jam-packed comment; it has everything: history, geocultural awareness, and brainstorming! I have indeed had some wonderful (and spicy) local kimchi and pepper oil sauces here in MSP area, and appreciate the proximity to Hmong people and food. I think it would be a fun video to produce in finding someone more tied by heritage to the dish than William or myself to do a demo. You mention giardiniera, the Curtido-style kraut William made sort of reminded me a bit of that just with difference ingredients, but a similar vibe. Cheers, Chip
Excellent work!
Note the spice profile of the crab boil and pickling spice mixes.
That said, any basic kraut can make a very authentic traditional meal by balancing the sharp sourness with savory and sweet. While slow cooking on the fire or inside oven your favourite ribs picnic meat or cushion cut of beef or pork till tender then cover with the kraut and onions salt pepper and finally adjust the acidic sourness down with small additions of palate pleasant sugars or fruit like apples or sauce. The meld of savory, sweet, sour, and spice is a simple artful expression. Beer adds a nice aroma at the end.
Thank you so much for this delicious comment! This sounds like a great template for a wonderful meal.
good stuff
Do you guys have a good recipe for lacto fermented pickles?
Info below is fom William Richartz and his wife Cheryl. We'll add making a video of this to our list of fermented foods projects we'd like to do in the coming months. Cheers!
Fermented Pickle Recipes Below. Same as kraut your primary fermenter should allow for gases to escape, once they taste good to you place in an air tight container in the fridge. Both of these recipe I like to let mature in the fridge an extra week after fermentation. I find the flavors meld together a bit better. Pickling cucumbers are best. You always want to remove a small amount (1/8") of the blossom end on cucumbers as they contain an enzyme that can soften the pickles. There should be extra brine in each recipe, that can be kept in the fridge for future batches or tossed. The brine will turn cloudy during fermentation from the bacteria doing it's job.
Half Sour Pickles (Cheryl's Traditional Ukrainian families recipe, old school)
- 1 Gallon jar filled tightly with cucumbers
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 head of dill.
- Brine: 1 gallon water, 3/4cup sea salt
- grape, oak, or horseradish leaves to cover the cucumbers in the jar
Place cucumbers, garlic, and dill in jar and cover with brine. Ferment 2-4 days and then refrigerate.
More traditional New York Style half sour pickles:
~20 cucumbers (blossom end removed, they contain an enzyme that can make the pickles soft)
- 15 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
- 2 dried red chili peppers
- 2 tbsp. pickling spices
- 4-6 bay leaves (optional)
- 2-4 dill heads (optional)
- Brine: 1 gallon water, 3/4 cup sea salt
- grape, oak, or horseradish leaves to cover the cucumbers in the jar
Combine everything into fermenter, cover with brine, and top with grape leaf. Ferment 2-4 days for half sour, 6-8 for full sours. When they taste good to you place in fridge.
@@NorthernBrewerTV Вашій дружині... дякую.
Thanks for this video. Much appreciated. You're my go-to source for home brewing, but as I cut down on my beer consumption (I'm getting old) my interest in fermented foods is growing. And I happen to have a pouch of Omega Lacto in my fridge.
Looks great! Where did you get the large weight that split in 2? Do you have that available on your site?
I'm not 100% sure where William got his, but we don't carry those on our site. A quick Google search pointed me here, but I'm sure you could find them other places as well: www.amazon.com/Stone-Creek-Trading-Weights-Patented/dp/B016HKY9EO/
Excellent video, have wanted to make kraut for a long time. Once you have gone past the 1 week or so fermentation period, what the shelf life of it, assuming stored in the fridge. Just got to the end of the video and you answered my question. Sounds like bottom line is, as long as the kraut is submerged in liquid, you should be good to go
Exactly. And if you like your kraut with that more shredded texture to it, consider using a mandolin to cut it or a few quick pulses in a food processor if you don't have great thin slicing knife skills.
@@NorthernBrewerTV Thanks for the note. I prefer the coarser version vs the super thin you get at the store. Do have a mandolin/knuckle slicer that would work well as you mentioned, does speed up the process. The Lacto blend, do you guys have that at your place?
We don't sell mandolins, but we definitely carry Omega Yeast's Lacto Blend: bit.ly/3EdjziL
You won't get scurvy from just eating meat fellas, but thanks for the sauerkraut recipe. Good stuff. 😉👍🏻
"Kraut, kraut, let it all out! Cabbage is the thing I can't do without. Come on, lacto is fermenting too. Come on."
Nice Beers for Fears reference! :)
06:59 It's like kimchee. If you leave the top off of the jar for a few minutes, it'll be trying to escape. You got to close it quickly or it'll be all over the place.
Those sneaky ferments. Always trying to escape!
Does NB have a dry lactobacillus yeast to use? I won't be by the store for a while and would love to get something shipped and not wait for cooler temps for liquid shipping.
We do carry two dry options (see links below). Both come in 10 gram packets, which is a LOT of lacto, considering that 1 gram of lacto will work on 2.5 gallons of beer. So, for a kraut project like this you'd be looking at just a pinch of lacto worked into the cabbage. Then you'd have plenty for more kraut, other fermented food projects, or even a homebrew or two.
www.northernbrewer.com/products/lallemand-wildbrew-sour-pitch-10-grams
www.northernbrewer.com/products/lallemand-wildbrew-lactobacillus-helveticus
As it ferments where are you storing it? Room temp or in the fridge? I've heard varying responses.
It should be room temp. Stable, just like canning foods. Just fill up the liquid, so there is little head space at the top.
We fermented at room temperature and then moved it to the fridge one week later after transferring from fermenter to storing/serving vessel. I've never heard of fermenting it cool but am intrigued at what the effect might be.
I let mine ferment for a month. Keep the door to that room closed. Haha. I just tie a cloth around top of my large crock
What is best temperature to ferment sauerkraut at?
According to the University of Minnesota Extension: "Store the container at 70 to 75 F while fermenting. At these temperatures, the sauerkraut will be ready in 3 to 4 weeks. At 60 to 65 F, fermentation may take 5 to 6 weeks." In a bit of contrast this blog called makesauerkraut.com (ha!) says: "Fermentation at 72° F (22° C), or higher, is too warm. Though these temperatures result in a rapid formation of acid, you often end up with mushy, soft, and even pink sauerkraut." So, I'd say aim for low 70s.
So you can add a little bit of beer yeast to jump start it ?????
In this case, it's now beer yeast as in typical brewer's yeast. Instead it's lactobacillus, which is often used to sour beer styles like gose and other degrees of tart beers. Lacto is often used in fermenting other foods as well as a direct pitch or by creating it naturally with use of salt on unwashed veggies, fruits, etc. Here is one of my favorite video primers on the topic: th-cam.com/video/u80eGi6pTso/w-d-xo.html
@NorthernBrewerTV thanx for taking the time to respond. Doing my first sauerkraut this weekend 👍