How to Make Sauerkraut
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มี.ค. 2012
- A step by step explanation and demonstration of making sauerkraut. Follow this USDA approved method for an easy way to have your own sauerkraut at home.
Here's a link to the gallon glass container I used: amzn.to/2IRT6rR
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And this is how a "How To" video should look like. Thanks for all the precise and straight forward information. Kudos to you.
Thanks, Juan.
Agree, good clear instructions. Thanks.
I've never seen something so simple become so complicated. My dad made a large wooden barrel every fall. Lay the outside leaves ontop set a board on that then a river rock on that and wait .He always put the "hart" or stem in the kraut I use to dig in there and eat them . My kids do the same today. We still use the same slicer my grandfather used .
I always but the core in. Its my favorite part. Its my treat for making it!
Thank you for explaining the actual process! This helped me, as I studied biology and chemistry. You said:
"What the salt will do is cause the liquid in the cabbage to come out.
That liquid is loaded with carbohydrates.
Those carbohydrates are what feeds the bacteria.
And the bacteria will create lactic acid.
The lactic acid is what ends up pickling the cabbage."
I read pickling as licked. F
It worked for me I stopped taking them blockers Nord I think they call it problems swallowing feeling food stuck in my gulet any more tips thanks
Used this video to make sauerkraut last October, and it turned out great! Forgot about the leftovers in my fridge, and one year later it’s still tasting great, haha.
it tasted so great it lasted over a year in the fridge
*3-6 weeks!!? Jeeze I was trying to have it done by 6pm...*
Got to get store bought.
Hahaa my kind of person
Better go get store bought lol
Why does store brought smell and taste like vinegar
Mr. GS: Fermentation of sugars is an ANAEROBIC process. Oxygen is NOT needed. In fact, O2 actually accelerates the process to Lactic acid. The fact that the entire fermentation process occurs under a fluid medium (brine), inhibits the addition of oxygen to the process. Gas bubbles (CO2) are released as the sugars are converted to alcohol>lactic acid. You can measure the acid content using a pH meter. It should read less than 5.0 if the fermentation process is progressing normally. Just an old chemist, wine & cheese-maker adding his 2 cents.
+Angelo Gagliano Thank you for your input. You are correct that this is anaerobic fermentation. I suspect you meant that CO2 accelerates the process because oxygen (O2) would hinder the development of the lactic acid bacteria and encourage the development of mold. Using a pH meter is a great idea if you have one and finished kraut should be about 4.6.
Thanks!
Yeah....what Angelo said....
Hats off to old wine and cheese makers. The joy and health you all have provided for the human race are unmeasurable.
So would it ferment faster with an airtight lid so no oxygen can get in? Also what if the temp gets above 75f at times? It's hot here now
....food safe ? ? .....my grandpa made a wooden barrel full every autumn....he covered it with a wooden lid weighted down with a food safe river rock....he stored it in his "temperature controlled" root cellar right next to his moonshine
"Food safe" is a nice way to encourage food preservation with reduced exposure to harmful organisms and chemicals. I certainly don't want to assume any responsibility or liability for someone getting sick if I recommended using an old wooden barrel and a rock. While your grandpa may have done everything right, he may have been lucky. Food poisoning is more common than most people realize, even today. USDA guidelines discourage using "Grandma's" recipe and encourage using only approved preservation recipes and equipment.
Gardener Scott ....while i'm grateful for your concern about food poisoning, i'd like to point out that sauerkraut has been made this way for millennia with no adverse results....my grandpa made it this way and so did his grandpa probably.....gramps really did make moonshine for is own use, also with no adverse effects
....the only time i've ever encountered food poisoning was when i ate a day old sandwich left out on a hot day (mayonnaise)
....our society has become encumbered with ridiculous levels of safety procedures, and even stupider social practices, as in child rearing....you can't "safety" everything in life
You ever hear of the survivor bias. You only know of the batches of sauerkraut that fermented properly and not those that spoiled. Their are easy ways to tell if your sauerkraut has gone bad, and I'm sure your grandfather threw those batches out way before it got to your plate.
I appreciate your opinion and agree you can't and shouldn't safety everything. I'm only passing on the USDA-approved method for making sauerkraut at home. I don't want to be responsible for any food poisoning issues that might arise from not following approved food safety practices.
Gardener Scott this is the best video by far. Ignore them. It's right.
My goodness, I've been watching you as Gardener Scott, but I just found you doing sauerkraut. You are a very talented man! Thanks for all the great videos.
Now I know how to make my own sauerkraut. Thank you.. Erwin.
Hi! Old post but just saw it :) Thumbs up for the good infos mentioned. There is just a few things (observations) i'd like to share, feel free to reply anytime. 1st, when pickeling, to avoid contaminents, never wear jewels on your fingers, or your wrist! And please, dont use anything with BPA (that plastic bag is handy but full of bad stuff). Also, pickeling salt isn't bad for this receipe but for people who have bad heart conditions, as I do, simply use Sea Salt or Pink Hymalain salt. Yes, you do have to knead it 2 minutes longer but it is worth it. And from what I saw in the video, you don't seem to mix the cabbages enough, mostly at the bottom. You really should knead it more before starting the crushing down processes. Oh! And for those who don't know, do use a wooden spoon, never use metal when pickeling... I did at first and spoiled many good veggies :(
Cheers to all!
Thanks for your inputs. It's always good reading how others make sauerkraut.
Hello! i like to ask you the temperature from what i hear should be 60 to 65 f what if a person does not have a cold cellar or the temperature inside is 75f where to store the jar in the fridge?
Then you store it where you can and simply pay attention. : - ) Would it ferment in the fridge? I don't believe it would. Too cold. Fresh kraut keeps in the fridge well after ferment.
Ours is in 70-75F temps every time. Works OK!
Sir, I want to thank you very much for taking your time and sharing w/ us. I just finished my first small successful batch kraut per your instructions. Delicious!!! Oh the childhood memories with that first bite.
I had tried a couple times before, not your recipe and was unsuccessful. I am as excited as a little kid at Christmas, thanks again.
Robert, I'm so glad your batch was a success and delicious. Thank you so much for this wonderful comment.
I remember the cold cabbage juice between my toes when we did it the old fashioned way in Poland.
Hopefully they were food safe toes.
timinwsac or food grade disposable socks
🤮🤮🤮🤮
Cześć jak się masz?
That's cool Krzysztof! The German's here used a big wooden stomper to break the cabbage down in a large crock but as long as we get enough brine, we're good! We use a small wooden stomper in a 2 gallon crock. Tried some last week and oh, so yummy. Almost ready.
I don't like the fact that there isn't brine completely covering Scott's kraut but good kraut is good kraut.
I watched several videos about making fermented sauerkraut. I chose to follow yours. It worked just the way you said it would. I really have enjoyed it. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing that, Nick. I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
Those are the comments I like to see...thank you
Put a little shredded carrots and a Tbsp of caraway seeds in the cabbage with the salt and you have a very satisfying flavor.
this has to be the best kraut tutorial I have ever seen ... in fact this is the best ..ANYTHING tutorial I have ever seen since I can remember! from watching 6-7 years of cooking videos !
thanks for the work and research you obviously put into this video. I am so happy to be a subscriber to your channel , you never let me down
I have cabbage growing right now ... guess it's destiny ? ..heheh
awesome job !
Thank you for your reply, Scott. I did use grinded Himalaya salt, that's what I use everyday. It looks good so far but alot of liquid. Gonna taste it today.
@stymye Thanks. March is a great time to make sauerkraut with St Patrick's Day cabbage sales at the store. Let me know if you do it with your own cabbage... that will taste twice as sweet.
Gardener Scott you rock!
I have been using this recipe for almost 2 years, it is wonderful, it is really easy once you get started, I let mine sit for 9 weeks exactly, turns out wonderful, i can 6-8 pints from this. still not as strong as the store kraut.
This video was awesome! I don't know why people sit around and watch videos they don't like and then take the time to comment how it's all about them. If you want a short video, look at the little time in the corner and go by that. If you want to put some time into learning and knowing the details, look for a longer time. That's what I did and in comparison, your video gave me the best ignition to start it right now because I bought a cabbage today just for this. Thank you for taking the time to help others! :)
Thank you for such a nice comment, Tanya. I'm so glad I could be of help. Enjoy your sauerkraut. :)
Okay, just did it and I couldn't find any larger(ish) jars so I found some jam jars I kept, and put it in them. The juice is high, just covering, so I won't use a weight.
That's great. Small jars will work just fine. Just keep an eye on it so the cabbage stays submerged during the whole process.
Thx again for and easy less complicated and safe method. Makes life so easier. Blessings
Too involved for me; referring to weighing and measuring. I simply shred as much cabbages as I choose, add a carrot or 2 and salt to taste. I stir well, pack in mason jars, make sure the brine covers all the veg, cove the top of the veg with The whole putter leaves of the cabbage an weigh down with glass floral beads. I set it in my pantry with an coffee filter with a rubber band. It is perfectly delicious in 7 days!! Full of wild probiotics! Sooo much simpler and quicker!!
That's cool! I'm sure it's not the traditional way and that the name isn't Sauerkraut, but it's Colslaw :) Not the same but the probiotics are awsome for both! In my Coleslaw, I add a finely minced slice of ognion and a tiny celery branch with the small pale green leaves on. It adds "un je ne sais quoi" to the taste, it's delicious and it also takes 7 days before we can consume... Hungry now so Cheers!
TheAyasan coleslaw where I’m from isn’t fermented at all
prinsesa iomperreo if you want a reply please use English
I do it simpler than that, and it's great, in only a few days, even during winter in San Diego, in an unheated cold house:
Chop up Cabbage as desired.
Put in container, such as mason jar.
Start mashing/crushing the cut up cabbage with some sort of workable tool or piece of wood to fit through the jar top.
Add salt to taste.
Continue mashing to cause the cabbage juice, which occurs, and which the salt helps bring out plentifully more, to adequately cover the mash.
Cover the jar just so stuff doesn't go in.
The mash liquid makes the 'seal' for the fermentation to occur, - no 'fermentation lid' needed, the liquid is the 'fermentation lid'.
Although I put the jar lid on the top of the jar, but I keep it a bit 'ajar',.. so there is some air exchange.
Makes perfection in a few days, in 50F to 60F, minus and plus,… in San Diego near the ocean.
@@korvaamiko66 I think some sausage fingers got in the way on oksills' phone. :D
Great video! Excellent instructions and clear steps. Thank you!! I knew i would find a sauerkraut video on your site! :) going to make this on the weekend :)
I use a flat paddle wooden spoon to break cabbage down , makes water come out much faster.
Thank you I just did 2. Without your knowledge and video the world would have to settle for shop bought . Great stuff, more please.
Thanks, John. I'm continuing to make videos, both on fermenting and gardening. I appreciate your support.
It is easier by far to add the salt and start working the cabbage in the bowls well before you add it to any jar. If you do that you will not need such a large jar. As you can see from the video this jar is only a quarter full and there is too much air in the jar. A smaller jar with a rubber glove over it will keep out bacteria!
You made it look so easy! Now I just have to grow some cabbage! Great video, thank you!
Made it today, exactly by your instructions. Thanks for the video!
Nice video... I've been going through your box gardening video... Love them!!
Fascinating! I love the science!
Super good video, visually and verbally. Thank you for a perfectly clear demonstration and explanation. If you aren't a teacher you should be
Thanks, Al.
This is a real educational voyage of discovery , both the video and the wonderful comments !
Cabbage lovers unite 💝 I'm a big fan of Kimchi as well , so healthy 👌🏼🍂🍁🍂 Happy Autumn 2020.... Keep the faith 😊
I have found that the bottom of a wine bottle makes a great cabbage masher... FYI
MtKayak1 :: a empty bottle ??😃
GENIUS!!
Julia Child would approve.
I use a full champagne bottle. Large one.
@@robertkat Oh, you don't either.....the punt is too deep. LOL!
Wow! This is a blast from your past! 😲 I got 2 heads of cabbage. Gonna try this on a smaller scale but hope for more one day! Just gotta go with what I have for now to learn, I LOVE a good homemade sauerkraut! A good friend turned me on to this!
Thank you for this video and being so explicit! Appreciate!
You're welcome.
Great video! I'm going to attempt this.
Thanks. Good luck with it and have fun.
You really need the brine totally covering the cabbage to keep the air away.
A very easy video with simple and clear instructions
This is my third year using Gardener Scott method of making sauerkraut. It has turned out wonderful tasting. There is nothing like homemade sauerkraut. I have given many jars of it to friends and family and they have all said how great it taste.
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing.
that is pretty interesting. thanks alot for your presentation.
I like the glass crock you use.
I would also prefer to have it in glass so I could check easier if something is looking odd.
Thanks. That is a good point. Seeing it change color, especially pink, can indicate that there is a problem with the fermentation. Glass lets you track how it's progressing.
I agree that using glass makes it much easier to see what is actually going on. I don't have a large clear container like Scott here so I use a few quart size canning jars. A bit more work for me but it work well enough. I have also used a red cabbage for kraut, great flavor also.
I use a few if the outside leaves to cover and keep all of it sauerkraut under the brine and toss them when it is finished. Also, the cores can be fermented in a 3% brine and are edible and delicious after 3 weeks.
Great idea. Thanks.
I'll be doing this soon with my last cabbages, thanks for the demo, Scott, it's one of the best out there.
Thanks, Scott. Glad you can use your own harvest.
@@GardenerScott Started today. I'm using your video along with Brad Leone's from Bon Apetite (he adds some spices). Hoping for a good outcome.
@GardenerScott well it is slow growing cabbage so far , If it beats the heat I'm ok , or else I will have to wait till fall to plant again. I will be sure to refer to this video when I can
A much quicker way is cutting the cabbage as thinly as possible and leave it in a large bowl with the salt for half an hour before you start pressing/kneading it. After just 5 minutes your cabbage should have become quite soggy with more than enough juice to cover it. If you leave it to ferment around 90 degrees farenheit it will probably have stopped fermenting (more or less) within 5 to 7 days and has developed a pleasant vinegar smell and taste. In other words, the sauerkraut ready to eat. (Unless you want wait longer to achieve a stronger taste.)
99% of everybody say to us sea salt, which is easily available at most grocery stores, which I use and have no problems with, I also noticed you don't massage the cabbage enough to release the juices, hence not enough covering the top of the cabbage.
+April Mae I've never had a need to massage the cabbage. By the time I've blended it with the salt and pressed it firmly into the container, the brine begins to cover the top. Once the weighted bag is in place the cabbage has released enough liquid to remain in the brine.
Great explanation about making sauerkraut. Remember that there will aways be nay sayers out there that claim their way is better. Please ignore them and continue to show YOUR way of fermenting. Thank you for taking the time to make these informative videos! Much appreciated! .
Thanks for the nice comment, Anne.
Great info! Thanks. Sharing
Thank you! ❤️
Great video!! Thank you for taking the time to make this very informative video. Your attention to detail helps prevent failures. As a terminal cancer survivor, I understand the importance fermented foods and food grade containers. Instead of a plastic bag (possibly contains BPA) you may want to check out "food grade" silicone bags. Thank you again!
Thanks! I do try to focus on food safe products and since I made this video I've learned much more about fermented foods and their benefits. Now I use glass weights at every opportunity to avoid possible contaminants like BPA. I'm so glad to hear of you winning your battle. Best wishes.
Thank you for the easy recipe.
You are a great teacher. Thank you
Thank you for those kind words. :)
This is a good basic recipe but the addition of Caraway seed makes it better.
i asimov When is a good time to add the caraway seeds? At the start with salt or later after the fermentation starts?
I like garlic dill better
Garlic and Dill is my family's favorite. It is close to pickle taste and my kids like it more.
@@Folma7 I add caraway seed at the time I start the batch.
@@username54487 Sounds good. I'll give it a try.
● Thank you, great explanation.🌺
You're welcome.
great info thanks scott
well explained thank you.
Lactic acid does not do pickling, it's called fermentation. Pickling is with vinegar, salt and sugar solution.
Pickling is a term food factories came up with when they tried to make food that tasted the same as the traditional fermented foods people used to eat at one time. People forget that home refrigeration has been around for only 90 years or so. Before that, the only way to preserve your vegetables, dairy products and meats for winter was to ferment or dry it. Naturally, people had recipes that made their fermented foods taste great. This is how fermented foods became part of peoples culture, pun intended.
So as food production or food, factories came into being and people started buying their foods, food producers looked for ways to provide the "same" taste or close to the traditional foods as possible and pickling came into being. The sour taste of the acids produced by fermentation was created with vinegar. Pickled foods were just a faster way of preserving food and it tasted almost the same. Even today people still confuse pickled foods with fermented foods. People even drink vinegar today thinking they are getting healthy acids... Nope "crunchy" Mama, put down the flavoured cider vinegar and make some sauerkraut.
@@StevePotgieter Excellent info. SP
@@StevePotgieter love the pun. Lol
Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar has good probiotics and vitamins. Not sure what you meant by put down the flavored vinegar.
I had a friend try to say his pickles had probiotics. I laughed. Same with so many of the yogurts with useless dead bacteria.
Louis kind of messed things up, didn't he? 😂😂😂
@@TheDonwiggins You get flavoured cider vinegar in stores now bottled for drinking. You have people out there gulping this stuff down believing anything "sour" has vitamin C in and probiotics in it. And don't get me wrong Cider vinegar that still has the mother in it does have probiotics in it too but not as many. I do love vinegar though once you break away from the sweet stuff for a good while you start craving everything sour.
@@StevePotgieter I didn't know. That's funny. It's amazing how they market garbage to people.
It's so funny how genetics play a huge roll in what food you like. My moms side is all German and Scandanavian and my dad's side is Mexican and Apache. So I eat tamales and burritos one day and eat pickles herring and sourkreaut the next haha
Your poor tummy! :)
That sounds really nice.
Try pickled herring with some sauerkraut and neutral/unflavoured processed cheese in a tortilla. That or just tuna instead of the herring are one of my favourite snacks.
I'd say it was more to do with how you were raised than it is to do with genetics. The diet sounds amazing though!
I am not mexican and I eat plenty of Burritos :)
my parents are from israel. I eat rice, beans, pasta, pizza, sourkreut , and fish. your point exactly?
Thanks for this video. Always wanted to make sauerkraut from scratch.
You're welcome. It's delicious!
There is a Salvadoran relish called Curtido used on Pupusas. Everyone should try it! I think of it as an upgraded sauerkraut recipe.
I would like to share with you our "grandfather "recipe which according to you is not safe .
You can found this on youtube.
"Tlacenie kapusty do suda " by Gendzo Macher .
He is using custom made ceramic jar with groove ,you place small jar with shredded cabbage in to to big jar and you filled the groove with the water preventing air going inside . Technically speaking you seal outer jar , air tight therefore you avoid any contamination from outside .
Wooden barrel were used for sour kraut ,wine ,whisky you name it .
You are youtube sour kraut expert and the farmers in Europe produced 200 kg barrel of sour kraut and selling on local markets
There is no evidence of "sour kraut poisoning "
Sour kraut making tradition did not start in US but in Europe centuries ago .
My grandmother made sauerkraut and sourdough bread with culture in Eastern Europe. She couldn’t do it here because she couldn’t get what she needed here.
she couldn't get cabbage and salt ?
@@TheDa6781 Hers was different, much less salt, and live culture that was also used to make sourdough bread. I can't stand modern sauerkrat after eating old-style European made.
@@franceslock1662 well the amount of salt is usually 2-3% to prevent bad things from developing. I'm in europe and that's how everyone I know makes fermented veggies. Maybe by adding live culture she was able to reduce the salt even more because the good culture would overcrowd the bad. Do you know which live culture she was adding to the mix ?
@@TheDa6781 I have no idea, it's lost knowledge because my grandma died and my mother has dementia. The good bacteria meant they didn't need much salt at all an it had a natural sweetness and piquancy.
@@franceslock1662 I'm sorry to hear about your grandma and especially mother. That is a hard thing to deal with.
Great video, thank you!
Excellent guide.
If you add 2 tsp of white vinegar your cabbage will stay white. Nothing like a good Ruben with fresh Rye bread and homemade kraut.
The vinegar will likely kill all the healthy bacteria that are created from using this method, as opposed to buying Sauerkraut from a supermarket that has vinegar in it, or has been pasteurised, which also kills the bacteria.
Just use white wine. Not a vinegar.
What's a ruben?
@@MatchesMalone1183 Just like the government did to milk. All the flavor and good stuff is pasteurized right out of it. That is why a coffee and scalded milk here in the USA does not taste the same as back in Brazil. Brazil uses a lower temp process which preserves much of the milk's unique flavors.
@@redshift1223 Pastrami sandwich with rye bread, good mustard you like and sauerkraut, grilled on outside or fresh. Some like cheese.
Can you use red or purple cabbage? Will it make a difference?
God bless you 🤲 Ronak 🌸from baghdad / Iraq 🇮🇶
great video, thank you!
Great stuff. Thanks GS! A coupla' quick questions: (1) After the two weeks, do I need to refrigerate it? (2) How long is it good for?
Refrigerating the sauerkraut allows it to stay fresh longer. Generally, sauerkraut should be consumed within 30 days, unless you use another method to preserve it like canning or freezing.
where did you buy that 2 gallon jar.? Thanks for sharing this great Video etc.
You can find the jar on Amazon Here: amzn.to/2E5rHTI
Thanks for the kind comment.
MyREDTAIL they have those cheap at a wal mart if u have one
very well explained!
thanks so much for sharing
I always use the outer leaves to cover the cabbage, then I weigh it down with the plate. Also, if you have too much space - you have air in there and mold forms. Use a jar that will be practically filled with cabbage & brine. One that will leave little air space left behind. If the wrong bacteria forms and get to the cabbage the whole batch is useless. That is why I cover it with those outer leaves then weigh it down (no pieces floating on top where the air can get to it).
Well said!
Carol Marshall, trying to ferment in the fridge really won't work. Your refrigerator should be set at 40 degrees or below and that's too cold to allow the bacteria to begin fermentation. While 80 degrees is warmer than ideal for making sauerkraut, it will work. Keep a close eye on it because higher temperatures will result in finished kraut faster than the 70 degrees that's recommended.
I love your video, it's very helpful. I shredded my cabbage today and weighed it down with the bag like you said to do. I have a question, when the sauerkraut is finished, I have a Food Saver and I was wondering if it would be safe to seal the sauerkraut in the Food Saver vacumn bags and store them in the refrigerator for longer storage? I used a 2 gal. glass jar and used 10 lbs. shredded cabbage. Thank you.
Margaret Hartman
Thanks. A food saver bag is a good way to extend storage time. As long as you keep it in the refrigerator you can probably gain at least 2 to 4 weeks of storage, if not more. I would not recommend storing it at room temperature.
+Gardener Scott can i store sauerkraut outside of
the fridge, i am planning on making 20 jars and dont have room in my
refrigerator, so what happens if i keep it on the kitchen counter, will
it go bad? how long would it last this way? would it last 6months or longer,
and how do i prevent mold growing on/in it? thanks!
+Sebastian Caine You can store sauerkraut outside the fridge if it is processed using water bath canning. This is a good way to have sealed jars to maintain freshness; it can last for months at room temperature. I always can my sauerkraut and have jars available for many months. Another option is to freeze it. I would not recommend leaving it in an unprocessed container at room temperature. While the lactic acid will keep the sauerkraut safe to eat for a while on a kitchen counter, as it dries and is exposed to oxygen other bacteria and mold can enter the picture and make it unsafe or unsavory to eat. If you've never done water bath canning, now would be a good time to learn. It is VERY easy and gives you the options to make large batches of things like sauerkraut and keep them safe to eat for long periods. I've eaten jars of my sauerkraut after a year of being stored with no noticeable change in taste or texture.
Gardener Scott
I have honestly never heard of water bath canning i am so new to all of this, thanks for this great info, i am going to research this right now! :) cheers
Thank you for the recipe. I have one in the recipe book. However, it does not provide detail information like you present on your TH-cam video. Yours is much better!👍
excellent videos
My mom always made sauerkraut. She sliced it very thinly though, and I noticed you sliced yours very thick (compared to hers, and the store bought brands) Does it shrink or something? Get thinner? I like it thin and stringy. Also, my mom put sauerkraut ontop of her cabbage rolls....oh man. That is so good, try it! :)
You can slice it to any size you want. It does shrink a little but it's all for what size of kraut you want to eat. Korean kimchee is a similar process and keeps the cabbage leaf whole.
I'm with you, I shred mine as thinly as possible and I believe it helps to speed up the process.
why not ferment it at like 75 or 80 so it ferments alot faster so we can eat it sooner?
Warmer temps definitely cause a faster fermentation. Between 70 -75F you can have sauerkraut in three to four weeks. Above 75 you can eat it sooner, but the sauerkraut may become softer. If you can keep your room at the temp, give it a try and see if you like the texture.
Hi Scott. I made this today. I had 2 heads of cabbage @ 5.2 lbs before removing the core, so I am good to go. Took a while to get the liquid to cover but all turned out ok. Will let you know what it is like. I haven't tasted sauerkraut since the late 60's and didn't like it then. My wife does, so I will try the homemade stuff. Till then, thanks for the video and method.
That's great. I hope both you and your wife love it. :)
That heel is the treat in kraut ,if u let it sour with the rest of the cabbage ,my aunt used to take all her put them in a single jar just for me as a teen
Thanks for the suggestion, Charles. I made this video years ago and have since learned that the heel is completely usable. I still cut out the root section that tends to be stringy, but now will cut the heel into smaller pieces and ferment it along with the rest of the cabbage.
It seems like some people stir it every couple days and some people skim off anything that floats to the top, then some people say don't break the seal and leave it sealed for for full 4-6 weeks. I'm confused.
The purpose of skimming the top is to remove any scum that develops before it alters the taste and leads to possible contamination. You really don't want to stir it and mix in the top layer of scum and bacteria until the lactic acid levels are high enough to displace the harmful bacteria. You could leave it sealed, but I find that doing minimal effort to keep the environment as clean as possible results in a better tasting sauerkraut.
Hi, thank you for the video. How and where do you store the sauerkraut after it's fermented?
+TJ C For sauerkraut I plan to eat within a few weeks, I store it in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, I water bath can pint jars of sauerkraut and store them in the pantry.
Thank you for your reply. Did you mean put the jar in the water and store them?
+TJ C No, water bath canning is a method of food preservation where a vacuum is created in the jar to seal the contents. Similar to what food companies do to seal food containers, it is something that can be done at home.
Ok, thank you for the clarification.
Gardener Scott Isn’t that going to kill the good vitamins and minerals
Sorted through many sites and many methods. Yours is the easiest and you explained most every thing very well, the only thing i can see you have done differently is use your hands when compacting... some old people have negative thoughts about this. Thank you for you're simple method and posting it for the world too see. Cheers.
+jim brown You DO want to wash your hands thoroughly before doing this obviously!
+jim brown Thanks! I thoroughly wash my hands before, during, and after. I think you can get a good feel for the compaction of the cabbage by using your hands, as opposed to a spoon or ladle. Of, course if there is any concern, gloves and tools are always an option.
Great info. thanks.
💖💚💖💚💖💚MMMMM We Love SourKraut ,, ThankYou For Video
I will try this out. By the way, among all the answers I've ever had to the quesiton "what's up" none could ever stand up to "I'm monitoring the temperature of my sauerkraut".
Great response. thanks for sharing.
Good video with great tips
Thank you.
Thank you Scott. I always thought sauerkraut was pickled in vinegar. My dad and I used to make kapusta and I just made some now which brought me to this video. I would love to make it with homemade sauerkraut. Peace.
You're welcome. Enjoy your new sauerkraut.
I dated a Hungarian woman whose mom made a dish of fried cabbage and onions, I believe she used the term hulushka kapusta, I always loved going to her moms house for dinner. I contemplated marrying her to get to her moms cooking.
My mother in law was told by her doctor that the best pro biotic you can have is as follows. When ready - eat your sourkrout with a good pro-bio yoghurt - a plain one. A tablespoon with equal amounts of both in it daily. Plus following chemo recently, my doctor is saying that a low dose aspirin daily prevents many cancers. Plus another is the turmeric - pepper - oil combination paste - known as golden paste. Last one - a good one to Google is the raw honey and cinnamon combo. However the cinnamon needs to be Ceylon and not the Cassia type. That one is for cholesterol. By the way, I got really lucky. My cancer was bowel. It was stage 1 going onto stage 2 - early detection being "everything" - had blood in my stools and also loose stools. Anyone here with these symptoms, get it sorted. A programme on telly today highlighted the fact that many people are ignoring the test sent through the post. 50%. Do not end up 'dying' of embarrassment. !! Particularly vulnerable is the over 50's and 60's. You do not necessarily get any symptoms like I did, as I said --- lucky. I am 55 and due to Early detection have a 97% survival rate. A good cancer to get if diagnosed earlyish. Angy x
5 pounds of cabbage will make 1 gallon of kraut ( ceramic, glass or food grade pain) and 25 pounds makes 5 gallons, which can be a food grade bucket. cabbage in bulk usually comes in a 50 pound bag, so u know what to expect at the farmer's market. it sells for 75 cents by the head, and I have bought it good quality fresh cabbage by the head for as low as 27 cents a pound, a come on to get u into the market.
TODD FISCHER cool bud
We do use a 5 gallon bucket, food grade with food grade plastic liners, We most often get 30 pounds into the bucket. Each 5 pounds get 3 Tbls of salt. After fermentation is complete, we bag and freeze. People beg us for it lol
Looks like good old Connor Roy finally found his true calling
Hey i just crack open
my canning jar of Red
sauerkraut with red onions
and i compare with store brand
fermenting for about two and half
month, one in the refrigerator
the other three jars at room temp
the refrigerator kraut came out
superb
I think i added garlic,
but i don't remember have to take
another taste cause the kraut
it's all Red .
Jewelry is dirtier than a toilet , so why does the outside of the container need to be clean ?
I didn't know the importance of the type of salt (canning and pickling salt) on making sauerkraut. Thx!
Sea salt works wonderfully. Been making some of the best kraut with it for years. I agree with not using iodized, but sea salt is perfect.
The biggest hindrance to fermentation would be the iodine because iodine is a very good disinfectant which is not good for the health of the fermenting microbes.
Thank You!
I massage the hell out of my shredded cabbage. I work in a big bowl. Really squeeze and mash with my fists. Do this for about five minutes and there is tons of liquid. I would never use plastic anything on my kraut. I worry about it leaching chemicals. You can buy stone or glass weights.
Damn! I had the cabbage and the salt but was all out of thyme.
On the Lamb i got that😄😄! Lol
lol both!
😆🌵✌🏼
Of all the kraut videos this is the best.
Thanks, Jack. I appreciate that.
MrAzomite, it isn't as much about the quantity as it is the chemical reaction. It takes weeks for the salt and enzymes to interact and for the lactic acid to ferment the cabbage. That length of time is required to create a product that preserves it and prevents spoilage. That time is about the same regardless of the amount so if you take the effort to make sauerkraut you might as well make a lot. Less time makes a salted cabbage and not a true, fermented, preserved, sauerkraut.
If you've got bubbles, you've got active fermentation, live probiotics. One reason I like using quart mason jars is I usually open the first jar in about 1 to 1.5 weeks. The other jars are undisturbed and continue to ferment. Each week or two, as I've consumed each jar, I'll open the next one.
You can let it ferment however long you'd like, depending on how tart you like your sauerkraut. Eventually though, I think the active probiotic value will diminish, as it's food source runs out and the bacteria will die off, even though the sauerkraut is perfectly preserved and still very tasty.
I also use the canning lids on the mason jars. During the first few days I burp the jars so they won't build up too much pressure. The canning lid prevents oxygen from getting back into the jars, and prevents any aerobic action. I never get any mold or scum on top.
I also use the cabbage core. After filling the quart mason jar, I put a leaf on top, and then part of the core on top of that. When I put the lid on, it push down the core and helps keep the cabbage below the liquid level.
When I open a jar, the core I've placed on top also seems to be quite edible, which also is a good indicator that no aerobic action has occurred.
When you slice the cabbage put the flat side down. You are far less likely to cut yourself.
You are very correct.
I’m thinking a good processor would make the job very easy.