This is a thread about lacto-fermentation sauerkraut. Lacto-fermented foods have received a lot of positive attention as a probiotic and for their health benefits. I used to buy organic sauerkraut in a 750ml jar for about $10CAD, but Ive been making my own sauerkraut for some time now.
There are multiple ways to do it Im sure, such as with/without starter culture, different spices, etc. I will try to document the process Ive used.
I start with approximately:
1-1.5% Himalayan Pink Salt (relative to the weight of the cabbage)
20-25% non-chlorinated water (relative to the weight of the cabbage) and I set aside approximately one cup to dissolve the starter culture
1 pack starter culture, they say to use one for about 2-3kg of cabbage but I typically use one for about 8-10kg of cabbage
optional - caraway and juniper berries (or other spices) to taste, I use about 1/2tsp. per 1kg of cabbage
I like to bring the spices to a gentle boil in a small amount of the water for a minute or so in case there are any pathogens that may cause a problem during fermentation. Ill then add this to the remainder of the water and dissolve the salt.
For this batch I am using about 10kg or organic red cabbage. Ive used the green cabbage before, and Ive found that it turns out better depending on the time of the year the cabbage was grown (grandmother preferred earlier cabbage IIRC). With the red cabbage it has been consistently good. You should peel the outer leaves if they are limp, bruised, etc.
Some fancy knife skills :justkidding:, I used to do this but it becomes tedious after awhile so switched to a mandolin. I recently bought the Jumbo Benriner from Jon and Sara at JKI (http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/other-items/benriner/jumbo-benriner-mandoline.html) to replace my old cheap one and gave it to my brother. For reference, this container (Rubbermaid Carb-X, basically the same as Cambro) is 18 x 26 x 9 (12.5gal IIRC)
Sorry for the gap in photos, but this is the messy part where the gloves go on so I wasnt about to touch my iPhone. I remove the juniper berries from the water solution (theyll turn to mush while mixing if you dont) and dissolve the culture in the cup of water I set aside. I add this to the cabbage, put on some nitrile gloves and work it by hand for 10-15 minutes until the cabbage is limpish and shrunk considerably in volume. I'll then gently mix in the juniper berries. This batch all fit in a 10L crock and two 750ml jars.
I allow it to ferment for three weeks on average. This batch was stopped after two because it was May and getting warmer than I like. I have to use my Vita-mix tamper to push the cabbage down in the jars, and put on a glove and push the stone down in the crock. I always seem to underestimate just how much it will rise and there always seems to be some liquid that spills over.
After its ready I place in a smaller Carb-X (12 x 18 x 9; 5gal.) and to portion it out into canning jars. I just wash the jars well but dont seal them in a canner or anything like that.
This is what I got from that batch. I just finished the last of the May 2015 batch earlier this week and have had to dig into my first batch of the Fall a little early.
Here is a pic of some green cabbage sauerkraut(left), a jar I made earlier (center), and a jar from this batch (right). You can see how the brine settles in the center jar after awhile.
Hope this was informative / interesting. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
There are multiple ways to do it Im sure, such as with/without starter culture, different spices, etc. I will try to document the process Ive used.
I start with approximately:
1-1.5% Himalayan Pink Salt (relative to the weight of the cabbage)
20-25% non-chlorinated water (relative to the weight of the cabbage) and I set aside approximately one cup to dissolve the starter culture
1 pack starter culture, they say to use one for about 2-3kg of cabbage but I typically use one for about 8-10kg of cabbage
optional - caraway and juniper berries (or other spices) to taste, I use about 1/2tsp. per 1kg of cabbage
I like to bring the spices to a gentle boil in a small amount of the water for a minute or so in case there are any pathogens that may cause a problem during fermentation. Ill then add this to the remainder of the water and dissolve the salt.
For this batch I am using about 10kg or organic red cabbage. Ive used the green cabbage before, and Ive found that it turns out better depending on the time of the year the cabbage was grown (grandmother preferred earlier cabbage IIRC). With the red cabbage it has been consistently good. You should peel the outer leaves if they are limp, bruised, etc.
Some fancy knife skills :justkidding:, I used to do this but it becomes tedious after awhile so switched to a mandolin. I recently bought the Jumbo Benriner from Jon and Sara at JKI (http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/other-items/benriner/jumbo-benriner-mandoline.html) to replace my old cheap one and gave it to my brother. For reference, this container (Rubbermaid Carb-X, basically the same as Cambro) is 18 x 26 x 9 (12.5gal IIRC)
Sorry for the gap in photos, but this is the messy part where the gloves go on so I wasnt about to touch my iPhone. I remove the juniper berries from the water solution (theyll turn to mush while mixing if you dont) and dissolve the culture in the cup of water I set aside. I add this to the cabbage, put on some nitrile gloves and work it by hand for 10-15 minutes until the cabbage is limpish and shrunk considerably in volume. I'll then gently mix in the juniper berries. This batch all fit in a 10L crock and two 750ml jars.
I allow it to ferment for three weeks on average. This batch was stopped after two because it was May and getting warmer than I like. I have to use my Vita-mix tamper to push the cabbage down in the jars, and put on a glove and push the stone down in the crock. I always seem to underestimate just how much it will rise and there always seems to be some liquid that spills over.
After its ready I place in a smaller Carb-X (12 x 18 x 9; 5gal.) and to portion it out into canning jars. I just wash the jars well but dont seal them in a canner or anything like that.
This is what I got from that batch. I just finished the last of the May 2015 batch earlier this week and have had to dig into my first batch of the Fall a little early.
Here is a pic of some green cabbage sauerkraut(left), a jar I made earlier (center), and a jar from this batch (right). You can see how the brine settles in the center jar after awhile.
Hope this was informative / interesting. Feel free to comment or ask questions.
