Guest guest Posted January 19, 2004 Report Share Posted January 19, 2004 Oh would that I had tried to make sauerkraut before Sandor Katz was in town! I have a technical question and am hoping that some of you good folks will have a recommendation for me. I have just put my first batch of sauerkraut to ferment in the crock and encountered a technical difficulty. I was looking for a " cover " to put my weight on top of (to keep the cabbage under the brine) and found that all our plates are poorly suited for the job. Most of the small plates are so snug that they won't seat reliably or else if they seat they won't come out (I had to break a plate with a hammer because of this, couldn't jimmy it out even with a knife). At this point I am using a bowl and a filled 1/2 gallon glass jug to press the cabbage under the brine, however a few stray pieces of cabbage are visible at the surface--is this going to be a problem or is nature forgiving with a little inconsistency here and there? Thanks, Leann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2004 Report Share Posted January 19, 2004 >At this point I am using a bowl and a filled 1/2 gallon glass jug to press >the cabbage under the brine, however a few stray pieces of cabbage are >visible at the surface--is this going to be a problem or is nature forgiving >with a little inconsistency here and there? > >Thanks, Leann It is pretty forgiving. You can cut a piece of wood (not treated wood) to fit the crock too. Some people use plastic bags filled with salt water (but that gives you plastic-exposure, which is more of an issue for some folks than others). The Koreans just lay big leaves of salted cabbage over the top and set a rock on them (or even, no rock). The " danger " is that exposed cabbage can get moldy. The oldtimers say, " So what, take out the moldy pieces " . You can also just make the kraut in old kimchi jars or mason jars or french canning jars. I fold a salted cabbage leaf over the top and sprinkle salt on top of that ... never has had a mold problem so far. But if you really like kraut, eventually just treat yourself to a Harsch crock. They are worth it! --- Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2004 Report Share Posted January 19, 2004 Heidi, thanks so much for a response! With all the threads on other topics I was almost set to go no mail! ;0) Maybe I'll try to find a plate at a Goodwill or something that is a better fit, as the bowl presents some problems of its own, as the liquid creeps up it spills down into the bowl, which takes the level down some...hmm, I suppose I could add some water too, eliminate that problem. Thanks for your response! Cheers, Leann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 > > Hello Bee and my other new friends, > > I am hanging out for some good sauerkraut and would like an instant one from an organic shop. (Tried making my own, but it just didn't turn out well at all, will try again this week.) My local organic shop sells one with 'organic cabbage, sea salt and juniper berry'. I've looked up previous messages re juniper berry, and can only find one regarding sauerkraut. Your advice there was not to have sauerkraut with the juniper berry. Why is that? Pardon my ignorance here, but I've never heard of juniper berry. I'm about to google it, so I'll soon find out I guess. Maybe someone can wise me up a little on how to do a good batch > of homemade sauerkraut. I'm not much of a success story in the kitchen. > ==>Hi , Australia; see if you shop can order plain sauerkraut for you. Sauerkraut is so easy to make however; see our recipe file. There's one called Sauerkraut Relish that simple; search at http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com or you can make kimchi which is also terrific. Luv, Bee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2007 Report Share Posted January 8, 2007 > > Hello Bee and my other new friends, I am hanging out for some good sauerkraut and would like an instant one from an organic shop. (Tried making my own, but it just didn't turn out) Maybe someone can wise me up a little on how to do a good batch of homemade sauerkraut. **Hey Sue I make my own sauerkraut and it seems to turn out ok, first of all I sterilise the jars. I place the jars in a pot with water and boil for about 6 minutes, tip the water (carefully out of the pot and leave the jars to cool.) Then I wash the cabbage in water and spin the water out in a salad spinner. Then I cut up the cabbage and put it in a blender and blend on pulse, when it has problems blending I add more water and keep pulsing it. When I've finished blending all the cabbage I add sea salt to taste. Then I tip it into my prepared jars. Because I live in Brisbane and its summer at the moment and at times up to 30+ degrees, I put the jars of sauerkraut into an esky with a couple of ice bricks, and I exchange the ice bricks 3 sometimes 2 times over a 24 hour period, and after 4 days its perfect. One time I went away overnight, and came back mid day the next day and wasnt able to exchange the ice bricks, and when the sauerkrat was due to be ready, it didnt smell or taste right, so I threw it out. so hopefully this works for you too. luv kat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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