Fwd: Re: Good bacteria in sauerkraut - ? How to make sauerkraut

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I am forwarding a post by from the LI list (The original SCD

list where most of the members are adults with IBD or IBS)

Mimi

> When I wasn't sure whether I could ever have yoghurt again, I thought

> there

> would still be the good bacteria in sauerkraut.

>

> Believe it or not, it really can be delicious. In Germany, we serve

> Sauerkraut with Bratwurst (fried sausages), roast duck, goose or pork,

> along

> with mash (I use drained & puréed spaghetti squash instead of potatoes,

> butter, mace, salt). Spice up your kraut: Laurel leafs, allspice, caraway

> seed, juniper berries, dry white wine, onions, apples, even pineapple...

>

> Elaine says it's only for advanced SCD'ers, and she is absolutely right.

>

> The season for making sauerkraut is just around the corner, so here they

> come:

>

> This is what Tim sent:

>

> " Sauerkraut

>

> Here is the directions I follow from the Wild Fermentation book. You

> must

> start your sauerkraut out uncovered, except for a towel covering the

> container so the cabbage can ferment. If you cover your sauerkraut with

> a

> lid and leave it unrefrigerated, it will mold quickly. Also try to find

> a 1

> gallon crock. It is one of the best containers for making sauerkraut. I

> picked one up at the flea market for around $10 and I have recently seen

> new

> ones at antique stores for $6-10. If you want to get serious about

> making

> sauerkraut, enter " how to make sauerkraut " or " making cultured or

> fermented

> vegetables " into google and you will find some interesting info.

>

> Making fermented vegetables is an experiment not science, so have fun !!

>

> Making Sauerkraut is Easy!

>

> Sandor Ellix Katz, the creator of this site and the author of Wild

> Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods

> (Chelsea Green, 2003) has earned the nickname " Sandorkraut " for his love

> of

> sauerkraut. This is Sandorkaut's easy sauerkraut recipe, one of more

> than

> 90 ferments included in his book.

>

> Timeframe: 1-4 weeks (or more)

>

> Special Equipment:

> Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, one-gallon capacity or

> greater

> Plate that fits inside crock or bucket

> One-gallon jug filled with water (or a scrubbed and boiled rock)

> Cloth cover (like a pillowcase or towel)

>

> Ingredients (for 1 gallon):

> 5 pounds cabbage

> 3 tablespoons sea salt (do not use refined table salt)

>

> Process:

> 1. Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts,

> however you like it. I love to mix green and red cabbage to end up with

> bright pink kraut. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.

>

> 2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of

> the

> cabbage (through osmosis), and this creates the brine in which the

> cabbage

> can ferment and sour without rotting. The salt also has the effect of

> keeping the cabbage crunchy, by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that

> soften

> it. 3 tablespoons of salt is a rough guideline for 5 pounds of cabbage.

> I

> never measure the salt; I just shake some on after I chop up each

> cabbage.

> I use more salt in summer, less in winter.

>

> 3. Add other vegetables. Grate carrots for a coleslaw-like kraut. Other

> vegetables I've added include onions, garlic, seaweed, greens, Brussels

> sprouts, small whole heads of cabbage, turnips, beets, and burdock roots.

> You can also add fruits (apples, whole or sliced, are classic), and herbs

> and spices (caraway seeds, dill seeds, celery seeds, and juniper berries

> are

> classic, but anything you like will work). Experiment.

>

> 4. Mix ingredients together and pack into crock. Pack just a bit into

> the

> crock at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other)

> sturdy

> kitchen implement. The tamping packs the kraut tight in the crock and

> helps

> force water out of the cabbage.

>

> 5. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the

> crock. Place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the

> cover.

> This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the

> cabbage

> submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep

> dust

> and flies out.

>

> 6. Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force

> water out of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think

> of

> it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. This can

> take

> up to about 24 hours, as the salt draws water out of the cabbage slowly.

> Some cabbage, particularly if it is old, simply contains less water. If

> the

> brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enough

> salt

> water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about a teaspoon of

> salt to a cup of water and stir until it's completely dissolved.

>

> 7. Leave the crock to ferment. I generally store the crock in an

> unobtrusive corner of the kitchen where I won't forget about it, but

> where

> it won't be in anybody's way. You could also store it in a cool basement

> if

> you want a slower fermentation that will preserve for longer.

>

> 8. Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the

> fermentation

> proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to

> this

> mold as " scum, " but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you

> can

> off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to

> remove all of it. Don't worry about this. It's just a surface

> phenomenon,

> a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the

> anaerobic

> protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the

> kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste

> gets

> stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter,

> kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a

> heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and

> the flavor turns less pleasant.

>

> 9. Enjoy. I generally scoop out a bowl- or jarful at a time and keep it

> in

> the fridge. I start when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving

> flavor

> over the course of a few weeks. Try the sauerkraut juice that will be

> left

> in the bowl after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice is a rare

> delicacy

> and unparalleled digestive tonic. Each time you scoop some kraut out of

> the

> crock, you have to repack it carefully. Make sure the kraut is packed

> tight

> in the crock, the surface is level, and the cover and weight are clean.

> Sometimes brine evaporates, so if the kraut is not submerged below brine

> just add salted water as necessary. Some people preserve kraut by

> canning

> and heat-processing it. This can be done; but so much of the power of

> sauerkraut is its aliveness that I wonder: Why kill it?

>

> 10. Develop a rhythm. I try to start a new batch before the previous

> batch

> runs out. I remove the remaining kraut from the crock, repack it with

> fresh

> salted cabbage, then pour the old kraut and its juices over the new

> kraut.

> This gives the new batch a boost with an active culture starter.

>

> Like I said earlier, I use cabage, onions, carrots & radishes most of the

> time. I have also added apples, salad greens, cucumber, red cabage,

> garlic,

> ginger, etc. Next spring / summer when the vegetables are of better

> quality, I will start experimenting again.

>

> Tim "

>

> This is one of the best things I ever read about making sauerkraut.

> Here is how we would do it:

>

> Childhood memories: There was a huge steingut crock (earthenware), and it

> was my pleasure to scrub it: Someone, usually Grandpa, would grab me by

> the

> ankles, me dangling down, head first, into the crock and scrubbing like

> mad.

> It was much fun, really! Needless to say, this crock was huge.

>

> We did not use a plate, but a special kind of wooden board, cut into 3

> parts

> that would exactly fit the opening of the crock.

>

> We would line the crock with cabbage leaves all the way down. Grandma

> liked

> her kraut very white.

>

> The United States Regional Cook Book (1947, p. 298), explains:

>

> " Sauerkraut made in a stone crock

>

> 10 pounds cabbage, 1/2 cup salt

>

> Wash and scald crock. Remove outer soiled leaves from cabbage but do not

> wash the heads. The wild yeast plants on the unwashed cabbage are a

> factor

> in the fermentation process.

>

> Shred the cabbage directly into the crock, using preferably, a kraut

> shredder that rests on the top of the crock so that it is not necessary

> to

> handle the cabbage. The shreds should be long and about the thickness of

> a

> nickel, 1/16 of an inch. If cut too thin, sauerkraut is soft and mushy;

> and

> if cut too thick, it is unattractive in appearance.

>

> Sprinkle a layer of salt over each 1-inch layer of cabbage. Pack each

> layer

> down well, using a potato masher, glass jar or some such utensil. When

> all

> the cabbage and salt are in the jar, cover with a clean white cloth;

> place

> an inverted plate on the cloth and top with as large a piece of limestone

> as

> possible. The weight of the stone holds the cabbage under the brine that

> soon forms and the small amount of lime that is dissolved by the brine

> aids

> in the lactid fermentation which gives sauerkraut ist characteristic

> flavor.

>

> Allow to ferment from 1 month to 6 weeks in a cool place, preferably at a

> temperature of 60° F, that of a very cool room or basement. A higher

> temperature speeds fermentation but kraut is likely to spoil.

>

> Skim off any film that may have formed during the fermentation period.

> The

> sauerkraut may be left in the crock for several months if care is taken

> that

> the brine always covers the kraut and that the film is removed each time

> the

> crock is opened. Use a clean cut cloth each time the crock is opened.

>

> If space is lacking, sauerkraut may be drained, packed tightly in

> sterilized

> jars and sealed. Makes 6 to 7 quarts. "

>

> This is The Recipe for no-nonsense sauerkraut. Just salt and nothing

> else?

> Right. Don't use too much salt. You can add things like caraway seeds,

> allspice, laurel leaves, juniper berries, whatever, while you cook it. It

> is

> a marvel to me that there, owing to Tim, could be such a thing like pink

> sauerkraut. I feel like trying!

>

> The brine always has to cover the kraut. To make sure of that, Grandpa

> would

> open a bottle of home-made white wine and pour it over the kraut,

> followed

> by a Vaterunser (Lord's prayer) . Then he would open a second bottle for

> us,

> making kraut makes thirsty. Prosit!

>

> Enjoy,

>

> Sabine Magdalena

> Berlin, Germany

>

> CD, SCD more than 2 years, no meds, no problems.

>

>

>

>

>

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