Re: newbie - and making first kraut

[Guest guest]

Hi Bompu,

Welcome to the list. This is the best source for your fermentation needs, and

then some... Let me know how you like that jar - I've nearly gotten one a

couple of times but didn't actually place the order thinking that my 2Qt Mason

jars are just fine. This isn't the most active list but by far the most

knowledgeable, so ask away anytime. Best of wishes for improvement in your

health - you are on the right track by taking your health matters into your own

hands.

Kathleen

" Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to

their limitations again. " R. Cook

________________________________

From: bompu1 <bompu1@...>

nutrition

Sent: Fri, December 24, 2010 3:22:45 PM

Subject: newbie - and making first kraut

Hello, I am new to this group.

Also new to ferments. Just heard about it recently,

and what I have been reading makes me think I really

need to eat natural raw living fermented foods.

I have been sickly all my life without knowing why --

obesity, chronic fatigue, no energy, depression, and

lots of back pain due to curvature. So I am eagerly

looking forward to improvement with this diet.

I just started my first batch of sauerkraut --

cabbage and sea salt -- I am using a Pickl-It® jar.

( see www.pickl-it.com )

It's been 2 days, but I don't notice anything happening

in there yet. I hope it will be okay.

Anyway I'm glad I found this group. I look forward to

learning a lot.

-bompu

[Guest guest]

Bompu,

Good for you getting on living foods and ferments. It will do your body a lot of

good and you will reap the rewards of health. Just remember, though, it will

also cause your body to cleanse, so usually people get a worse before they get

better, so hang in there.

Your kraut sounds good, I'm sure it will be a lovely batch. I also have a gallon

fermenting with my new air lock on it. Can't wait to see how it turns out, but I

filled it too much and it's dripping right out the valve, boo!

Millie

[Guest guest]

I have one of these jars.and haven't been able to use it! I do better with a

mason jar.so I'm eager to hear advice on it.

F.

[Guest guest]

While you're making the kraut it's really convenient 2 also make the kraut

juoice. They're both delicious and so refreshing in hot weather.

Welcome,

eco

[Guest guest]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes.

Progress report - day 5 - sniffing over the air lock,

the kraut is beginning to smell " correct " - like kraut.

I probably did not spend enough time " pounding " the

cabbage/salt mixture before putting it in the jars,

because there was almost no liquid when I first packed

it in there. I added a bit of juice from a jar of

Bubbies Pickles, and also some more brine, until the

liquid came up over the cabbage. Sloppy technique

on my part I guess.

Because of that, now at day 5 the kraut is " floating " ,

or rather there is an inch of liquid at the bottom of

the jar ... under the kraut. Hmmm ... still hoping

it all goes well.

If the smell continues to be the " correct " kraut smell,

I may drain out some of the excess liquid, and drink it.

- or maybe save a bit to inoculate another batch.

I have located a farm store about 60 miles from me

which sells raw milk, butter, and free range eggs

and meats. It's a bit of a drive, but maybe I can

get some viable whey from them.

As for how do I like the Pickl-It jar? It seems to be

well made, the glass is thick so the jar feels strong,

and the wire-bail latching lid is a good idea. There

is a hole in the center of the lid with a grommet,

where you insert either 1) the air lock during brewing,

-or- 2) a small plug, if you transfer the jar into the

fridge. The jar is not cylindrical, like a mason jar is,

but more squared off with rounded corners, so you can

nest several of them together without wasted space

between the jars.

The real question of course, does it make good kraut?

Since this is my first ever attempt, I have no other

methods to compare it to, but I assume it should work

fairly well.

In fact, if anything goes wrong it will be more likely

my own fault, not the jar.

You could also ask if it's necessary to spend the extra

money on a Pickl-It jar... probably not... since people

have been making kraut for centuries without these jars.

They cost a bit more than mason jars, but they are

nowhere near as expensive as Harsch crocks. So it's

just personal choice I guess.

Anyway, thanks again for the welcome. I am looking

forward to many enjoyable foods from this new hobby.

And fun too. ( and better health )

-bompu

[Guest guest]

On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 7:33 AM, bompu1 <bompu1@...> wrote:

>

> Because of that, now at day 5 the kraut is " floating " ,

> or rather there is an inch of liquid at the bottom of

> the jar ... under the kraut. Hmmm ... still hoping

> it all goes well.

>

The thing is, it will float no matter what. The gas that

is produced does that. Which is why in the past they

used plates or a board to hold the kraut down. Some

people use plastic bags filled with water (but they

tend to break IME).

The best thing I've found is a custard cup or condiment

cup that is the right size, to use as a " spacer " at the

top of the jar. Then I use any ol' jar, but I do make

sure the lid doesn't seal well so gas can escape. Most

krauts don't have all that much gas, but the jars have

been known to explode, which is a mess at the least.

So I use plastic lids.

I've been making " Dunkers " , which is my own version

of the condiment cups in the correct size for mason

jars, and I do sell them at Etsy. It's not a money-making

venture, but they are handy. The traditional thing to use

is a rock, which will work if you are sure the rock doesn't

have available heavy metals (iron makes the whole batch

turn red!), or you can wrap the rock in a plastic bag. Finding

a piece of ceramic the right size is safer though, I think.

Food-grade ceramic these days is tested for lead and

other kinds of leaching. Or the little pyrex cups you can

get at the grocery store, or little tiny jars (like baby food

jars).

You can see the idea here:

www.dunkers.us

[Guest guest]

If u pound it w a wood stick til submerged it will b crammed full and nowhere to

rise. The container does not good kraut make. You r what makes it good. Reuse

an old jelly or pickle jar and it will b just as good. I would line the metal

lid since acid will form.

eco

[Guest guest]

How do I make the juice? Do I just add more water/salt/whey? Or do you actually

juice the cabbage and add teh water/salt/whey?

Thanks!!!

Ann

>

> While you're making the kraut it's really convenient 2 also make the kraut

juoice. They're both delicious and so refreshing in hot weather.

> Welcome,

> eco

>

[Guest guest]

Whatever extra water is in a ferment, makes juice. Actually you'll

get extra juice regardless, because as the vegies ferment, they

release water.

The Koreans make some kimchi specifically with lots of water,

to make a kind of " soup kimchi " .

Personally I never use whey, and I never juice the cabbage. I make

a brine based on great-grandma's recipe: 1 qt water, 2T salt, 2T vinegar.

Boil, let it cool, pour it over whatever. This is pretty much the recipe

used

in the old French vegie ferments too. It has just enough salt and vinegar

to encourage the right bacteria and inhibit the wrong ones.

After that, it's mainly a matter of keeping the vegies under the brine,

which

can be done by using shouldered jars and/or weights.

On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 6:58 PM, walshseven <walshgam@...> wrote:

>

> How do I make the juice? Do I just add more water/salt/whey? Or do you

> actually juice the cabbage and add teh water/salt/whey?

> Thanks!!!

> Ann

>

> >

> > While you're making the kraut it's really convenient 2 also make the

> kraut juoice. They're both delicious and so refreshing in hot weather.

> > Welcome,

> > eco

> >

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

Can you put your great-grandmother's complete kraut recipe here including amount

of cabbage used, time to ferment, etc? Sounds great.

--- In nutrition ,

[Guest guest]

The complete recipe as I heard it is:

Boil a quart of water, with 2T salt and 2T vinegar. Let it cool.

Pour it over shredded cabbage, put a weight on top, let it

ferment.

Mind you, she did it in a big barrel on the porch, and it probably

took more water than that. I actually salt and vinegar the grated cabbage a

little

and let it set to wilt, which makes it easier to pack into the jars. Then

I pour the brine over, if I need more liquid.

I don't measure though. Salt doesn't measure well anyway, because

how much you use depends on how fine the salt is. I taste the cabbage:

it should taste just slightly salty, like a good soup. The vinegar kind of

pushes the ferment in the right direction, and you don't need much.

On Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 3:21 PM, Faultlineusa <faultlineusa@...>wrote:

> Can you put your great-grandmother's complete kraut recipe here including

> amount of cabbage used, time to ferment, etc? Sounds great.

>

>

> --- In nutrition ,

[Guest guest]

I've tried this recipe of s and it's excellent - I like it best. I also

used her suggestions of adding in juniper berries and apple - I love it! My

challenge is finding ways to use kraut rather than just having a bowl of it but

lack ideas for other ways of consuming it that are not heavy meal recipes. I do

like putting some in a bowl, drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of Celtic

sea salt. I prefer kraut juice. How can I make a bunch of kraut juice?

Kathleen

" Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to

their limitations again. " R. Cook

________________________________

From:

[Guest guest]

Just add more brine, less cabbage. You might pound the cabbage more

to release the juice into the brine too. There is a kimchi recipe called

" kimchi soup " which is basically just really really juicy kimchi.

The " soup " is popular with chefs for cooking too ... apparently it's

becoming

popular in France as a flavoring agent.

Our favorite for kraut is to put some potatoes in a dish, dump

kraut over them, and bake. In old German recipes, carmelized onions

are added too. I think sweet potatoes or turnips would be a fine

substitute for white potatoes though.

On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 5:53 PM, Kathleen <kathleencsa@...> wrote:

> I've tried this recipe of s and it's excellent - I like it best. I

> also

> used her suggestions of adding in juniper berries and apple - I love it!

> My

> challenge is finding ways to use kraut rather than just having a bowl of

> it but

> lack ideas for other ways of consuming it that are not heavy meal recipes.

> I do

> like putting some in a bowl, drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of

> Celtic

> sea salt. I prefer kraut juice. How can I make a bunch of kraut juice?

>

> Kathleen

>

>

> / <http://eatingoffthefoodgrid.blogspot.com/>

[Guest guest]

I like kraut with tomatoes and country mustard and caraway seeds on a grilled

cheese sandwich. AIt's messy though.

GB

>

> I've tried this recipe of s and it's excellent - I like it best. I

also

> used her suggestions of adding in juniper berries and apple - I love it! My

> challenge is finding ways to use kraut rather than just having a bowl of it

but

> lack ideas for other ways of consuming it that are not heavy meal recipes. I

do

> like putting some in a bowl, drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of Celtic

> sea salt. I prefer kraut juice. How can I make a bunch of kraut juice?

>

> Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Thanks for that recipe. I'm going to try it next. I've been using half

the recommended sea salt and using whey to make up the difference when making

mine only to cut down on salt. I would use 2Tsea salt and 2T whey. I like the

idea of using vinegar. Is that apple cider vinegar or white vinegar?

--- In nutrition ,

[Guest guest]

Thanks . Since I do my ferments in mason jars wit lids does the recipe

still work do you think?

Ann

--- In nutrition ,

[Guest guest]

>>> How can I make a bunch of kraut juice?

You can juice it in a juicer or just make fermented cabbage juice, here is an

explanation on this page for this.

http://www.pecanbread.com/new/fermented1.html

millie

[Guest guest]

I do mine in jars also, so I think it works just fine. It is helpful to use

a weight to keep the cabbage submerged, so it doesn't get moldy or

dry on top. A small condiment cup works, or any piece of crockery

that is the right size. Commercially, cups made out of plastic are used

as a kind of " spacer " for kimchi.

On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 4:23 AM, walshseven <walshgam@...> wrote:

> Thanks . Since I do my ferments in mason jars wit lids does the

> recipe still work do you think?

> Ann

>

> --- In nutrition ,