Re: newbie and first kraut update

[Guest guest]

Yes, it takes a long time to get sour and wilty. But I like it a lot better

when it's fresher. This happens with pickles too: when you eat

them only halfway fermented, those are the ones they called

" half dill " . So I guess the crunchy kraut is " half kraut " :-)

Adding juniper berries to kraut is really good. Chopped apples

too .. they don't end up tasting like apples but the make the

kraut good (also they tend to add fizz, if you miss having bubbles).

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 12:40 PM, bompu1 <bompu1@...> wrote:

> Good news. My very first kraut is delicious!

> I let it ferment at room temperature for a month.

> I wasn't sure if it was working because of the no bubbles,

> mentioned before. But last night I got brave, and ate some.

> It was delicious. Both the tanginess and flavor were " correct "

> for the taste of sauerkraut, but much milder than I expected.

> It was not too " sour " . Another surprise to me was the cabbage

> was still crisp. It had not " broken down " like most commercial

> sauerkraut. Still crunchy. All in all I am very encouraged by

> this experience.

>

> Now... what to ferment next? Possibilies include:

> - I can always do another straight cabbage batch -or-

> - cabbage and kale

> - cabbage and red bell pepper

> - cucumbers with dill, garlic, and peppercorns in the brine

> - beet kvass

>

> ... or pretty much anything. Now that I know it's easy,

> I can just use my imagination.

>

> -bompu

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Now... what to ferment next? Possibilies include:

> - I can always do another straight cabbage batch -or-

> - cabbage and kale

> - cabbage and red bell pepper

> - cucumbers with dill, garlic, and peppercorns in the brine

> - beet kvass

Congratulations on your first fermentation success! My personal fave mix is

cabbage with smaller amounts of onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and chili

peppers. Kimchikraut!

Cheers --

Pam

[Guest guest]

Congrats on your success, and your patience waiting a for a whole month! I

was sampling mine 2 days into the ferment, and I finally packed it into jars

and put it the the refrigerator at 7 days. I'm sure it will be all gone

before a month is up.

On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 2:40 PM, bompu1 <bompu1@...> wrote:

>

>

> Good news. My very first kraut is delicious!

> I let it ferment at room temperature for a month.

> I wasn't sure if it was working because of the no bubbles,

> mentioned before. But last night I got brave, and ate some.

> It was delicious. Both the tanginess and flavor were " correct "

> for the taste of sauerkraut, but much milder than I expected.

> It was not too " sour " . Another surprise to me was the cabbage

> was still crisp. It had not " broken down " like most commercial

> sauerkraut. Still crunchy. All in all I am very encouraged by

> this experience.

>

> Now... what to ferment next? Possibilies include:

> - I can always do another straight cabbage batch -or-

> - cabbage and kale

> - cabbage and red bell pepper

> - cucumbers with dill, garlic, and peppercorns in the brine

> - beet kvass

>

> ... or pretty much anything. Now that I know it's easy,

> I can just use my imagination.

>

> -bompu

>

>

>

--

Regards,

Harkness

[Guest guest]

,

I must confess part of the waiting for a whole month

was fear. ( hehe ) I was afraid to open the jar or eat

some... not sure what I would find. But finally eating

it was an " aha! " moment. No more fear. Now I know it's

easy and I can do it. And this kraut is wa-a-a-a-y better

than any commercial kraut I have ever had.

As to your questions about the jars. Actually I now

think I wasted my money getting the fancy Pickl-It jar.

Next I will try a regular one-quart Ball jar. I don't

think I need to drill holes in the lid either. I will

use the 2-piece ring and lid that goes with the jars.

I don't think there was very much pressure built up

in my first kraut batch, and if you're worried about it,

just loosen the ring. If there is any pressure in it,

simply loosening the ring will allow the pressure to

lift the inner lid. Any brief crack should vent any

pressure.

If there is not enough pressure to lift the inner lid

when you loosen the ring, then there is not enough

pressure to have exploding jars either.

Besides, mason jars ( ball jars, whatever ) are cheap.

So I can get enough of them to always have a batch

( or two ) in eating stage, while other batches are

still working. I just have to put dates on them so I can

remember when each jar got started.

Just a thought.

-Bompu

>

> Congrats on your success, and your patience waiting a for a whole month! I

> was sampling mine 2 days into the ferment, and I finally packed it into jars

> and put it the the refrigerator at 7 days. I'm sure it will be all gone

> before a month is up.

>