RECIPE 1.
To make 1 quart of sauerkraut
• 2 lbs. cabbage shreds
• 3 to 4 tsp. salt
Salt must NOT be iodized.
Quart container: wide mouth mason jar works nicely. Glass, enamelware, crock pot, will work – but nothing metal.
To distribute the salt: in a large bowl put in about 1/4 the shreds and sprinkle over it about 1/4 the salt, and repeat layers...
Toss the salted shreds by hand, and let them sit a few minutes. The salt will start acting on the shreds making them easier to pack into the jar.
Pack the jar a little at a time. I use my fist to punch down the center and my thumb to pack down the sides of the jar, while turning the jar. Juice will start forming. Don't pack all the way to the top, leave some space for the juice to rise.
After the jar is packed:
cover with a cloth to keep out dust, and let ferment for 2 weeks at room temperature, keeping an eye on it. Kitchen counter is fine. Use taste test to see when it is done.
During fermentation, the shreds need to be in the juice, and they tend to want to pop up out of the juice. Find a way to keep them submerged, but not with anything metal. Glass is best for a weight. Plastic or rock might react with the juice.
If there is not much room left at the top of the jar, the juice might overflow, so catch the overflow with a saucer. Save the overflow juice because you might need it later to top off the jar if there is evaporation. If there is evaporation exposing the top of the shreds and no saved overflow juice, then make a brine that can be used to top off the jar: 1 cup water to 1 tsp. salt.
If any shreds get exposed to the air and get moldy, just throw them out. Underneath is still good.
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RECIPE 2.
These jars have been on the counter during winter for 17 days.
2 large heads cabbage take off outer leaves and take out core.
yield 6 lbs. shreds
2-one quart jars + 1-two quart jar
wide-mouth CANNING JARS
larger jar leaves more space for juices to rise and fall
6 lbs. shreds — 3 Tbls. salt
Toss shreds with salt. Let sit half hour or an hour to wilt the shreds. Juices will start to rise. Pack jars and place a glass weight on top to keep shreds submerged under juice. Screw lid on a bit loosely. Every day take off lid and push down shreds. Ready in 4 weeks. Fermentation will continue in refrigerator for a several months, flavor continues to improve, about 6 months is the peak, after that fermentation is pretty much spent amnd flavor will start to decrease.
Some recipes call for more salt. My recipe is the minimum amount of salt necessary to ferment shreds without danger of mold forming on surface.
Fresh heads are better than dried out heads. Dry heads can be used but might need extra brine. mix ¾ not iodized salt with 1 cup water.
A substitute for a glass weight can be any jar or glass smaller than the opening of the wide-mouth mason jar. Make it heavier by filling with water.
