My Ball canning book has a recipe for sauerkraut that says you leave it in the crock for four to six weeks, skimming off the scum formation each day. FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS.
I'm sorry, I am not going to postpone road trips for a month and a half just so I can babysit my sauerkraut.
There are many, many recipes that tell how to make sauerkraut right in the jar.
THIS ONE tells you to put the shredded cabbage right in the jar and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. A facebook friend tells me her sister has used this method for years. At least you don't have to stay home and hold its hand for six weeks.
HERE is a simple method, but it doesn't tell whether to cold-pack it.
THIS RECIPE looks easy. But is it safe?
And then there's another recipe using a crock that doesn't mention skimming off the scum at all.
HERE is a recipe that's a little different than the others.
I am so confused.
What I really want is for somebody who has actually made kraut in jars to tell me exactly how they do it, step by step.
Why didn't I try making kraut while my mother was alive? Oh wait, she made it in a crock, and that's the one you have to babysit for six weeks.
What am I going to do with all this cabbage????
UPDATE: Another Facebook friend gave me the method her husband uses, so it's tried and true.
shread the cabbage and pack in qt. jars, leave 1/2-3/4 head space,add 1 tbs picking salt per qt, 1 tbs white vinegar per qt, and fill with distilled water or spring water, he uses distilled. put lids and rings on jar snug not tight, and he says they may spew when it starts to ferment, so make sure where you put the jars it won't hurt anything if it does. Put jars in dark cool place, for 3-6 weeks. He said there will be a scum on top, you need to remove this before you process them. He processes them in boiling water bath for 25 min for qts and 20 mins for pints. Or you can dump all the jars into a pot and boil kraut and brine to a rolling boil and then repack jars and water bath them for 15 min for qts and 10 min for pts. This is how he makes his he has tested a jar after 2 weeks and it is not quite ready.
I love YOUR cole slaw. Just sayin'. The one that you can't serve outside. Yeah. That one. I'd take a vat of that!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother use to make it every summer when she was alive. She made her's in an old churn and had to babysit it for 4-6 weeks. It sure was good though.
ReplyDeleteI don't grow cabbage, so I'm perfectly fine with the kind at the store. Love the stuff, even cold.
ReplyDeleteDon't like sauerkraut. Never made it. I hope the recipe you finally found lets you live a little. Babysitting sauerkraut does NOT sound like FUN to me.
ReplyDeleteMom used to occasionally make kraut the quick way, but a few years ago she said she wanted to get a crock and make it the "right" way just once. So we found an old crock at an antique store and got it for her, and she gave it a try. I have to say that it was very, very good!
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could always pack up your kraut and take it with you (wouldn't that be fun?).
ReplyDeleteI like sauerkraut but have no clue how to make it. Four to six weeks sounds like a heckuva long time!
I used to make it but I used the old thick churn. I had even forgot how long it took. It was good though.
ReplyDeleteDo what I do........buy it already to eat at the supermarket! LOL
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