Saurkraut Vessels...

Last year I made a massive load of saurkraut in a specialised crock that was 20litres....I dont have access to that vessel anymore and so will use large jars for the next batch I intend to make.

What are peoples experiences in using jars for the first stages of saurkraut, and what do they use to cover the top i.e to stop bugs etc getting in?  I was thinking a piece of thin material might suffice? My understanding is you need the saurkraut to release its gases and so it wouldnt be a good idea to have a screw on lid as the gas wouldnt be able to escape!

 

Be good to hear of experiences where people have substituted the expensive crocks for something more homemade.

Cheers!

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  • Hi, Come and see me at Sally Fallon Morell's talk here in Auckland - I have something perfect for the job that I'm sure will interest you and I plan to hold a workshop soon after Sally's visit - it'll be limited numbers however so if interested please seek me out. Caroline - S&E Auckland WAPF Chapter Leader.


  • I would like some advise re sourkraut. I made a batch using red cabbage and kohlrabi, and followed s fallon's recipe from nourishing traditions with whey and caraway seeds. however the liquid seems to have cyphoned out and is sitting in the dish under the jar. I put a plastic bag over the top and filled it with salt water and then a rubber band, so hasn't been exposed to air but all the liquid seems to have gone. the cabbage has started to change to a pinky colour so I am assuming it is turning acidic but how long should I leave it, she says 3 days only I think, and should I top up the liquids somehow before storing in the fridge? never done this bwefore obviously lol.

    • hi Kali, I find sometimes if the liquid is going down, i add more whey to it. When we were on the GAPS diet we were eating more of the kraut liquid rather than they kraut itself so we found it went down a lot and i simply squashed all the kraut down and then added however much whey i needed to cover the cabbage etc. we have left some of our batches for quite a while brewing away, though it was over winter and much cooler....our huge batches were left in the crock for months!!  I think it doesnt matter how long you leave it, as long as you keep an eye on it as sometimes you get a bit of white growth on the top. This doesnt matter and i either scoop it out or mix it in! I would prefer to know that it was really fermented and reckon it tastes better the longer you leave it. its easy to tell if its ready, just taste it :)

    • Hi Kali

       

      I collect the liquid that bubbles out in a bowl, then put in a small jar - that is my starter for the next batch.  I only let mine go for about 4 days in this weather - probably about 7 days when it gets cold - but essentially once it stops bubbling, into the fridge it goes...  it has lost a bit of liquid - usually around 2 Tbs or so - so not a lot in the grand scheme of things...

      I don't add anything else - or top it up, it's usually just fine.

      I also don't bother with the salt water in a bag - once my veg, salt and starter have been massaged into giving up a bit of liquid, I squash it into a 2l glass jar, and I cut a bit of whole cabbage leaf into a circle, so it fits inside, and over the top of the veg, then I put the lid down and seal it. 

       

      Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

  • Ooooooooooooh my 'crock' is bubbling and fermenting like a wild thing

     

    Essentially it is

    1/2 head of very fresh red cabbage - Shredded

    4 large fresh carrots - Grated

    2 peeled broccoli stalks - Grated

    1 1/2 tsp Natural salt (not iodised) of choice

    2 tsp whey (from my home made yogurt)

     

    Massage everything together, then really jam into a 2l glass jar with a rubber seal and flip glass lid.

     

    Leave on your counter top for 4 - 5 days - oh and put a bowl under it, as it will 'bubble over' - I save the 'juice' for my next batch of pickled veg.

     

    Once fermented (The jar stops bubbling) just pop into the fridge and enjoy.  I put a splash of cold pressed sesame oil on top, and it's totally delish!!

     

    You can use any soft of firm fleshed veg - including capsicum, cucumber, carrot, broccoli or cauliflower stalks, cabbage, kholrabi, kale etc.

     

    Not much luck with putting tomatoes or courgettes in - and haven't tried eggplant...

  • I see that some one has said it but I will repeat it. My mother used to make sauerkraut using a plastic bucket. After I dropped and broke a pottery vessel brought from Germany. She said it made fair kraut not as good as the crock. I will try looking out her recipe it may take some time and may be in German a language that I was never allowed to learn. She also had a special board with very sharp knifes in it to shred the cabbage. Must find out where they went.

    • I am happy to translate it for you if you want. 

      I believe the stoneware pots keep the kraut cooler which makes a difference. The tool is called a "krauthobel" which would translate into "Cabbage planer". It is a type of a mandolin slicer for cabbages. Every farmer family had one. Now they are as rare as hens teeth.

      Cheers

      Peter

  • oh cheers for input!  tara i was using the exact same vessel as you last year and possibly sent you yours he he. THey are great and i wish i had one but bit too expensive and fragile...look fab thou. like the german idea with the plastic bag,  im guessing the gas can just sneak out the side of the plastic bag? youd be hoping the bag didnt split...perhaps you could double bag just to be safe....the more ways we can discover how to do this the better, likewise with a lot of the other ferments : ).

    • Hiya -- small world, just met you in person two days ago at the hui and now I see you set up this forum here (thanks!). I notice this discussion is a year old and maybe more info is not needed now but ... I started out fermenting kraut in old Temuka casserole dishes I picked up cheap at the op shops. I like ceramics, and they are the right shape, completely straight-sided. Easy enough to find a plate while you're at the op shop that fits inside, which I then weight down, usually with a large jar or bottle filled with water. That keeps the kraut underneath the brine so the anaerobic ferment can do its thing and mould build up on the surface is kept to a minimum. I know of the plastic bag method (handy if you're fermenting in jars) but don't like my food and plastic mixing. But if one did use them, fill the bags with brine -- that way if they do leak or split, it's no problem for the kraut. When I use Agee jars, I find another glass jar (eg jam jar) that just fits inside -- and pop that on top, filled with water, again to keep the vegetable under the brine. Then I simply drape some cheesecloth over the whole thing to keep flies and dust out. I've never had an issue with gas building up under a sealed lid, at least not to a dangerous or bothersome level. (Never with the vegie ferments, only with beet kvass or fermented ginger ale.)

      Pretty much everything I learnt about krauts and kimchi etc comes from Sandor Katz. I find Wild Fermentation far more useful than the fermenting instructions in Nourishing Traditions (it is just SO not necessary to add whey to EVERYTHING).

    • With the little 1, 1.5 and 2 litre jars that you can get at the supermarket, they do somehow let enough of the gas out so that it doesn't 'pop' too much when you open them...  We just keep the lid on till you can see that it's stopped bubbling - then put into the fridge.

       

      lol - I went to one of Kay's courses (ok, 2) last March and snaffled one before they were even unpacked properly.  It's too big for day to day use, but will make a brilliant pickle jar!!!

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