After reading the thread on kraut I thought I would add my expirience.
I have made Kraut for years but I have not since my mother passed away and before that in the Nursing home so it has been a couple of years. To do it just for me does not seem to be worth it though it is 10 times better than the commercial stuff. The recipe 5# cabbage to 3.5 table spoons salt is a standard recipe. I sometimes add a little more you do not have to be exact and a little more is better than not enough. I suppose if given the cabbage I would make some at least a 5 gal pail full heck maybe I will this fall now that I think of it.
Anyway standard Canning salt works fine that is all I ever used. I would not use standard table salt due to the iodine added to it. A tip for those of you who use a crock or a plastic pail, put your Kraut close to the top but leave 3 to 4 inches from the top. Take 3 or 4 large garbage bags and put one inside the other with all of them. Put this over the Kraut and push down to form a pocket and then put the rest of the bag over the side so the bag sits on top of the Kraut like a pocket. Fill that with cold water enough so it is full but not over flowing leave a space at the top. This will form a seal over the Kraut and no smell will escape. What I always do when I put my Kraut in the barrel I add some of the outer leaves over the top as a barrier to keep the cut cabbage clean. I then add the bags and the water which makes a seal over the Kraut I use my hands to push the bags over the kraut and to the edges of the bucket the water holds it all into place. I then take at least two of the inner bags and tie them off so the water cannot spill out. This works like charm every time and you do not get as much of the crappy looking stuff at the top like you do with a standard covered crock. When the Kraut is done I take the water filled bag off and take out those outer leaves and the rest is perfect Kraut. Jim
