KRAUT

[WD45]

The thread on canning got me to thinking of KRAUT... :grin:
We always make our own Kraut. Usually with late cabbage.
Anyone else ??
We have made it with turnips also.
Any of you all ever make turnip kraut  

[jvs]

I found this on Epicurean.com


Ingredients:Cabbage
Kosher Salt  (Pickling Salt, if used will change the taste)

Directions :  HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

You will need roughly 5 pounds cabbage for every gallon of your crock. For instant, a 10 gallon crock would need about 50 pounds of cabbage.

Quarter cabbage and Chop into thin slices, then seperate.

Place 5 pounds shredded cabbage and 3 1/2 tablespoons salt in large pan.

Mix well with hands.

Pack gently in large crock, using a potato masher to press it down.

Repeat above procedure until crock is filled to within 5 inches from top.

Press cabbage down firmly with potato masher to extract enough juice to cover.

Cover with clean cloth (Linen).

Place a plate on top and weigh it down with a jar filled with water.

Keep crock at 60 to 75 degrees to ferment.

Check kraut daily.

Remove scum as it forms.  (Do Not use Aluminum Utensils)

Wash and scald cloth often to keep it free from scum and mold.

Fermentation will be complete in 10 to 12 days. (If no bubbles rise, fermentation has ended.)

Pack in hot, sterilized jars to within 1 inch from top. Add enough juice to cover.

If you need more juice, make a weak brine by combining 2 tablespoons salt and 1 quart water.

Cover and screw band tight.

Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes.

Fifty pounds of sauerkraut makes about 15 quarts.

© 2004 Epicurean.com
All rights reserved

[Steelbanger]

Three of my friends & myself make a drum of sauerkraut every October. We have an old cast iron shredder that is crank operated. Using a hand made masher which is an oak log segment about 6" diameter and 10" long with a sturdy handle attached, we take turns mashing each 5 gal bucket of shredded cabbage to which the salt (we use pickling salt) is added. After this bucket is sufficiently mashed & juicy, we dump it into our main drum. When all cabbage is processed the drum is sealed with a plastic bag of water. Six weeks of fermenting and it's ready! The biggest problem encountered is the smell while fermenting. I understand that some find the odor offensive but I'm lucky in that we make it in a friends garage.
Most of my in-laws and nephews & neices along with friends are just about waiting at the door for their New Years supply of this homemade delight. None of us has eaten commercial, canned kraut in years. And, we freeze it in one quart bags. Keeps for a long time in the freezer.

[WD45]

I havent bothered using the crocks in years. I pack the cabbage directly in the jars and put a teaspoon of salt on top. Fill the jar to the brim with boiling water and put a lid on it. Make it just tight enought that the gas can escape while it works..this does make a mess so we set them in a wash tub or one side of the laundry tub. After about 3 weeks, wipe them off and top off the jar with water and seal tight.....
I have been asked many times why we bother making our own kraut and after they taste the difference I usually get the how can I make my own too questions.
Nobody ever use turnips ??

[woodmonkey]

Hi Everyone!    I've been reading on this site all night and couldn't pass up posting on this topic. When We make our kraut I slice a few onions, green tomatoes and hot peppers too. Every layer of cabbage in the crock gets a thin layer of those and then more cabbage until the crock is full. It don't get no better than that !!!  :grin:  :grin:   :grin:  Even made some with jalapeno peppers and it was real tasty ! :twisted:  :twisted:

Woodmonkey

[jvs]

I have heard of people using a can or two of flat Beer in the recipe for Kraut, depending on the size of the batch.  It doesn't change the taste but it does add color and may aid the fermentation process, depending on what style of beer used.

Some people even add a teaspoon of sugar per layer.

[Steelbanger]

We always cook ours with a can of beer added to the sauerkraut. It adds to the enjoyment and flavor too.

[WD45]

Interesting...
We never added anything to it while it's working. I have seen all kinds of things added while cooking it to eat. My wife likes to add a little apple juice to sweeten it up a llittle while its cooking. Heck.. I can eat it right out of the jar :grin:

[jh45gun]

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 or more 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 tha 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 excape. 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 bags off and take out those outer leaves and the rest is perfect Kraut. Jim

[jh45gun]

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 or more 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 tha 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 excape. 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 bags off and take out those outer leaves and the rest is perfect Kraut. Jim