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Farm Kitchen:  Sauerkraut!  |
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AFinkberry
True Blue Farmgirl
310 Posts
Ally
Kalama
Washington
310 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 13 2013 : 3:37:10 PM
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So today we are attempting our very first batch of sauerkraut....we found ourselves in possession of a very large cabbage. Any tips or advice on the upkeep? What do you use to ferment in? Here's a picture of ours.
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Ingredients:
"Kraut" Cabbage, sliced to approximately 1 cm wide, salted between layers, with the heart sliced thin and included
Carrots, cut into ~ 3 cm lengths, then split into quarters
1 Apple, sliced thin
1/2 clove Elephant Garlic (extremelylarge cloves), sliced as thin as possible, then cut into strips
Sprinkle of black pepper
Sprinkle of fresh Thyme
Process:
In a half-gallon size canning jar, added alternating layers of Cabbage, Carrots, and salt, repeate until jar was full. Add Garlic, spices, and a little more salt. Put lid on and shake jar, then pack down firmly with wooden spoon and place a large Cabbage leaf over the top of the mixture and hold down with a baby food jar full of water. Cover with coffee filter and screw on a rim to keep in place.
Then we repeated with a second jar, but made the mistake of using a small wide-mouth jar to hold the mix down. It got stuck in the neck of the large jar, had to be (gently) pushed through, and I fear may never come back out (suggestions welcome). Used more carrots, and a little more salt on this one, and the brine quickly rose to the top of the mix (2-3 hours).
Hopefully we won't have to break the jar to liberate our Kraut.
The picture was taken about an hour after putting the lid on, and having re-packed once or twice (the brine was just over the half-way mark of the mix). It has now been about 6 hours now, and the brine is even with the top leaf, but not completely covering it yet.
Ally
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
Edited by - AFinkberry on Oct 13 2013 8:54:48 PM |
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AFinkberry
True Blue Farmgirl
310 Posts
Ally
Kalama
Washington
310 Posts |
Posted - Oct 15 2013 : 6:06:28 PM
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Update:
The brine has risen nicely to cover the entire mix (Photo was taken about 8 hours after initial packing). Seeing a fair amount of bubbling, even though the air temp in the cabinet where the jars are stored barely gets over 60 F at the warmest part of the day. We were going to put it down in the basement, but the temp down there is even cooler so that might not happen until later we are ready to let it mature.
Starting to smell like Kraut, but the mix with the Garlic is especially pungent. Probably going to taste it in a couple of days or so.
Ally
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2013 : 7:09:56 PM
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Ally have you tried your kraut yet? I just tried mine after 9 days and it tasted like kraut. I was so afraid to try it. I had never made it before and I am glad I did. Just was wondering how yours was turning out with the garlic and all.
Yours looks so pretty in the glass jars. I did my in a crock but may try the kimchi next in the jars so I can see it as it works. Thanks for posting the nice pics.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
Edited by - wooliespinner on Oct 30 2013 10:26:13 AM |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2013 : 09:56:15 AM
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Ally! That looks so awesome! I never knew about or even thought of adding anything other than cabbage! I am definitely going to try that! Yum! You GO girl!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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naturemaiden
True Blue Farmgirl
2569 Posts
Connie - Farmgirl #673
Hoosick Falls
NY
USA
2569 Posts |
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AFinkberry
True Blue Farmgirl
310 Posts
Ally
Kalama
Washington
310 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2013 : 6:49:49 PM
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Linda, yeah! We tried it and the garlic one was GREAT!!!! We've made one with purple cabbage with a birdseye chili pepper and I thought it was too spicy, but DH loved it! I thought the pepper might kill some of the bacteria, but it didn't. The one that we didn't like was the kraut with the thyme. It was awful. Our toddler is so funny, he calls it "salty cabbage" but he just loves to eat it! Now only if we can get our oldest to eat it! Thanks for the encouragement ladies!
Ally
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
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AFinkberry
True Blue Farmgirl
310 Posts
Ally
Kalama
Washington
310 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2013 : 7:08:29 PM
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Here's a picture of our purple kraut. Purple cabbage, garlic, sliced broccoli stems, pinch of black pepper, and about half tsp of birdseye chili pepper. It was fermented for just over a week.
Ally
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2013 : 09:31:49 AM
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Ally glad they turned out so well. Sorry about the thyme one tho. But its good to try different stuff and see what you like.The purple one looks so pretty in the jar.
I am going to start another batch of kraut in the next few days. I think I am getting hooked on this stuff. I bought the book Nourishing Traditions and its got a ton of recipes for fermenting and so much history and explainations of so many different cultures and why they are good for you. Its a mind blower for sure.Also bought tne Wild Fermintation book too. I have just starting learning about fermintation and now looking into gluten free baking and I have a ton to learn. These are 2 areas I have never tried doing before.
I am on a new food adventure for sure and its kinda fun.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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Farm Kitchen: Sauerkraut! |
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Sauerkraut!
