[Earl]

Rena, I just made kraut. About 2 1/2 gallons. It's easy, not scary, and tastes wonderful. All you do is slice [with mandolin] the cabbage, put in a crock or jar in layers, salting each layer with pickling salt and packing cabbage down, until you are about to reach the top of container. Top off with salt water so cabbage is under water, then fill a zip loc bag with water and put it on top so cabbage stays submerged, then cover with a cloth. It has to stay under the liquid so it will ferment.

Let sit for a few weeks, checking on it to make sure the cabbage is still under water. After a week start tasting it until it ferments to your liking.

I'll be making my own kraut from now on.

Here's a recipe for a small batch:

SAUERKRAUT
Yields about 2 packed cups of kraut
Ingredients


Core, chiffonade & salt1.5 pounds of cabbage (about a medium head)
just under 1 Tablespoon salt (sea salt)
optional: juniper berries (make grandma proud), caraway seeds, celery seeds, kelp flakes, minced garlic, chili flakes
A glass jar
A smaller jar to fit inside
A clean tea towel
Rubber Band
Method

Wash all of your equipment well with hot soapy water and let it dry while you prepare the cabbage.
Peel the outer leaves of the cabbage off (you can save them for a liner for the weight).
Cut the cabbage in quarters, remove the core (if you don’t want it) and chiffonade the cabbage as thin as possible.
Fermenting a small batchPlace the cabbage in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Allow to sit 15 minutes or until it starts getting juicy.
Pack the cabbage into your jar (a medium head of cabbage fits nicely into a quart jar). I usually fill the jar half way and start tamping on it with a wooden spoon and adding more cabbage as I make more room. It’s surprising how much it compacts. You don’t want any air spaces and the goal is to have the cabbage completely covered by it’s own juices. If it’s not really juicy yet, let it sit 10 minutes then come back to it and tamp some more.
Once it’s packed tight and the juice level is adequate, place the outer leaves or a clean plate or a clean small jar on top of the kraut (this keeps the cabbage submerged in the juice so it can do it’s fermentation anaerobically). Place a weight on top of this (I usually use a small jar filled with beans to weigh it down). Then, cover it with a towel and tie it on with a rubber band (or string). Improvise with what you have around.
Put it in a cool, dry place and check on it every few days. If there’s mold, scrape it off, it won’t hurt you.
Some people like it really sour, i prefer a slight crunch and tang. In summer that’s about 3 days and in the winter it might take a week. Once it tastes how you like it, I put a lid on the container and keep it in the fridge. Once it’s in the fridge it lasts a long time. I haven’t had a batch go bad on me in the fridge yet, so I’m not sure of the shelf life. Repack the kraut every time you take from it to keep it in the liquid.

Great sandwich additionYou can really play around with added ingredients. I’ve heard of people adding grated beets, apples or brussel sprouts to the mix. You can add a lot of spiciness and make it akin to kimchi (which I made once and never again, it’s too hot for my taste). My current batch has kelp, caraway seeds and garlic in it. A classic is dill and juniper. I’d recommend starting off with 1 teaspoon and increasing spices to your desire. My current batch on the counter has 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 1/2 tsp celery seeds and 1 tsp kelp flakes. It should be interesting.
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