Sauerkraut

I was looking for a recipe to use up half a head of cabbage on the same day Food in Jars posted this month's preserving challenge.  It's fermentation, and she suggested that newbies try sauerkraut.  Unlike my resistance to trying this concept before, the cabbage was going to waste anyway.  I wasn't buying anything new if this didn't work.  I also realized that others might be faced with a similar vegetable problem after Thanksgiving, so this is good timing.

I expected this to be a whole lot harder than it was.  Shredding the cabbage took a little while, even on the V-slicer, but it was super easy after that.  Massage for a couple of minutes with salt, come back in 15 minutes, and stuff it in a jar.  Ok, and the part where you have to ignore it for a week.

I tend to think of sauerkraut as limp and a bit slimy.  This was still a little crunchy, but definitely had a fermented tang.  It tasted like I had put vinegar in it.  I'm assuming that's the goal.  Maybe if you process it for canning it gets limp.  I had it with a grilled cheese sandwich (pictured at top).  I've gotten used to having them with homemade mustard and ran out.  This was the same kind of sharp taste.

I do have to admit that I almost didn't try it.  Everything in my food safety training tells me this is a bad idea.  But then I thought of all the foods we buy that are fermented or aged: vinegar, yogurt, cheeses, preserved meats, wine, beer, kimchi, pickles...  The only difference was I wasn't processing it afterwards.  If I'm still leery of it tomorrow, I'll simmer it for 5 minutes and put it back in the fridge.

*1-1/2 lb cabbage
2 tsp salt

1.  Wash out a wide-mouthed quart jar and whatever you're going to use to weigh down the kraut.  There was some research involved, and you don't need to sterilize the fermenting jar.  If you're going to boil-bath can it later, definitely sterilize those jars.  I used a half-pint jar as a weight because it fit very well in the larger jar just as deep as I needed it to go.  Wash your hands carefully, especially under your nails.  Remove any rings, which tend to harbor bacteria.

2.  Thinly shred cabbage and discard core.  I kept one leaf to cover the top of the batch and help keep everything submerged.

3.  Sprinkle shreds with salt and massage with your hands until they start to give up water.  After about two or three minutes of squishing, you can go do something else for about 15 minutes.  The cabbage will continue to break down without your help.

4.  When you come back, knead the shreds again and watch them magically clump up into a ball surrounded by water.  Pack the shreds into the jar, making sure to get out as many air bubbles from the bottom as possible.  Pour liquid on top.  If you saved a leaf, place it on top of the shreds.

5.  Get your weight/jar filled with water/plate or whatever.  Press it down into the jar and make sure it keeps everything submerged.  That brine prevents bad things from growing until the fermentation kicks in.  At that point, the lactic acid will ward off evil bacteria.  Put a dish towel or double layer of paper towel over the jar lid and secure with a rubber band.

6.  Here comes the hard part.  Place the jar on a plate (in case anything bubbles out) and place in a room-temperature spot away from sunlight.  Now, leave it there for a week.  Look in on it daily to make sure there's no mold.  Skim off any scum from the surface before that happens, but otherwise don't touch the jar.  After a few days, you'll notice the color start to fade as the acid begins to develop.

7.  The Ball book said that the kraut is done when it stops bubbling.  I never really got a head of foam on mine, and gave up after 10 days because the water was starting to evaporate off during the Thanksgiving heat wave.  Possibly, everything was too clean and didn't have the necessary natural yeasts for a full ferment.  Since this was such a small batch, it just went straight in the fridge.  If you're doing the 25 pounds in the Ball book then yes, you would probably want to process it.  Refrigerating slows the fermentation to almost nothing.  Boil-bath canning for 15 minutes stops it and makes everything shelf-stable.

Makes about 3 cups

Difficulty rating π