Sauerkraut Making
Gail gathered up around 120 pounds of cabbage over the weekend. The cabbage was picked right from the field which makes it perfect for sauerkraut making. These winter cabbages (best to use) have lots of moisture to release in the process of making sauerkraut.
The cabbages are cleaned and have outer leaves removed then washed and drained. They are cut in quarters and have the core removed. The cabbage is shredded by using a shredder, which we used, placed over a large container to catch the shred. The shredded cabbage is put in the crock and tamped down to crush the cabbage and release the juices and get fermentation started. For tamping we used the beautiful wooden tampers hand crafted by Bruce. After about 2 inches of packed cabbage, coarse salt (non-iodized) is sprinkled over the layer. We used slivers of fresh garlic at the same time as the garlic. The process of shredding, salting with garlic and tamping is repeated until the crock is full to about 4 inches from the top. The cabbage juice will be at the surface of the cabbage when the crock is full. It was great having all the hands helping and the total of 17 gallons of sauerkraut was completed by lunch time. Way to go!
Weight is required on top to keep air out of the cabbage and so it doesn't dry out during the 6 week fermentation stage. Zip lock freezer bags work well to provide that weight. Warmth (room temperature) is required to keep the fermentation going, so the crocks are now nicely nestled in the kitchen (or Jake's bedroom for the 12 gal crock) to ferment away. Keep the lids on though or the house starts to smell like really dirty socks that have been forgotten about.
In 6 weeks, we'll be eating the best sauerkraut YOU'VE EVER HAD. Thanks for the great day!
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