Thread: Sauerkraut
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Old 11-17-2009, 09:27 AM   #7
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Default Re: Sauerkraut

Right around 6 weeks or so...depending on how sour you like it. It could be ready in as little as 4 weeks. The warmer it is the quicker it will complete. Of course the quicker it completes the less flavor it has.

I grew up with plain kraut...so I just use cabbage and salt...about 3 tablespoons of salt for every 5 lbs of cabbage. Shred the cabbage as fine as you want but try to make sure that it is consistent. Put the cabbage in your crock or other nonreactive vessel. Salt the cabbage. Mix very well to distribute the salt evenly. It is important that it is even or you will get areas that are softer. Then press it down as hard as possible. The liquid should release from the cabbage and cover the entire thing. Depending on the amount of liquid in the cabbage it may take a day or two to fully release. If you don't get enough liquid out of it you can add brine. Reserve the outer leaves of the cabbage to place on top of the shredded mixture. Then put a plate and something heavy on top of it to keep the kraut compressed. You may need to clean the plate every few days. Also you may notice some mold looking stuff on the top of the liquid...that's not a problem...just skim as much of it off as you can.
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