19
Dec
To make brine combine 4 1 2 teaspoons canning salt per 1 quart of water in a saucepan. To make brine combine 4 1 2 teaspoons canning salt per 1 quart of water in a saucepan.
Cool brine before adding to crock.
Make sauerkraut at home. To make traditional sauerkraut all you need is cabbage and salt. However if you want to amp up the flavor a bit you can add additional ingredients. Josh recommends apple onion and caraway.
To make brine combine 4 1 2 teaspoons canning salt per 1 quart of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until salt is dissolved. Cool brine before adding to crock.
Place crock weight over cabbage. The weight should be submerged in the brine. Methods for making sauerkraut.
Slicing pounding and kneading cabbage. Thinly slice cabbage salt it then pound it with a tool such as the cabbage crusher or pickle packer for about 10 minutes or until enough juice is released to form a brine and completely cover the cabbage. Place the jar in a rimmed pan to catch any overflow and allow to ferment at room temperature until the kraut is as sour as you like it.
This can take anywhere from 1 4 weeks. After it s done fermenting store the sauerkraut in the refrigerator. Sauerkraut is one of my favorite fermented foods.
To make traditional sauerkraut toss the shredded cabbage with salt massage the cabbage until it starts to feel wet and let it rest for 10 minutes. Next pound the cabbage for 5 to 10 minutes until it s dripping salty water then pack the cabbage and brine into a clean jar. Then cover the top of the jar and seal the lid tightly.
To make your own sauerkraut you will rely on the bacteria found on the cabbage leaves. The salt draws out the water kills off the spoilage bacteria and fermentation begins. You will need a salt concentration between 0 6 and 2 percent which equals 3 4 to 2 teaspoons of table salt per pound of prepared cabbage.