| 1 |
If you are fermenting your kraut in quart or pint jars, proceed according to the directions, cutting and mixing 5 pounds of cabbage with 3 tablespoons of pickling salt. Let it settle for 20 to 30 minutes, then pack tightly into jars. Place two food-grade plastic bags inside one another to create a double layer. Place on top of sauerkraut. Fill with brine to seal sauerkraut from contact with air. |
| 2 |
Add more 2-1/2 percent brine (1-1/2 tablespoons granulated pickling salt to each quart of water) to cover, if enough brine does not form spontaneously in 24 hours. Place the jars on trays or newspapers to catch the juice that oozes out with the gas. The level of the kraut may sink enough in a week or two to make it necessary to combine the kraut from several jars-about 1 quart of kraut will be needed to supplement the contents of 4 other quarts. Do not add fresh vegetables to a batch of already-started sauerkraut or other salted vegetable. |
| 3 |
If scum forms in these small containers, remove it with a spoon. If the level of the brine is so low that it is difficult to reach the scum, add more 2-1/2 percent brine. The scum will rise to the surface of the brine where it can be reached more easily. |
| 4 |
After about 2-6 weeks, the fermentation process will cease. The kraut should have a pleasantly acid taste and should have changed color to a slightly translucent pale gold-white. At this point, kraut packed in large containers may be transferred to smaller canning jars to be processed for storage, or it can be stored for several months in the original container in a cold (38F) place. For storage, put on a fesh cloth, be sure the brine covers the surface of the kraut, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. |
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