# kraut making



## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

How many on here make sauer kraut?
I love the stuff, but if I eat too much, it doesn't love me. My wife won't touch it, and my two kids are kind of hit or miss with it.
Needless to say, I don't make a whole lot. I can't remember how many pints i made last year, probably 8-10, but no more than that.
What I made last year wasn't very good, way too salty. I was weary of doing it again this year, until I saw where I went wrong last year. 
Recipe called for cabbage and 9 tablespoons of salt. First part of recipe says to shred 5 pounds of cabbage....so that is what I did. I estimated about 5 pounds, and that was all i was going to make.
I reread the directions this morning....yes, 9 tablespoon salt total, but only use 3 per 5 pounds of cabbage, and do that 3 times.
Ok, my fault. Let's hope for netters results this year. I just shredded 2 1/2 heads of cabbage, I estimate the weight to about 5-6 pounds, put it in my kraut pot with 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Have it sitting on counter covered with cheese cloth now, in a little bit I will go pack it down and cover with a plate.


Who else around here makes kraut?


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## cjean (May 1, 2007)

I do, and almost always have a batch going. 

I shred one head of cabbage, add a tablespoon of salt, pack it down tight, then do the next head, and repeat. 3-4 heads at a time. More salt in the summer, less in the winter...


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## unregistered41671 (Dec 29, 2009)

What kind of spices do you guys use in making your kraut?


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

I have seen kraut with dill, and kraut with sage, but myself, I just use cabbage and salt, but once it is on my plate, I like a shot of mustard on it.


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## Jade1096 (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been wanting to try my hand at making kraut.

Right now I don't have an appropriate container to put it in. 
It also stays around 80-85 in my kitchen during this time of year and I was under the impression it needed to be cooler than that.

My grandparents learned to make kraut from their German grandparents. I remember they always used juniper berries in theirs, along with what I think may have been rye (though I was pretty young and didn't pay much attention).


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

As far as container, I don't have a stoneware crock, but use an enamel coated stock pot. Picked it up in the canning section of a local farm store.


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

Jade1096 said:


> I've been wanting to try my hand at making kraut.
> 
> Right now I don't have an appropriate container to put it in.
> It also stays around 80-85 in my kitchen during this time of year and I was under the impression it needed to be cooler than that.
> ...


Caraway is pretty common. You can ferment in summer by putting your ferment in an ice chest with a small amount of water and ice, just enough to get it to maintain temperature between 68-72. That's what I do.


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

I admit, I struggled with kraut. Finally I guessed my cabbage was not 'weeping' enough moisture. Previous batches never bubbled and never got tart - just salty. Last time I made a small batch and tried adding water to cover. It still never bubbled, but it did ferment and tasted like kraut. On to bigger batches - one day maybe it will actually bubble.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

You know, come to think of it, mine didn't bubble last year either.


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## hurryiml8 (Apr 15, 2009)

I make it in gallon glass pickle jars. I haven't tried any spices, but I do like to mix green and red cabbage. I want to try spices next time.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

I just add salt to mine. I smoosh it and bruise the shredded cabbage as I place it in the container in layers with salt - helps release the moisture.


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

We're in WI.

When I make it in the basement 55-65 degrees F, it is slow to ferment and more prone to mold, so I really have to watch it carefully.
When I make it in the kitchen 65-80 degrees F, (that big bucket takes so much space), it ferments quickly but it's warmer in the kitchen, less or no mold.

I use a food grade 5 gallon bucket, salt and cabbage, no spices. I put a dinner plate on top of the cabbage and push it down and a gallon ziplock bag full of salt water to hold it down, then cover with a towel. I check it daily for scum. Washing the bag, the plate, and skimming the liquid with a sieve. If there is not enough extra liquid when I begin, I add salt water to top it off.

I make it in the fall and can it, eat it fresh through winter. Then I start some in the late winter, which we are still eating fresh, out of the refrigerator. It tastes nothing like store bought, it's crunchy, less sour, a little salty but not much, we love it.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Feather In The Breeze said:


> We're in WI.
> 
> When I make it in the basement 55-65 degrees F, it is slow to ferment and more prone to mold, so I really have to watch it carefully.
> When I make it in the kitchen 65-80 degrees F, (that big bucket takes so much space), it ferments quickly but it's warmer in the kitchen, less or no mold.
> ...


It's like we work in the same kitchen, our methods are almost identical.
I also use a gallon ziploc bag of saltwater as a weight over a plate.
But I use cheese cloth rather than a towel.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I make a batch every month, year around. I let it ferment in the springhouse, pretty constant temperature. I cut it and mix the salt in, let set for 15 minutes in a big bowl, then pack it in gallon glass jars. Tighter the better, I use a stick about 2 1/2"x2' long. I layer tender whole leaves that we use for spring roll wraps. We can 30 pints or so. I eat a little every day. I use 1/2 the salt, good sea salt....James


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

There are two types of cabbage - early and late. Late is the cabbage traditionally used to make cabbage, after a couple of good, hard frosts. The frosts makes the cabbage create sugar, which is what the yeast needs to feed on. If you've not tried this, give it a go. It's a world of difference.

Kraut Boy's Wife


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

jwal10 said:


> I make a batch every month, year around. I let it ferment in the springhouse, pretty constant temperature. I cut it and mix the salt in, let set for 15 minutes in a big bowl, then pack it in gallon glass jars. Tighter the better, I use a stick about 2 1/2"x2' long. I layer tender whole leaves that we use for spring roll wraps. We can 30 pints or so. I eat a little every day. I use 1/2 the salt, good sea salt....James


jwal, I really like the idea of layering tender whole leaves to use for spring roll wraps, and the good sea salt if I ever have that on hand. Thanks!


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

I have a question for the pros, I just started my kraut yesterday, and due to someone not picking up the head of cabbage I picked for them, I now have extra cabbage.
Can I shred it and salt it and add it to the batch I already started?


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Dixie Bee Acres said:


> I have a question for the pros, I just started my kraut yesterday, and due to someone not picking up the head of cabbage I picked for them, I now have extra cabbage.
> Can I shred it and salt it and add it to the batch I already started?


I'm not a pro, but I've done that, and not had a problem with it.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Great! Thank you


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## Jeepgirl86 (May 18, 2012)

Question to all you "Kraut masters"...has anyone ever made winekraut? DH has been to Germany several times and now wants me to make some. I've never even made sauerkraut so am a little overwhelmed at the thought. Any advice?


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Jeepgirl86 said:


> Question to all you "Kraut masters"...has anyone ever made winekraut? DH has been to Germany several times and now wants me to make some. I've never even made sauerkraut so am a little overwhelmed at the thought. Any advice?


I think it is just sauerkraut baked with apples and a little more.
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/germany/baked-sauerkraut.html#axzz36cP3Es6g


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

suitcase_sally said:


> There are two types of cabbage - early and late. Late is the cabbage traditionally used to make cabbage, after a couple of good, hard frosts. The frosts makes the cabbage create sugar, which is what the yeast needs to feed on. If you've not tried this, give it a go. It's a world of difference.
> 
> Kraut Boy's Wife


Make that "kraut". Sorry.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Dixie Bee Acres, I agree, you can add more cabbage as long as you don't wait too long.


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## moldy (Mar 5, 2004)

One year, I added garlic and crushed red pepper to my kraut. It gets hotter the longer it sets - but it was really good!


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Sounds interesting.

How do you all like to eat your kraut?
I like it many ways, but one year I did something different and loved it.
I use to have a decent little smoker. Had a cookout one day, sausages and hot dogs on the grill, chicken and ribs in the smoker. I put a pan of kraut in the smoker for about an hour, that was fantastic on a polish sausage!


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

We make a lot of rabbit sausage and boil them in the kraut, then put them in the oven at 350 until brown, then put the kraut over them for the meal....James


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

I make some kraut with dill, some with carraway, some with apples and/or plums and some just plain.

Each goes with a different taste, different meal.

How do I eat my kraut?
With sausage, with pork, with beef, for dinner, for lunch, once in a while, for breakfast. :dance:


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

It is very thirst quenching when very hot. I eat the kraut and juice together, a little does a lot....James


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

We usually have our sauerkraut in Ruben sandwiches. I use turkey ham for the meat sliced extra thin, on each slice of rye bread I put thousand island dressing then lay a thin piece of meat, a thin layer of kraut, another slice of meat, another layer of kraut, then top each side of of the sandwich with swiss cheese, put in the oven to melt and heat the sandwich, then join the two sides of the sandwich together, with the total of 4 thin slices of meat and 4 layers of kraut, the sandwich is a meal. 

If my kraut is too salty I pour it into a colander and wash with water to remove the salt.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

Wow, that sammich sounds good.


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