Some friends wanted to make sauerkraut, and she said that she's a great cabbage-juice-eliciter. She was not exaggerating! Plus, it was more fun to make it together.
I have a three-gallon crock. Shortly after I got it I made about 2.5 gallons, and it felt like forever of giving away sauerkraut. But then I shared with people who were very excited about it (the kind of people who sit down with a jar and just eat the whole damn thing in a sitting), so I got close to running out. And my dog would be unhappy about that.
So, the friends came over and we used about six heads of cabbage, about 13# (after outer leaves removed; about 16# bought at store). I didn't have a scale yet so I"m not certain. I shredded about six carrots to add in, and I used locally sourced sea salt.
It's now been just over two weeks and ... the cabbage is still crunchy and salty. There's definitely some fermentation going on, as I see bubbles, but it didn't give off the intense smell as last time (when I think I undersalted it).
Thirteen pounds was too little; the crock is only about halfway full. I think adding another six pounds would fit nicely. So for next purchase: buy about 22# of cabbage, I think. Or less if I use much daikon or other vegetables. The daikon were pretty limp and unexciting, so I skipped that this time.
I was hoping that this batch would be slower than the last batch, and so far it is. I'll keep tasting it every week, and I'm guessing around 5-6 weeks will be a good time to jar it up.
While it's always nice to finish these projects and get my counterspace back (my kitchen is small), it's also fun to see all these fermentations bubbling away. It's like magic! And homemade sauerkraut is so tasty.
I have a three-gallon crock. Shortly after I got it I made about 2.5 gallons, and it felt like forever of giving away sauerkraut. But then I shared with people who were very excited about it (the kind of people who sit down with a jar and just eat the whole damn thing in a sitting), so I got close to running out. And my dog would be unhappy about that.
So, the friends came over and we used about six heads of cabbage, about 13# (after outer leaves removed; about 16# bought at store). I didn't have a scale yet so I"m not certain. I shredded about six carrots to add in, and I used locally sourced sea salt.
It's now been just over two weeks and ... the cabbage is still crunchy and salty. There's definitely some fermentation going on, as I see bubbles, but it didn't give off the intense smell as last time (when I think I undersalted it).
Thirteen pounds was too little; the crock is only about halfway full. I think adding another six pounds would fit nicely. So for next purchase: buy about 22# of cabbage, I think. Or less if I use much daikon or other vegetables. The daikon were pretty limp and unexciting, so I skipped that this time.
I was hoping that this batch would be slower than the last batch, and so far it is. I'll keep tasting it every week, and I'm guessing around 5-6 weeks will be a good time to jar it up.
While it's always nice to finish these projects and get my counterspace back (my kitchen is small), it's also fun to see all these fermentations bubbling away. It's like magic! And homemade sauerkraut is so tasty.
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