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Tips, Tricks & Just Good Advice! => Good to Know! - A collection of How-To's & Sage Advice => Garden to Table - Growing Your Own! => Topic started by: Smokin Don on September 27, 2014, 10:06:40 PM
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Sep 27 2014
I have been fermenting my own cabbage for sauerkraut since last year. I have a 5 liter fermenting crock and have made two batches in it with great results.
I enjoy reading food history; especially ethnic foods that were brought to the US by our immigrant ancestors. Searching for some cabbage roll recipes from the different European countries I found that some used fermented whole cabbages and used the leaves to wrap the meat mix. Some use sauerkraut mixed in with ground meat. I have made them that way and with sauerkraut over top and it is good.
I just used par boiled cabbage leaves to wrap them with. Fermenting whole cabbages and using the leaves was something new to me and I had to try it. Out for my almost daily trip to the grocery I stopped at our Saturday farmers market. I found two nice heads from a local gardener and he said he uses no pesticides. It looked like the two heads would fit in my fermenting crock.
I found an article on the net that the guy and an exchange student from Yugoslavia did an experiment over 3 years to find the best method. They used weak brine for one and strong brine 3.5% for another and the third was a dry brine of salt and shredded cabbage among the whole cabbages. They said the best was the ones done with 3.5% salt brine. They used 10 TBS of coarse salt for 5 quarts, 2 TBS. per quart.
I cleaned some of the outer leaves from the heads and in some salted water to soak for a couple of hours. This should chase out any vermin in them. I figured 4 quarts of water would cover the cabbage so mixed up my brine. I didn’t see in the article how long they let theirs ferment; but they had checked it often. For my kraut I let it ferment for 28 days, it takes that long at about 72 deg. F to produce the 3 lactic acids that are good for you. I plan to check mine after 5 days; then every few days and when I think it is done I will put in jars in the fridge to stop or slow the fermentation.
When I was ready to put the cabbage in my crock there was one small problem; they were too large to fit the opening! The only solution was to make them smaller or cut them in half; I cut them in half. I still should be able to get some nice leaves from them. I got them in and poured the brine over to cover and added my weights.
Now all I have to do is wait; so I’ll see you in 1 to 4 weeks. I hope they turn out so I can have some good old fashioned cabbage rolls.
Link to cabbage article http://agardenerstable.com/2014/02/11/how-to-pickled-cabbages-whole/
The cabbage
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Fermenting/_9273223_zpsc2a5cd6b.jpg)
All packed in with the brine
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Fermenting/_9273224_zps35a2f163.jpg)
Fermenting crock
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Fermenting/_9273226_zps50a76736.jpg)
Smokin Don
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Looking good Don, can't wait to see the final product. ;)
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What a great idea,I have to try that,thanks!Bookmarked,dont want to forget it.
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Patience is not my strongest virtue.
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Oct 28 1014
Yesterday was a warm fall day, hit 78 deg. My half heads of cabbage was done fermenting after 30 days; time to get it in a jar and in the fridge. I bought an Anchor Hocking gallon glass jar to put it in. It had a large enough opening to get the half heads of cabbage in.
I tasted a couple of the leaves without washing off and it was good and sour. It was salty but not as salty as I thought it would be. To store it I added the cabbage then filled ¾ full with the brine and then added filtered water to cover. I think just some good rinsing when I get ready to use it in a month or so will work well. I plan to make some Romanian cabbage rolls. The brine in the crock stayed nice and no scum on top at all, just turned a little cloudy which is good.
From making sauerkraut before I found I like it better after setting in the fridge 4 to 6 weeks after a 30 day fermentation. When I get around to making my cabbage rolls will depend a lot on how soon I get my back operation, for a ruptured disc, done and get back in shape. I should find out Thursday when I will get the operation.
Sorry for those who viewed only to find out now you can wait another 30 days or more! ;)
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Fermenting/_A273462_zpsd83e16e5.jpg)
(http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/deains/Fermenting/_A273464_zps7088ead1.jpg)
Smokin Don
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Always something good to look forward to! :) I'm just glad y'all remember to POST the updates and pictures when things are done, instead of leaving us hanging!
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Don..my Romanian grandma made stuffed cabbage rolls all the time, call galoustas. She put a layer of ham skin in the bottom of the roaster..she made about 75 at a time. Then layered the cabbage rolls with sauerkraut in between. Then a layer of ham skin on top and let them cook low and slow overnight. No tomatoes in hers..they were the bomb and what I grew up on. Can't wait to see how yours turn out. I have made them also, using beef, pork and veal in = parts. I'm the only one to make them now. Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
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Hope all goes well with your surgery and you have a speedy/healthy recovery. ;)
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Don,how did this turn out
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I missed this one somehow. I, too would like to know how it turned out. I love cabbage rolls and this sounds very interesting.