Nov 05 2014
A while back I had bought a Perfect Pickler kit for wide mouth jars. It came with an air lock, their special hold down cup, a video on how to use it and a lid that fit wide mouth jars. I had thought if I wanted to ferment some other veggies I could use my quart wide mouth jars or a half gallon jar I have.
I wanted to use my 5 liter crock to make kraut but with my back I didn’t feel like messing with the heavy weight. I ordered some ceramic weights to use in quart and gallon jars and they came Monday. I will make the kraut in a half gallon jar and that will be plenty for my New Year’s Day good luck pork and kraut meal with some left over.
Tuesday I made a trip to Krogers, 9 miles away, to get some organic cabbage if it looked good to use for the kraut. Perfect Pickler said I needed 4 ½ pounds of cabbage for a half gallon. I bought two heads at 6 pounds. I cleaned it and shredded 4 ½ lbs. I layered in the 2 Tbs. of sea salt and stomped it in batches. The cabbage was nice and was giving up its water. I stomped and massaged it with my hands. I was using a tupper ware bowl and covered it to sit overnight to begin fermenting.
Today I stomped it some more and packed in the gallon jar. I liked the new 1 ½ diameter stomper I bought. It worked well in the bowl and to pack in the jar. I made a quart of brine, filtered water and 2 Tbs. sea salt to top off the kraut. I packed the jar to 3 inches from the top added the ceramic weights, topped with some brine, about 1 cup and the hold down cup. I put the lid with air lock on and in 28 days I should have some good kraut.
If you are like me you don’t like the posts that say come back in one or two months but I will get back and update this post. The kraut will be done just before my back operation so will have it in the fridge to mellow out and should be good for my New Year’s Day Meal.
Smokin Don
