Making home-made Sauerkraut from Scratch

We tend to think of Sauerkraut as great German food, which it is, but it first came from China. Sort of like our ketchup used to be called ke-tsiap and was from China as well, however it was a thin dipping sauce made from pickling brine for fish which mushrooms in it. We all know Sauerkraut smells bad while being made, sort of like Korean Kimchee, however the taste of our home-made Sauerkraut is awesome and well worth the smell for a couple of weeks.

Make the Sauerkraut

Lets start with two heads of green cabbage, which should make plenty for us. How much you end up with to bottle away depends on how much you eat after its ready, before you can it.

Gather Sauerkraut making equipment

You will also need your shredder, or food processor, and a large glass crock, or plastic tub, and a box of sea salt or kosher salt.

Clean and sterilize your equipment in the dishwasher before you start. Run the hot-water cycle and heat dry cycle. I normally don't wash my day to day this way to save energy like most people.

Preparing Sauerkraut

Cut the cabbages into quarters first, and cut the core out, then cut each quarter again into eights, so it will shred nicely in the food processor.  You want large thin shreds, not the small grind like you want for coleslaw. Weigh the shredded cabbage and add one heaping tablespoon of salt per pound. Mix then  together thoroughly in the fermenting container to get the juices of the cabbage to start making its own fermenting brine.

Make sure the cabbage is immersed on its juices as you store it in a dark place are room temperature of 65-70 degrees Farenhieght. To help keep it submerged, put a plate or saucer in the container on top of the cabbage, and add a salt water ziplock to the plate to keep it weighted down. (one heaping tablespoon of salt per quart [in case of a small leak, it won't get watered down])  You also have a cheesecloth or muslin cover on the jar.

Let it sit for about 5-6 weeks.

Finishing off the Sauerkraut.

When the Sauerkraut is ready,

Get the jars and lids sterilizing the dishwasher is fine for the jars. Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!  It's also a good time to start heating up the water in the canner and the small pan of water to boil the lids. Personally the trick I use is that I ran the jars through whatever my last load of dishes was and then leave them in the dishwasher. (I think I am like a lot of people in that I pre-rinse most of my dishes before loading them in the dishwasher anyway, right?) Then after washing with soap and other dishes, I just wash them again with no soap.

At this point where you are ready to start canning.  

Drain off the juice into a large pot. Bring the juice to a boil, and add the cabbage, quickly lower the temperature and simmer for a five minutes. Basicly to bring it to a boil, and get it ready for canning.

Canning home-made Sauerkraut

Then bottle this into your hot clean quart jars, which we know is hot-packing.

Make sure you wipe down the rims of the jars, and carefully seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.  Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!

You will process this at a rate of 25 minutes in a boiling water bath at sea level, and adjust for your altitude. Start the timing when the water comes back to a boil. Cool and store in a dark cool place for up to a year.

Thanks, and let me know how yours turns out. I love to add a few cloves and thin slives of garlic to my jars.