Home Made Sauerkraut
Millie Galliher: NOTE: Do not use metal pots or utensils when making sauerdraut. Gallon pickle jars work well.
Abt 3 large head white "Winter" cabbage
Abt 2 ounce coarse kosher salt (or pickling salt, if you can find it)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove all green or damaged leaves and discard or use for something else. Cut the heads of cabbage in quarters. Remove the cores. Using the slicer blade on a food processor, or a very sharp knife on a cutting board, slice the cabbage into the thinnest, longest shreds possible. Weigh out 6 pounds of the cabbage. Use the rest to make cole slaw, or something else.
Using a mortar and pestle, or a food processor, grind the coarse salt until it is very fine. In a large ceramic or glass bowl, mix the cabbage and salt thoroughly, using your hands. Let the mixture rest for about 1/4 to 1/2 hour. The salt will pull liquid out of the cabbage as it wilts.
Pack the wilted cabbage AND THE LIQUID in layers in a clean, well rinsed 1 gallon ceramic crock or a clean 1-gallon pickle jar. Press each layer down firmly (but don't crush the cabbage). This will bring the liquid to the surface. Fill the jar to about 1-1/2 inch from the top. [In the old days, a plate was placed on top of the cabbage and a jar full of water was placed on top of the plate to weight it down and hold the cabbage under the liquid. Several layers of clean cheese cloth were placed over the jar to keep out any dust or bacteria.] In today's world, it is easier. Get 2 large clean food-grade bags and place one inside the other. Fill the inner bag with several cups of water. Place these bags in the jar (or crock). This will serve as both the air-tight seal and the weight. While they are sitting on top of the cabbage, add water to the inner bag so it spreads to weight the cabbage down and also forms a seal to prevent air from getting to the cabbage/liquid mixture. Seal the bags using a wire twistie.
Place the jar on a cabinet at room temperature, not where it will get hot. (Heat will cause spoilage.) The process is a natural fermentation process that uses the natural bacteria found on cabbage. During the first couple days, it will be somewhat stinky, then when fermentation picks up, bubbles will form and bubble up to the top. The bubbles will make their way between the glass and the plastic and leave, so no pressure builds up.If there is not enough liquid (natural brine) to cover the cabbage, add some additional brine made by mixing about 2 tsp coarse salt per cup of water.
The fermentation process will take any where from 1-1/2 weeks to several weeks, depending on temperature and your own taste. The longer it ferments, the more sour it will be. This will tast much better than canned or bottled sauerkraut. For one thing, it is crisper. When it tastes good to you, it is done. It may be kept for several months in the refirgerator, in the covered jar. (Refrigeration stops the fermentation process.)
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Cooking Software from DVO Enterprises.