Why did I never think of making sauerkraut before? We used quite a bit of it and now that we’ve tasted fresh kraut, we’ll be eating even more.
In early October, we purchased the TSM 10 L Fermenting Crock.
Fermentation Pot
The crock is a little expensive but if you like sauerkraut, this one is truly “fix and forget”.
On October 10, I shredded 4 heads of cabbage and put into the crock. My guess was that 4 heads of cabbage was about all it would hold but it was barely half full so I put in 2 more heads of cabbage, and, of course, salt. There’s a well type ring around the lid so you place the lid on the crock, and pour water into the well which stops air from getting to the cabbage but still allows it to “burp” during the fermentation. I loved hearing it burp . . I knew it was doing what it needed to do.
According to all I’ve read, it takes 2 weeks for it to ferment at about 75º, so today was the day. We were both so anxious to check it out..
Fermented Cabbage
You can’t tell much about it but we both tasted it and it was great! I was feeding the guys working on the greenhouse and they couldn’t believe how good it was. For lunch, we had sausage dogs with kraut, along with fried okra and fried jalapeno peppers.
Kraut
Before lunch, we had 10 quarts but after lunch, 9 quarts and 1 pint went into the fridge!
If you halfway like storebought canned kraut, you may want to think about making your own. In the crock, it did fine sitting in my kitchen for two weeks with temps being about 73 – 75 degrees. I think I would leave it a few days longer next time just to get a bit more “sour” taste. It’s so crunchy and fresh tasting.
Sherrill says
But then you’d also have to spend big bucks to get that fancy schmancy cabbage shredder and would have to eat TONS of sauerkraut before it paid for itself!! LOL And you are REALLY in BIG TROUBLE for even mentioning those pies! Our Kroger also had raspberry and blackberry (no, I didn’t buy either..only peach). Also noticed they had smaller ones but none were peach (woulda been better with a smaller one! insert angry face!). LOL
JudyL says
No, the shredder isn’t necessary. It would take longer to cut the cabbage with a knife but it could easily be done.
The quarts of kraut I made are packed very tight and I figure there are probably 2.5 or 3 storebought cans of kraut in each one. I paid $4.80 for the cabbage to make that and if that amount produced an amount equal to 25 or 30 cans of kraut, and the cans are probably $1 in the store (I have no idea how much they are), it wouldn’t take but 4 or 5 batches of kraut to pay for the kraut and another 4 or 5 to pay for the cutter. As much kraut as we eat, it will pay for itself in short order.
I think we’re going to Kroger tonight or tomorrow. I’m anxious to see what’s at our store.
Sherrill says
I can’t even begin to imagine hand cutting 6 heads of cabbage for sauerkraut. It’d never happen. UGH
JudyL says
I’ve done it many times when making coleslaw for church or school dinners. It all depends on how bad you want to do it.
pat miodonski says
Hi Judy, That is a nice crock for the sauerkraut. Would this special crock work for doing whole pickles: I like that it allows the air out of the crock. I also like that shredder for the cabbage. It does such a great job. I was thinking about what else can I shredd besides the cabbage, maybe large amts of kale or collard greens. Can you think of anything else besides the cabbage:. Also where did you buy the crock for the sauerkraut? I bet that kraut is delicious. Pat
Diana in RR, TX says
Yep home made is better than store bought any day. May have to rethink what I am storing in our spare fridge!
Joyce says
I haven’t had homemade kraut in years. Both of my grandmothers used to make it. There was even an old kraut cutter in my parent’s basement for years. I didn’t keep it when I cleared out the house though. I don’t think I would eat enough kraut to make it worthwhile to make. It would taste good, though for sure!
Diana says
Oh yum ! Homemade sauerkraut is the bomb !! My husbands grandmother and I would make it every year before she passed on (I just adored her!) … Thanks for the memory.
Karen langseth says
I’m very intrigued by your crock. We have always used the red wing crocks to make our kraut, doing it only once a year and fermenting it outside. So you did this in the house and did you have any nasty smell with it?? It would be so awesome to make it in smaller batches more often. Is it possible to keep the kraut in the crock instead of putting it in jars and canning it???
JudyL says
Karen, absolutely no smell in the kitchen. Even when I was standing right there and the kraut “burped”, it didn’t release enough gas for me to smell it. Here, it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep it in the crock because it would continue fermenting. Where you’re located, it might work.
Pam says
Judy, will you just keep it in the fridge until it’s gone? How long does it last that way? My grandmother used to make it yearly with a lot of lodge ladies. The kitchen at the lodge was huge and had room for everyone to leave as many large crocks as they wanted to. When it was finished she always canned it like any other fruits and veggies and stored it all in her root cellar, below the kitchen. I loved the musty smell down there. Thanks for the memories!!
Pam
JudyL says
Pam, everything I’ve read says it’s safe to keep it in the fridge for 6 months but I’ve talked to folks who say they’ve kept it in the fridge for a year and it was fine. They all say that if it smells funny or looks funny, don’t eat it. I figure there’s a slim chance those 9 jars will last 6 months. I’ll give a few of them away and we’ll use it pretty quickly.
The reason for not canning it is that the heat kills the probiotics but if I do need to can it because we aren’t eating it fast enough, it will still be homemade kraut and taste better than what I usually get in a can — it just will no longer have the probiotics.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I was curious about the details, so looked it up and found I can make a small batch right in a mason jar! That makes me happy.
Also, Karen asked about leaving it in the crock. The instructions I found mentioned a “cellar temperature,” (about 55 degrees F.) which you and I don’t have, would stop the fermentation and be suitable for storage.
Just checked back on the article, and a benefit of a small batch is faster results! I need to go get quart mason jars.