Re: kraut trials

[Guest guest]

Nice experiment!

I can't say about the rest, but the air circulation makes a huge difference. I

find that with kefir beer too: if I use a bottle with an airlock, the

fermentation takes place differently. It's an interesting point too:

traditionally, kraut was made in an open crock, and had white foam on top. These

days, we tend to gravitate toward closed containers, which don't get that white

foam (or any foam, for me, no bubbles either usually).

The kind of starter makes a huge difference too. When you use raw cabbage, you

are using whatever happens to be on that cabbage, which can vary. I tend to add

some juice from the last batch to push it in the right direction.

Also, I've had better results when I add some acid to the mix. I use vinegar.

That was also in my great-grandma's recipe.

One of the things I've read about that really changes the ferment also, is dirt.

If there are dirt bacteria clinging to the cabbage, it changes the ferment (for

the worse). The cleaner the cabbage, the better the ferment, according to

studies. That might be why the Koreans are so fastidious with cleaning the

kimchi ingredients. They (the Koreans) also say that's one reason for letting

the cabbage sit mixed with salt for a bit: the topical salt kills the bacteria

on the cabbage surface. Interestingly, that's also the practice for making a

Kosher chicken: rubbing the chicken with lots of salt and letting it set for a

bit. Cook's magazine found this makes for a much *tastier* chicken too, but it

would kill salmonella on the chicken, I think, which is also a good thing!

Sounds like you salted the cabbage though, so that's likely not it. I wouldn't

worry too much about hand bacteria etc. The lactobacilli are pretty tough and

take over given half a chance (they are the crabgrass of the bacteria family

....).

I wouldn't worry about the air bubbles: I get that in kimchi a lot. It's CO2,

which doesn't grow mold. Mold is the real baddie ...

-- Heidi

Just under a week ago, I started 3 quarts of sauerkraut in my

kitchen. I used a different amount of salt in each one, as I'm

trying to find a salt concentration I prefer. I've made some kraut

in mason quarts before and some have been pretty good, but when I

checked on them last night they seemed off. There was a smell I

haven't experienced before with sauerkraut. I didn't have to draw

my head back or anything like that, but it didn't seem right. I

did taste all three and the salt seemed practically nonexistent, but

the texture was still crunchy. I'm trying to think of reasons the

fermentation may have gone awry. I was able to draw enough water

from the cabbages, though certainly not as much as when they're out

of the field (these were organic and from my co-op, from a local

farm). I put a closed half pint of water on top as a weight and

then covered it with parchment paper and rubber banded it down.

Normally I use cheese cloth to cover the jars, so this was a new

step for me. Would the way that I cover it affect the

fermentation? How? All the jars were washed in soapy water before

I used them, they had previously been used to store bulk grains.

The color is perhaps a little darker than in previous batches, but

not much. As I said earlier the water I drew from the cabbage

wasn't as prevalent. When I push down on the half pints I see air

bubbles rise to the top, so I'm also wondering if things have been

affected by air pockets in the kraut. When I salt cabbage and draw

out the juices I like to use my hands. I always wash them before I

do and haven't had a problem before. I did wash the cabbages before

I cut them up, and I used tap water. My girlfriend has made

sauerkraut here before however, and has done the same with no

problems associated with it. So, any ideas, theories, suggestions?

Thanks!

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[Guest guest]

G'day n,

I second pretty much everything Jay and Heidi said.

If you are worried about there not being enough liquid being drawn off

the cabbage, just top off the jar with a little boiled, cooled water

with a teaspoonful of salt dissolved in it. Most of my krauts generate

plenty of liquid, but a couple haven't and needed to be topped off.

Is it possible that the smell you're finding is from the grains that

used to be in the jars? I know that you washed them first, but even so,

jars can hang onto odours surprisingly well. (I have some jars that

smell like garlic - nothing will shift the smell!)

I presume that after washing the jars with soapy water, you rinsed off

the soapy water as well. Right?

And don't worry about the hand contact thing. My last batch possibly has

a small piece of finger in there (never saw where it landed), and it

turned out just fine

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

The planet is in a pickle, but fermenting will help save us

[Guest guest]

Yuck. I know there are a lot of us meat eaters around, but

cannibalism? Lol, have a great one

3jsmom31

[Guest guest]

" Also, I've had better results when I add some acid to the mix. I use vinegar.

That was also in my great-grandma's recipe. "

Heidi

What kind of ratio of vinegar to cabbage do you use?

Thanks.

Kathy

[Guest guest]

About 1-2 tablespoons per batch (which for me is 2 heads of cabbage, about).

-- Heidi

Re: kraut trials

" Also, I've had better results when I add some acid to the mix. I use vinegar.

That was also in my great-grandma' s recipe. "

Heidi

What kind of ratio of vinegar to cabbage do you use?

Thanks.

Kathy

[Guest guest]

Hah, Ross

Your so bad, did they catch you or someone else sneaking a taste, heh!

Audrey

<snippet>>

> And don't worry about the hand contact thing. My last batch possibly

has

> a small piece of finger in there (never saw where it landed), and it

> turned out just fine

> --

> Ross McKay,

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi,

So which kind of vinegar do you use, white/distilled or apple cider?

Kombucha would not work right.

Audrey

<snippet>

> The kind of starter makes a huge difference too. When you use raw

cabbage, you are using whatever happens to be on that cabbage, which

can vary. I tend to add some juice from the last batch to push it in

the right direction.

>

> Also, I've had better results when I add some acid to the mix. I use

vinegar. That was also in my great-grandma's recipe.

>

>> -- Heidi

>

[Guest guest]

It doesn't matter, really, except for taste. The idea is just to lower the Ph a

little. I don't use distilled vinegar myself because in theory it might have

wheat in it, plus it tastes lousy IMO, but I use white wine vinegar, red wine

vinegar, or cider vinegar, or rice vinegar, as the whim suits ...

Kimchi juice adds the right bacteria though, if you are looking for bacteria. I

don't think most ferments need bacteria though. They do sometimes appreciate

some acid.

-- Heidi

Re: kraut trials

Hi Heidi,

So which kind of vinegar do you use, white/distilled or apple cider?

Kombucha would not work right.

Audrey

<snippet>

> The kind of starter makes a huge difference too. When you use raw

cabbage, you are using whatever happens to be on that cabbage, which

can vary. I tend to add some juice from the last batch to push it in

the right direction.

>

> Also, I've had better results when I add some acid to the mix. I use

vinegar. That was also in my great-grandma' s recipe.

>

>> -- Heidi

>

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