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Home Made Sauerkraut tutorial Recipe

Ingredients

How to make it

  • (I sometimes mix in 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed into 4 cups, enough for a couple of pints or 1 quart.
  • This makes a tasty variation. as is a bay leaf also and some people add a bit of white wine for wine kraut
  • NOTE: if you refrigerate only rinse and toss with cold water to attain the tartness desired!
  • ADDITIONAL NOTES: a neat gift: add a clean fresh brussel sprout in the middle of the kraut in the container!
  • Molds and yeasts: unclean vegetables, utensils, too hot conditions etc.are all causes
  • If you find mold on top of the kraut , use a muslin cloth and place over the molds in the brine, and let the cloth soak up the molds etc.
  • Make sure the cloth is scalded and cleaned before each use
  • May repeat as needed to remove all mold.
  • Cooking may kill all the molds and yeasts and soften the kraut
  • More on fermentation of cabbage:
  • From UW's - Bacteriology/Food Science Department - The Sauerkraut Fermentation
  • "The salting of the cabbage serves two major purposes.
  • First, it causes an osmotic imbalance which results in the release of water and nutrients from the cabbage leaves.
  • The fluid expelled is an excellent growth medium for the microorganisms involved in the fermentation.
  • It is rich in sugar and growth factors.
  • Second, the salt concentration used inhibits the growth of many spoilage organisms and pathogens.
  • It does not, obviously, inhibit the desired floral succession.
  • As cabbage is approximately 90% water and the salt is dissolved entirely in the water, the actual salt concentration (brine strength) experienced by the microorganisms in their aquatic milieu is around 2.8%.
  • Thorough and even distribution of the salt is critical.
  • Pockets of low or high salt concentration would result in spoilage and/or lack of the desired fermentation.
  • Throughout the fermentation, it is critical that oxygen be excluded.
  • The presence of oxygen would permit the growth of some spoilage organisms, particularly the acid-loving molds and yeasts.
  • As no starter cultures are added to the system, this is referred to as a wild fermentation.
  • The normal flora of the cabbage leaves is relied upon to include the organisms responsible for a desirable fermentation, one that will enhance preservation and organoleptic acceptability.
  • The floral succession is governed mainly by the pH of the growth medium.
  • Initially, a coliform starts the fermentation.
  • Coliforms which have contributed to our lab-made sauerkraut in recent years have included Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca and Enterobacter cloacae.
  • As acid is produced, an environment more favorable forLeuconostoc is quickly formed.
  • The coliform population declines as the population of a strain of Leuconostoc builds.
  • As Leuconostoc is a heterofermentative lactic acid bacterium, much gas (carbon dioxide) accompanies the acid production during this stage.
  • The pH continues to drop, and a strain of Lactobacillus succeeds the Leuconostoc. (
  • On occasion a strain of Pediococcusarises instead of Lactobacillus.)
  • The complete fermentation, then, involves a succession of three major groups or genera of bacteria, a succession governed by the decreasing pH."
  • Even more on Sauerkraut and Lacto-fermentation
  • "No special culture of lactic acid bacteria is needed because these bacteria already are present on raw cabbage.
  • Yeasts also are present, and may yield soft sauerkraut of poor flavor when the fermentation temperature is too high.
  • The fermentation process has three phases.
  • In the first phase, anaerobic bacteria such as Klebsiella and Enterobacter lead the fermentation, and begin producing an acid environment that favours later bacteria.
  • The second phase starts as the acid levels become too high for many bacteria, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides and other Leuconostoc spp. take dominance.
  • In the third phase, various Lactobacillus species including L. brevis and L. plantarum ferment any remaining sugars, further lowering the pH."

Reviews & Comments 9

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  • lumpy1 13 years ago
    I so needed this . Thank you,
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  • MistressMaddie 13 years ago
    I live off kraut! Ty for this! I have been looking for a great easy recipe for this and I can finally stop looking :D
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  • midgelet 14 years ago
    I love my fresh home made sauekraut, its good for you, great for dijestion and elimanation and I find a lot of ways to use it!
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    " It was excellent "
    aussie_meat_pie ate it and said...
    Thank you for this - my grandmother knows how to make it but her process is bigger and this is more simpler for me.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    chichimonkeyface ate it and said...
    I have to thank you for the time and effort, explanation of the many recipes you post.Wished you could get top honors for this and many others you post with such detail!!
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  • lovebreezy 14 years ago
    Wowzers, fantastic post. Thanks for spending the time.
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    " It was excellent "
    dollhead ate it and said...
    Excellent directions! My grandfather and father used to make it. I put it (chopped) in my rye and pumpernickle bread.....mmmm! Thanks for taking the time for this wonderful post!
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  • michaelhrd 14 years ago
    WOW, I wasn't expecting that much info.I've made lots of variations all my life and enjoy eating it often.Very glad I came across your entry. it all makes sence, and for a conosour like myself the added indepth info is great .I love learning thank you and would like to add you to my friend
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  • momo_55grandma 14 years ago
    luv homemade kraut thanks bunches high5
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