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Sauerkraut

Source of Recipe

Submitted by Brandon Johnstun From OSU Extension Master Food Preservers


Recipe Introduction

This is a really good recipe. It is easy and lets you make what you want, and when you want it. This makes a great pizza when you use red cabbage, because kids will not know its there. Let it sit on top of your refrigerator in a 1 gallon glass jar, and in 3 to 5 weeks you will have it. Be sure to use a pickling salt, or the brine will become cloudy. Having worked at Stienfelds for a couple of years, I have made more sauerkraut in one day than you have ever seen in your whole families lifetime. NOTE: Steinfelds has a sauerkraut festival in Scappoose, OR, in the summer. They also have a recipe contest, which comes up with some great recipes, and some that you would pass on, like sauerkraut ice cream. Look them up for their recipe book.

Recipe Link: eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/EdMat/pubresults.lasso?sortnum=0420.8

List of Ingredients

Tools

Knife, and or use Mandolin for slicing
Cutting board
Large tub, like a sink tub, 14 x 20 x 5
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon, 1 Tbl
1 gal Freezer ziplock
1 gal Large mouth glass jar


Ingredients

5 lbs Cabbage, either green or red, will fit in a gallon jar
Pickling salt



Recipe

Serves: About 3/4 of a gallon
Time required: Prepare: 1 hour Ferment: 3 to 5 weeks
Difficulty: Easy but physical


Directions

1. Buy the heaviest and densest cabbages you can.

2. Peel off outer leaves of cabbage, till you get to the good clean leaves.

3. Quarter cabbages, and cut the cores out.

4. Wash and clean cabbages.

5. Cut, or slice on the mandolin, the cabbage the thickness of a quarter. Put into the tub.

6. Now come the physical part. You need to squeeze and mash the cabbage till all the juice comes out. The cabbage will be limp and you will have quite a bit of juice.

7. Mix all of this with 3 large Tbl of pickling salt.

8. Pack 1/3 of the cabbage in the jar. Start to squish the cabbage again to get some more liquid out of the cabbage.

9. Add the next third, and squish it down. Repeat with the last 1/3.

10. Pour remaining liquid into the jar. Make sure it has settled through out the cabbage, and there is no air pockets.

11. Add 1 1/2 Tbl pickling salt per quart to the ziplock. This is in case the ziplock leaks. The water has the same saline content as the sauerkraut does, so it will not be ruined.

12. Put the ziplock on top of the sauerkraut. Now seal the ziplock.

13. Make sure the ziplock completely seals off the sauerkraut from the air. You will smell it if it doesn't, and you will get a slime mold on the top.

14. You want the jar to be in a room that is between 70 to 75 degrees. Too cold and it will not ferment. Too hot and it will become soft.

15. Do not disturb till bubbling stops.

16. When it has fermented to your tastes, the longer you let it sit, the stronger the taste, you can use it.

17. The finished sauerkraut can be stored in the refrigerator for months covered. It can be frozen, or canned.

18. To can:

Contact your local extension office for times that fit your elevation and get the latest updates.

Water bath canning times

Hot pack Pints 10 minutes
Quarts 15 minutes

Cold pack Pints 20 minutes
Quarts 25 minutes


Serve with

Keilbasa, or sausages.

Reuben sandwich.

Put in a pizza with sausage. This is great. We use it in the demonstrations for making sauerkraut. People love it after they get the guts to try it. They go home and make it for themselves.