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Sauerkraut or bust!

Sauerkraut or bust!
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  • Post #151 - October 3rd, 2016, 7:58 pm
    Post #151 - October 3rd, 2016, 7:58 pm Post #151 - October 3rd, 2016, 7:58 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

    I am going over the border to buy my cabbage in Wisconsin on Thursday. I will be at Kendall College (Chicago and Halsted) on Saturday morning.

    A bag of fresh picked cabbage weighs 50-60 pounds. When I bought it last, I paid around $8 or $9 for a bag.

    If anyone wants a bag or wishes to share a bag with others, I can bring it for pick up on Saturday.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    No bananas? :roll:
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #152 - October 4th, 2016, 8:21 am
    Post #152 - October 4th, 2016, 8:21 am Post #152 - October 4th, 2016, 8:21 am
    Note on bananas: Every once in a while, Woodmans sells a grocery bag filled with bananas for $1 or maybe a bit more.

    :D
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #153 - March 18th, 2018, 12:36 pm
    Post #153 - March 18th, 2018, 12:36 pm Post #153 - March 18th, 2018, 12:36 pm
    What with stocking supplies for post-St Patrick's Day Reubens, sauerkraut's on my mind. I am curious, Rene G and others, what do you think of the idea that you can Bring Pasteurized Sauerkraut Back to Life? It sounds reasonable on the surface, but then I remember we discussed whether one could effectively pickle fresh cucumber slices in leftover juice from naturally pickled pickles, so I'm skeptical.

    Someone is sure to reply, it's so easy; why don't you make it yourself? So I'll say in advance, thanks, but that wasn't my question.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #154 - March 18th, 2018, 4:21 pm
    Post #154 - March 18th, 2018, 4:21 pm Post #154 - March 18th, 2018, 4:21 pm
    So, are you asking ' will this be safe' or are you asking 'will this be good'. I don't know the answer to safe. I am fairly certain it will not be as good as originally made.
  • Post #155 - March 18th, 2018, 4:48 pm
    Post #155 - March 18th, 2018, 4:48 pm Post #155 - March 18th, 2018, 4:48 pm
    Hi, Lou. Sorry I wasn't clear enough. It wasn't either safety or taste I was wondering about. It was whether its probiotic (gut health) properties can be restored by this method, i.e., whether lactobacillus in the liquid from an unpasteurized sauerkraut can be used to produce (or colonize or whatever) lactobacillus in a pasteurized sauerkraut.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #156 - March 18th, 2018, 6:01 pm
    Post #156 - March 18th, 2018, 6:01 pm Post #156 - March 18th, 2018, 6:01 pm
    Katie, I would strongly predict yes. Bacteria would quickly colonize a new substrate.

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #157 - March 18th, 2018, 7:01 pm
    Post #157 - March 18th, 2018, 7:01 pm Post #157 - March 18th, 2018, 7:01 pm
    Thanks, Geo! That is encouraging. I am curious and eager to give it a try.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #158 - March 19th, 2018, 9:18 am
    Post #158 - March 19th, 2018, 9:18 am Post #158 - March 19th, 2018, 9:18 am
    Report back on your results, Katie! I was a winemaker for quite a while, and we used lactobacillus on our reds. Once they get going, they're pretty robust.

    Geo
    Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick! :)
  • Post #159 - March 19th, 2018, 10:51 am
    Post #159 - March 19th, 2018, 10:51 am Post #159 - March 19th, 2018, 10:51 am
    Katie wrote:What with stocking supplies for post-St Patrick's Day Reubens, sauerkraut's on my mind. I am curious, Rene G and others, what do you think of the idea that you can Bring Pasteurized Sauerkraut Back to Life? It sounds reasonable on the surface, but then I remember we discussed whether one could effectively pickle fresh cucumber slices in leftover juice from naturally pickled pickles, so I'm skeptical.

    Katie wrote:Hi, Lou. Sorry I wasn't clear enough. It wasn't either safety or taste I was wondering about. It was whether its probiotic (gut health) properties can be restored by this method, i.e., whether lactobacillus in the liquid from an unpasteurized sauerkraut can be used to produce (or colonize or whatever) lactobacillus in a pasteurized sauerkraut.

    Geo wrote:Katie, I would strongly predict yes. Bacteria would quickly colonize a new substrate.

    But already-fermented sauerkraut is effectively an old, spent substrate so I wouldn't expect a lot of growth to occur. The pasteurized kraut (Kühne brand) has no preservatives so it won't actively kill the bacteria from the transferred brine, but most of the fermentable sugars have already been consumed so there shouldn't be much for the bacteria to feed on. Also the pH is likely low enough that it's inhospitable for growth. Both krauts are presumably in end-stage fermentation – thus low in sugar and high in acid – causing the bacteria to more or less shut down. It seems unlikely to me that vigorous fermentation and bacterial growth would resume after a little brine is transferred to already-fermented sauerkraut because conditions are quite suboptimal. I suspect you'd get nearly the same dose of probiotics by simply drinking the leftover brine and eating the pasteurized kraut separately.
  • Post #160 - September 27th, 2019, 11:04 am
    Post #160 - September 27th, 2019, 11:04 am Post #160 - September 27th, 2019, 11:04 am
    Back at it again!
    5l Harsch crock is filled and no additional brine required.
    Harsch is no longer in business and the 5l and 20l crocks I have are invaluable.
    Tried using a friends old old cabbage shredder and but the blade would not stay at a fixed angle, Kitchenaid food processor works great.
    Will give this batch a few days and then fill the 20l with the remaining heads.
    Took 2 heads to fill the 5l crock.
    328EBE19-9A9D-40F1-B947-96E72BCC347D.jpeg
  • Post #161 - August 3rd, 2023, 4:56 pm
    Post #161 - August 3rd, 2023, 4:56 pm Post #161 - August 3rd, 2023, 4:56 pm
    I didn't intend to make sauerkraut in the middle of the summer but these 2 monsters showed up and inspiration/necessity hit . . .

    Image
    Conehead Cabbages
    Before cleaning/trimming, the larger one, on the left, came in at 3365g. The smaller one came in at 2726g. So, just about 13.5 pounds total gross weight. I had to make sauerkraut because I didn't have enough room in the fridge to store them. :lol:


    Image
    Sliced/Salted Cabbage, Masakage Koishi Gyuto, 240mm & V-Slicer
    Net weight on the cabbage was 4,545g. I added 2% pickling salt. Used the Koishi for the break-down and the mop up. Used the V-Slicer for the rest of it. This was a fv<kl04d of cabbage! I'll pound it with a wooden dowel every so often until the moisture that seeps out rises above the level of the cabbage. From there, it'll go into the pickling crock for 1-2 weeks. Between the warmer weather (I've only ever krauted in fall) and the variety of cabbage, which I've never fermented before, I really have no idea how long it'll take, so I'll just have to keep a close eye and ear on it.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #162 - August 15th, 2023, 11:16 am
    Post #162 - August 15th, 2023, 11:16 am Post #162 - August 15th, 2023, 11:16 am
    After a 10-day ferment, no doubt, it's kraut . . .

    Image
    Conehead Cabbage Sauerkraut
    Really liked the way this came out. Conehead cabbage turned into a complex-tasting, mildly sweet sauerkraut. Not hot water canning any of this. Want to keep it alive. I'll keep a quart for myself and rest will go to good homes. :)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #163 - August 16th, 2023, 9:21 am
    Post #163 - August 16th, 2023, 9:21 am Post #163 - August 16th, 2023, 9:21 am
    Nice! I made a couple quarts of kraut from a rather indifferent cabbage recently and found it does ferment faster in a slightly warmer basement. 10 days gave a mild crunchy result. I used 3% salt, have seen anywhere from 2% to 3% recommended but haven't seen much definitive advice on how the varying percentages affect the end product.

    And gotta ask where you found the cabbages - did Beldar retire and open a farm stand?
  • Post #164 - August 16th, 2023, 10:57 am
    Post #164 - August 16th, 2023, 10:57 am Post #164 - August 16th, 2023, 10:57 am
    tjr wrote:Nice! I made a couple quarts of kraut from a rather indifferent cabbage recently and found it does ferment faster in a slightly warmer basement. 10 days gave a mild crunchy result. I used 3% salt, have seen anywhere from 2% to 3% recommended but haven't seen much definitive advice on how the varying percentages affect the end product.

    And gotta ask where you found the cabbages - did Beldar retire and open a farm stand?

    I've settled on 2% salt by weight. Not that it's definitive or correct but that's the amount I've seen recommended more than any other and I've had nothing but success at that level.

    LOL -- the conehead/arrowhead cabbages are from Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee. This is Tracey Vowell's farm (formerly of Frontera Grill). They do 2 weekly drops -- Wednesdays and Saturdays -- at Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, which is pretty convenient for us. So, I order online and pick up, free of charge, at PGC (iirc, 3SG also does home deliveries). Fwiw, Tracey's semi-weekly email, received this morning, indicated that the coneheads are just about picked for the season. I think she wrote that this coming week would be the last. I don't think that's a big deal. So many people recommend using any variety of cabbage and -- more importantly -- waiting until after the first frost to kraut it (it's supposedly sweeter then). For all intents and purposes, right now is really off-season for traditional krauting.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #165 - August 17th, 2023, 8:58 pm
    Post #165 - August 17th, 2023, 8:58 pm Post #165 - August 17th, 2023, 8:58 pm
    Yes, I've always heard that the late hard flat cabbages with their thinner leaves, along with cooler weather for fermentation, make the best kraut. So I was surprised that thick loose leafed early cabbage and fast fermentation made better than passable kraut. And I had some fresh kraut to send, at his request, with the kid to college. Not exactly the most common fermented item in a college apartment fridge!

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