Homemade Saurkraut

Has anyone ever done it. I had some my grandmother made when I was just a pup. I remember it was really good and nothing like the kraut my mother opened up out of a can. I have always wanted to make it but just never seemed to take the time to do it.

Mom still makes it once in a while. I'll ask, but pretty sure she just sticks shredded cabbage and salt in a stone crock and lets it sit. It is pretty good but man it will clean you out. I just about prefer the Silver Floss brand canned stuff.

I had a friend who use to make it. I can't tell what ingredients he used. He let in ferment in big clay pots with a dinner plate set over the opening.

Blast from past

I make a five gallon crock full every year, which equates to about 50 lbs of cabbage using the recipe below. Fermentation usually only takes about 3 weeks for me, even though the recipe says up to 6 weeks. In stage 2 I use the raw pack method and add some dill weed to it before processing in the water canner. It can be eaten straight out of the jar, but I cook mine. I rinse it before cooking and saute some onion and bacon together and add the sauerkraut in with just enough water to slightly cover and season with some salt and pepper and optional caraway seeds and simmer a short time. Goes great with venison sausage.

If your looking for a crock, I found mine at Ace Hardware online and the prices are pretty good. Some people just use an ice chest and it comes out OK.

sauerkraut recipe