commonly used termonolgy around here is "once you make your own sausage you will never like store bought" This is even MORE the case when talking kraut. Every fall when cabbage goes on sale I buy 50 pounds, shred it, adding salt as I goes, usually after every 4-5 pounds about 2 tablespoons, press down into a crock, ( a plastic pail works too) shred, salt, press down, You need to have juice coming up over the kraut by the second shred, then keep going until all cabbage is shredded and in your crock, THEN, take 2 black garbage bags put them together, fill with water, tie shut securely place in crock or pail, set by a floor drain for 6 weeks, after six weeks take out bag, scrape any suspect looking stuff on the top, you will be able to tell how much as it looks nice and white and smells like kraut not sour diaper! then, stuff into your jars, screw on the lids, and process in boiling water 20 minutes and you will have the BEST mildest kraut you have ever eaten. When I make mine, its a quart of kraut, a pork hock or some other kind of pork, add a quart of water to
the kettle, cook the heck out of it for about 2 hours watching it doesnt burn in, when ready to eat, and here is where some people are amazed, peel a potato, get it completely ground up in a food process or use a fine grater, add this to kraut to "thicken" it, and enjoy! if you have some good smoked sausage to combine, its a meal made in heaven