A "Bump" for this thread. A few of you guys were making Kraut. Any updates on how its going?
Making that stuff in my family has been passed down for generations- especially from my mothers side of the family. They are all gone now, but the old crocks, cabbage cutter and such all now belong to me, and I still make it. However, it is an emotional process for me now.
All the above is all pretty correct, except a couple of things mom and grandma did and taught me that was a little different. The cut kraut went straight into the crock. They never weighed or measured the salt or cabbage or anything. Just put a layer of cabbage down in the crock a few inches thick then liberally sprinkle some salt on. It was always Kosher salt. Then tamp down to bruise it and some juices come out. Repeat in layers with cabbage and salt. We just used a mason jar to mash it. A dinner plate went on top of the kraut and a weight on top of that. A ziplock bag with salt water was usually it. A sheet of plastic went over the crock, then a wooden lid and a weight on top of that. It went undisturbed no peaking. Of course everything used was strictly boiled or sanitized. The top layer of scuz was removed, but was otherwise done and edible. They used to seal it in quart wide-mouth ball or mason jars with the hot-water bath method for a few minutes, then cooled quickly in ice water. tI was never done in a pressure canner or "cooked" that way. The jars stayed at room temperature in the pantry until ready for consumption. Later on they changed up altogether and just put it in freezer-safe ziplock bags straight into the freezer.
We had kraut and sausage all the time but my favorite of all time is what they called kraut und speck. Just saying the words my mouth is watering! They made it in different variations.. sometimes with bacon in it as traditional but I liked it best with smoked kielbasa covered in mashed potatoes then a layer of sauerkraut then baked in the oven until warm and heated through . Mom would add a sprinkle of brown sugar on top of the kraut before baking for us kids- I love the way it caramelized on the kraut! I still do it that way and my kids love it too! Pure candy!
Thanks for the memories!