# Richtee's Sauerkraut



## walking dude (Apr 1, 2008)

okay......got a 4 pound head of green cabbage to try out Richtee's method of sauerkraut

don't have a cabbage shredder........so used my rival food slicer








only decent container i have for it, is a tupperware container







between layers, i put kosher salt, horseradish, and my smoked garlic












after all the layers, i placed a plate on top, with a gallon container of water to hold the plate/cabbage under the soon to render out water







put it in my basement, covered with a towel..........bout evey other day, will check on it, and skim off the skum

will post as i go along.............

but finished product should be 3 weeks from now


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 1, 2008)

BRATS-N-KRAUT at WD's place in 3 weeks!!!!.........


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## smokebuzz (Apr 1, 2008)

I beleive thats an invatatoin EME


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## walking dude (Apr 1, 2008)

fine.........as long as you guys bring homemade brats

AND the beer


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 1, 2008)

Never know about us Iowegians.....WD lives in the same state, that practically makes him a neighbor.....might just show up for dinner.....brats in hand!


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## smokebuzz (Apr 1, 2008)

The brats, you mean my dots right?
They eat too much, might have figure something out there Dude


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## walking dude (Apr 1, 2008)

brats.........you know..........ground up meat, stuffed in casings?


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 1, 2008)

I thought those were hot dogs!


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## smokebuzz (Apr 1, 2008)

or slami....


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 1, 2008)

Fareway makes decent brats.....cheaper than Johnsonville, too.....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





(they kinda look home made even.....heh)


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## smokebuzz (Apr 1, 2008)

Some of the best, if you buy 20#+, they will custom make them with what ever you want added to them, i get them with swiss cheese


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 1, 2008)

wooooooo!......there's an idea....custom Fareway brats.....no labor munchies!!


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## bb53chevpro (Apr 2, 2008)

Hey Dude, looks good so far. Keep us all posted as it progresses. This something I want to try too. Ya know, kraut and Hungarian Kolbasz is one of my favorites. You got the kraut, and I got the kolbasz.
Andy.


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## erain (Apr 2, 2008)

Walking Dude;174180 said:
			
		

> okay......got a 4 pound head of green cabbage to try out Richtee's method of sauerkraut
> 
> don't have a cabbage shredder........so used my rival food slicer.
> 
> ...


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## richtee (Apr 2, 2008)

Hmmm Interesting method there erain. I assume the bag contacts all sides of the container? How does the "scum" get out tho? Just bubbles thru with the CO2?


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## erain (Apr 2, 2008)

u got it richtee, air tight barrier. the only reason the scum forms is because the kraut on the surface is in contact with oxygen. all the gasses from fermenting just push around the bag and out. no oxygen no scum-nothing, matter of fact they say dont even peek cuz then u lettin air in. after ur done fermenting remove and the top will look just like the stuff at the bottom. like a big check valve. there are several kraut making websites that show this now that i look. but do it once betcha never do it different.

they recommend bag have 3-4 inches of water salt mix in it, i suppose to make sure it has enuff side surface area to seal, i do mine in 5 gal crocks and fill so there is about 4 gal of kraut packed tite inside, the rest is the water filled bag.


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## walking dude (Apr 2, 2008)

wouldn't happen to have sum pics, to better picture how the baggies seal off the opening?


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## erain (Apr 2, 2008)

i wish i had actual pics, most cetanly will have to this summer, but i found this-cudnt figger out how to make it copy/paste but here link, picture in step 3, mine seemed that the bag had a little more water in it, so there was more surface area on the sides just because of the imperfections in the crocks(100 year old redwings). try this http://learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/B2087.pdf


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## cowgirl (Apr 2, 2008)

Deud...bet that's gonna be good!

Erain, I like the sound of your method too. I'll have to give it a try.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I make mine in quart jars, pack the jars tight...leave the lids loose, set the jars in a tub to catch the overflow. 
When ready, I clean the mouths of the jars, top with new lids and put them in the canner. I can them in a waterbath canner for 20 minutes.


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## erain (Apr 2, 2008)

hi patty, i used to do it kinda that way cept used to use those jars with the zinc caps and rubber seals, ferment and tighten, thats the way my mom used to do it and it was all right but didnt like the idea of not processing it. used to hear all these old timers talk about kraut from the crock. being i sorta had been collecting them anyway figgered may as well use them and give it a try' i think there is something to it cuz it does have a more distinct flavor. maybe cuz of the large amount in container takes longer to finish fermenting? (just a guess, something) anyway when done fermenting then i process into jars. glad to see other kraut makers here. just another aspect of why this forum great!!!


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## walking dude (Apr 2, 2008)

THANX ERAIN

GREAT tip dude.......great tip........sealed up the container perfectly














now i won't have to worry bout scumsucking skimming the scum........LOLOL

once again erain........big thankx


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 2, 2008)

WD was almost a "scum sucking kraut maker".....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I better just stop now........LOL


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## richtee (Apr 2, 2008)

Why is that?  Run with it  ;{)


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## erain (Apr 3, 2008)

WD, i was just lookin at ur pics and the one from the link i sent to get the general idea across, not sure if make a diffrence but maybe a shorter container so the fluid level is at least even with the top, the stuff created in the fermentation will push past sides of bag and has to run down the outsides of container. if not when you want to remove the bag all of that stuff will be on top of the bag and some will prob fall back into kraut when you try and remove bag. other than that it lookin good!!!


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 3, 2008)

Maybe I'm totally off the mark here, but shouldn't the only "stuff" coming out around the water bag be CO2 gas?  If the bag is there to prevent oxygen from causing the scum to form, I would think it should keep all the goodies held in and just let the gases escape.......then again, it's prolly been 25 years or more since I saw kraut made by mom n pop...and I don't really remember just how they made it...


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## richtee (Apr 3, 2008)

As with any fermentation process, yeasts and microbes that carry out the process multiply by the millions. As they die, they of course leave behind their mortal coil. In addition there are small bits of veggie matter and yes, some dust and dirt. The CO2 bubbles will attach themselves to this and cause it to rise to the top, not unlike a raisin in a glass of soda.


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## erain (Apr 3, 2008)

exactly, man that was good richtee!!!! esp the mortal coil haaa. but yes it kind of oozes out a foam which would dry up and particles of this dried foam would fall back, not nessesarily affecting taste or harming it but i would consider it undesirable. i have to set my crocks on about 4 layers of cardboard to soak up all that is expelled. oh by the way there is odor associated with this process so a spot in the garage might be in order.


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## walking dude (Apr 3, 2008)

no garage basement only

PLUS, page three of the link you posted, shows a setup like what i have


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## erain (Apr 3, 2008)

u are correct WD, i meant to mention that but i forgot, over the past few years i been doing this with the water bags i kinda figgered out the deal accidently cuz i fill my crocks almost full, and i noticed the stuff just run down the side. i had one that was only half full and did it like the pic and thats where i run into the foam crumbling back in when taking bag off. so i fill them all to withen 2-3 inch from top in 5 gal crocks, if extra left i use a smaller crock to maintain the 2-3 inches instead of having the bag down inside. also as far as the smell i got 4-5 crocks goin so thats a ton of fermenting going on. its not all that bad either. also cowgirl said about doing straight to jars she puts jars in a tub, u cud put your container inside another,even a pan to catch runoff.


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## walking dude (Apr 3, 2008)

not sure if i have a smaller container......so now i am at a loss


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## walking dude (Apr 3, 2008)

okay.....lets see if this setup will werk better for me

found a smaller container........cabbage up to a inch of the top........is this enuff?








this with the waterbag on top







didn't think this was going to be a small batch.......but i guess from sites i have been reading on, it is........should of cut up two heads of cabbage


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## earache_my_eye (Apr 3, 2008)

Looks like it should work, WD.....being that you're not doing a 5 gal. crock full, it shouldn't take 3-4" of water in the bag to hold it down and seal it.  Maybe if holding some pressure on it is a concern, a plate or two inside the water bag might take care of that well enough.  My .02

L8r,
Eric


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## erain (Apr 3, 2008)

cool beans, ya we haul the cabbage up from the garden by the wheelbarrow full. after this u may inrease ur production some too!! kraut always great with homeade sausage,bologna, most any pork. let us know how that garlic kraut turns out.


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