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Learning to Edit |
Sauerkraut
This recipe makes two pint jars or one quart. Scale up or down as needed. Remove outer leaves of cabbage, reserving one. Cut out core and rinse cabbage leaves (run water through where the core used to be). Chop cabbage to desired fineness and put in a mixing bowl. Add salt. Squeeze and rub the salt into the shredded cabbage until very wet (5-10). Pack into a large jar (a two-quart mason jar works well), pressing down firmly to release the juices. There should be an inch or so of brine on the top, and 4-5 inches of empty space above that, as the brine will expand during the fermentation process. Cut the reserved out leaf to fit the top of the container and put it on top of the shredded cabbage to stop it from floating up. Weigh down the leaf (there are purpose-made weights for this, but whiskey stones work nicely too). Cover the jar loosely and let sit at room temperature for 1-4 weeks. Check every few days to skim off any mould that forms and stir. When the sauerkraut has reached the level of fermentation you want, put the jars in a hot water bath canner, and fill with enough water to just cover the jars. Set lids and rings aside. Turn on the stove to start heating water. Pack the sauerkraut into the jar or jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims, place lids on jars, and tighten rings to finger-tight. Put jars in canner. Verify that there is approximately 1 inch of water on top of the tallest jar, adding more water if necessary. Bring canner to a rolling boil. Keep at a boil for 20 minutes if using pint jars or 25 minutes if using quarts. Turn off heat and remove lid of the canner. Let stand 5 minutes. Set jars on a towel and leave 24 hours before checking the seals. Push on the center of the lid -- if you hear a popping noise, the seal is no good and that jar needs to refrigerated. Remove the rings, and test that the lids cannot be easily opened. If necessary wipe down and dry jars. Store without rings. |