Sauerkraut in a jar. Uli or...?

Hi, I have read the posts on here about Sauerkraut and have started by making it in a large glass jar with one of those spring lids and rubber seals as per a previous post by Uli. Being a pedant, I had a few worries. Initially I thought I could just leave it in the jar with the lid on, but some of the cabbage rose above the water line, so I decided to weight it down with a plastic bad filled with water. at present, the brine is leaking out of the jar. From what I have read, after a few days the jad should be put into a cooler spot. I am a bit worried that the brine will keep coming out, so sticking into a wardrobe doesn't appeal.

1. Can it go straight into the fridge to continue the fermentation, and look to be eaten after a couple of months, of will the cold stop it?

2. Does the plastic bag have to remain in the jar always, or will the fact the jar will be shut suffice?

3. How long does the brine leech out for?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Andrew

Uli is definintely the person to answer this - will get someone to give her a nudge!

Cheers!

Bumping it up...

Hi Andrew,

1. Yes it can into the fridge after about 3 to 5 days.

2. If you read the sauerkraut thread then you will see that neither buzzy nor myself ever weigh stuff down if its just a small glass jar (I do it if I use a huge barrel though).

3. It will overflow, then stop after a while especially in the fridge as it is cooler and fermentation slows right down.

I personally actually just open the jar and stuff it back down with a spoon, as I am not worried about contamination if the jar is still fermenting.

Good luck.

Thanks Uli! I was worried as some of the cabbage was sitting out of the water, so attempted to weight it down. Have now put the sauerkraut in the fridge after topping up with some more brine - I lost about a cup through overflowing.

How long in the fridge before it's good to eat - I had read 4-6 weeks in a cool area.

I assume the strong smell is normal? Kind of like the day after eating cabbage or eggs... ;)

Korean friends tell me that they have a special separate fridge for their Kim Chi ;)

You can eat it any time really. Just keep tasting it and eat it when you like it. I usually keep it for about 4 weeks cool then start eating. Also depends if you want to eat it raw or cooked.

Thanks for that. I'll start tasting it soon. :)

I'm back. When I do sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables in jars I seal them with Perfit lids and bands then leave them in a spare bathtub for 3 - 4 days. Once the fermenting starts juice will overflow and sometimes the lids will warp but this is nothing to worry about. Just put your jars onto an old towel or tea towel so that your bathtub doesn't stain. After 3-4 days I just transfer to the fridge. I have one large fridge and one small fridge (misnamed "beer fridge") so I have plenty of room.

If you are really concerned about the contents rising above the water level, which isn't ideal, you could do several things next time. Sometimes I use the outer leaves of the cabbage (the bits you always throw away), fold them up so they fit snugly into the top and wedge them in so they go under the shoulder of the jar. These leaves can safely be above fluid level if too much fluid is lost and tossed when jar is opened for eating, if they have 'white bloom' on them, or put back once you have taken out what you want to eat. You can also just open the jar before putting in the fridge and top up with brine but I don't as there is always enough fluid remaining. Just don't leave out too long fermenting.

The other option is to use either ice cream sticks or skewers. Break them so they fit snugly under the rim of the jar and create a lattice. this will hold down your vegetables. Simple. If doing beans or carrots you can just do the lattice with the vegetables themselves.

If you use a crock there is no need to refrigerate, just find a cool spot to leave them. I love my Harsch crock and intend to buy at least 4 more.

Good luck with your fermenting experiments. You can also use whey. I have posted a recipe for that in the Wild Fermentation thread, I think. Also there is a ton of advice and videos about sauerkraut making on the net. I learned everything I needed to know just by googling. I now have an incredible book called "Wild Fermentation" by Sandoor Katz which has heaps of interesting information and recipes for all sorts of fermentation. I will be trying his fermented soya bean miso so I can make Japanese pickles.

As you may be aware, the way soy beans are processed and sold as food makes them just about the most unhealthy, health food on the planet. By fermenting them, which is the way Chinese and Japanese have been doing for centuries, they can be safely eaten and are healthy.

Thanks for the info too, Buzzy110. I had read a lot of the net, but as always, there are one or two questions that never seem to be covered. :)

This morning I woke up with another solution to the problem of keeping the contents of the jar below the fluid level. I can see absolutely no reason why, instead of using skewers or ice cream sticks, you couldn't also use carrot sticks. They will ferment, along with the cabbage in your sauerkraut.

Personally, I think this is an excellent idea and will do this in the future, especially as I have another crock of fermenting red cabbage that I want to transfer to jars in a few weeks so I can put down another batch of green cabbage sauerkraut. This year I am going to add other vegetables as well (red capsicum, onion, grated carrot, chilli, etc)