Nancys Homemade Canned Sauerkraut Recipes

HOME CANNED SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Take cabbage, discard outer leaves.
• Wash heads under running water, shake excess water off.
• With a large knife such as a French knife, quarter the cabbage heads.
• Cut out and discard the cores.
• Slice the quartered cabbage into slices about 2 mm (.07 inches) thick (the thickness of a US / Cdn quarter or a 10 p piece.)
• Put cabbage either into a very large bowl or directly into the container you are going to use to ferment it in - whatever you prefer to be working in.
• Sprinkle the salt over and mix in.
• Some sources say to let it stand a bit so the salt will start drawing at least a bit of liquid out. Some suggest 10 minutes; the All New Ball says cover it and let stand for an hour.
• Begin pounding / crushing the cabbage, and keep on crushing it until a good amount of liquid has been released from the leaves.
• Ideally, you are going to be aiming for enough released liquid to cover the cabbage once in the fermenting container, but you may rarely get it at this point -- don't worry.
• Add to fermenting container, if it's not already.
• If you are doubling, tripling or quadrupling the recipe, start the next batch of cabbage now, then add to container.
• Repeat until you have prepped all the cabbage you planned to.
• When you are finished crushing, if the cabbage is not already in the fermentation container, move it all there.
• Be sure to leave a gap of 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 inches) between the cabbage in the container, and the top rim of the container as headspace.
• If you have more cabbage than that, you'll need another container.
• If the juice you were able to produce was not sufficient to cover the cabbage, then make a brine (see directions below) and use that to top up with. (To be clear: you are not aiming to fill the container to the top rim with liquid; you are after enough liquid to completely submerge all the cabbage by 2 to 5 cm / 1 to 2 inches.) FIRST, though, see Linda Ziedrich suggestion in Brine section: she suggests waiting 24 hours to see if it will produce enough juice on its own before adding the extra brine.
• Cover cabbage with some sort of weight (see Weights Options below) to keep it safely below the surface of the liquid.
• Cover container with a large towel.
• Let ferment for 3 to 4 weeks or until cabbage is translucent.
• During fermentation, you may or may not need to check the cabbage frequently. It depends on the weights you use (see Weights Options below).

SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Wash and chop (or shred) cabbage. Pack jars tightly with cabbage.
• Add vinegar, sugar and salt to each jar.
• Pour boiling water into jar to cover. Place lids on jars tightly.
• This will be ready to eat in about 3 weeks. Stays fresh and crisp for years. No need to seal lids--the salt preserve the cabbage, some jars seal anyways.

SAUERKRAUT FOR CANNING

Steps:

• Remove outer leaves and any undesirable portions from firm mature heads of cabbage; wash and drain. Cut into halves or quarters; remove core. Use a shredder or sharp knife to cut cabbage into thin shreds about the thickness of a dime.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 3 tablespoons salt with 5 lbs. shredded cabbage. Let salted cabbage stand for several minutes to wilt slightly; this allows packing without excessive breaking or bruising of the shreds.
• Pack salted cabbage firmly and evenly into a large, clean pickling container. Using a wooden spoon, tapper or hands, press down firmly until the juice comes to the surface.
• Repeat shredding, salting and packing of cabbage until the container is filled to within 3 to 4 inches of the top. If juice does not cover cabbage, add brine: 1 1/2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water; bring brine to a boil; cool.
• Cover cabbage with muslin or cheesecloth and tuck edges down against the inside of the container. Weight down cabbage under brine. Formation of gas bubbles indicates fermentation is taking place. Remove and discard scum formation each day. A room temperature of 70 degrees to 75 degrees F is best for fermenting cabbage. Fermentation is usually complete in 3 to 6 weeks.
• TO CAN: Bring sauerkraut to a simmer (185 to 210degrees F). Do not boil. Pack hot cabbage into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process pints 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes, in a boiling water canner.