Sauerkraut (Original German Style)

7/24/2013

A favorite addition to sauerkraut is caraway seed. Whole caraway seed adds a wonderful flavor to sauerkraut, but use sparingly ~ A little goes a long way! Be sure the seeds are whole and not powdered. Ground spices harbor more mold and can contribute to spoilage in a new ferment.

Ingredients: Cored and finely sliced cabbage (food processor or mandolin on narrowest slicing setting) 
Optional: ¼ tsp. whole caraway seed/pound cabbage
 Jar: Recommend 2 to 5 liter Jar 
Brine: Self-brining Ferment: 8-10 days active, 2-3 months total

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Preparation:

In large mixing bowl, weigh sliced cabbage and mix in 5-6 grams of Himalayan Pink Salt for each pound of cabbage (approximately 2 lbs. cabbage per liter).
Pack cabbage firmly to the shoulder of the Jar, pressing firmly to release liquid.
Wait an hour to evaluate brine level.
Add 2% brine to cover cabbage (if necessary).
Place Brine (Submersion) Bowl, fill & insert the Airlock, lock the Jar & cover.
Leave at 70ºF for 8-10 days, a little shorter if a little warmer.
Move to cool storage (60ºF or cooler) for 6 weeks minimum,  or to the refrigerator for 11 weeks, then it’s ready to use.

Sauerkraut continues to improve, and keeps indefinitely (at least a year) even at 60ºF, if the lid is not opened, and the Airlock is kept filled. The Airlock may dry out under certain conditions, breaking the seal, if not periodically refilled. After opening, keep in refrigerator. We grow several rows of cabbage every year in our garden, and put several 5 Liter Jars up to last an entire year. It's a summer favorite in the heat of the day ~ eating year-old delicious sauerkraut while sitting on the deck watching the new cabbages grow!

44 Comments

Traci

12/15/2014 06:48:37 am

My sauerkraut has been fermenting for 4 days. The juices keep filling up the air lock and leaking out. I followed your video instructions and changed the air lock each time it has overflowed. Should I keep doing this or should I now open the jar and pack it down?

Karen

5/29/2015 11:49:19 pm

Hi Traci,
I'm so sorry I didn't see the alert for your post. Yes, after 72 hours, I'd open the Jar and pack it down. You don't want to lose the brine.

Phyllis Corella

5/29/2015 07:57:34 pm

Traci, I see no one replied. What did you end up doing, and how was your sauerkraut? Phyllis

Merry Hansen

6/5/2015 06:20:23 am

Do we remove the airlock when we move it to the fridge? And place the plug in the grommet?

The Probiotic Jar

7/7/2015 12:14:43 pm

No, most ferments continue to produce gasses in the refrigerator. The fermenting doesn't completely finish on the counter ~ with cabbage, especially, it takes 3 months total before it is thoroughly fermented and ready to eat. As long as there is food in the Jar, we leave the Airlock on it. There are several benefits to this: 1. No pressure buildup causing harm to the Lactic Acid Bacteria. 2. The forming gasses continue to expel the oxygen from the Jar, lengthening the shelf life. If you use a stopper, you not only will have some pressure buildup, but the introduced oxygen every time you're opening the Jar while consuming the finished ferment will feed the molds and yeasts that are introduced when opening it as well. As long as you don't open it, or let the Airlock dry out, you can expect the cabbage to last. I have some that is two years old, and still wonderful. Once you open the Jar, the clock on spoilage starts ticking, and if you keep the Airlock on, you can expect 4-6 months of shelf life, or without...only 2-3 months. With cabbage. Each food is a little different. :)

Patrick

7/4/2015 09:10:36 pm

Karen: I don't understand this part of your sauerkraut recipe:
"(approximately 2 lbs. cabbage per liter)." ....... Per liter of what??
Thanks,
Patrick

7/4/2015 11:28:12 pm

Hi Patrick. I believe Karen is talking about the size of the jar. So if you are going to use a one-liter jar, you will use approx. 2 pounds of cabbage. I'm sure Karen will verify this.

7/7/2015 12:15:40 pm

Merry got it exactly right!!! :) We put this in there just to help you plan your cabbage and Jar. Sorry that it wasn't clear!

7/10/2015 11:40:39 am

Well that is a good segway to another question. Bear with me. I have a 2 qt jar & only 1 qt of cabbage. I'm using an airlock. Is that vacant space in the jar ..... A problem?

7/10/2015 01:45:48 pm

Hi Patrick...yes, definitely! You can't leave all that air space; it will take far too long for the oxygen to get used up and expelled, and it won't be an optimized anaerobic ferment.

Rachel

7/16/2015 08:22:29 am

I hooked up with Probiotic Jar website and I have to say I am totally
amazed at all the information that I've gotten . Karen is always there for you !!!!!! I think she has meet her calling!!! the most important thing is she cares about people and the jars are great !!! I just wanted to give her thank you

Karen link

1/15/2016 10:31:22 am

Thank you for your kind words. We really are intent on giving people the very best for optimized healing food. Not to mention delicious!

Meredith

1/13/2016 04:06:29 am

I have sauerkraut continuing to ferment in the refrigerator, with the airlock on and filled, for about 2 months now. My goal was to let it go the entire 11 weeks. When I put it in the fridge, the brine was immersing all of the cabbage. Now it looks as though about half has dried. Would you recommend I open the jar to refill with brine or will the unimmersed kraut continue to ferment without doing so? Just want to ensure I have good kraut after all the work :) Thanks!

1/15/2016 10:35:16 am

Hi Meredith,

We have some videos to help you deal with these challenges here:

http://store.probioticjar.com/category-s/1841.htm

You're specifically looking for the help video titled "To Add or Not To Add Brine".

In short, no, you don't want to add brine. You want to open it up and press the Cabbage under the brine, not to keep it from spoiling (poking up vegetables are not a big problem until the Jar is opened and oxygen is let in), but they also will not ferment since the lactic acid bacteria don't have legs to climb up out of the brine. :)

Greg Horwitz

9/6/2016 08:38:22 pm

Hi, I'm new at this and have been waiting for the chance to make sauerkraut. Now that I have I've run into the same problem with the expanding kraut.

I've watched the video on packing the kraut and have done so. I noticed that the brine bowl wasn't replaced after the kraut was packed down.
Am I correct that the head space is left alone? Is he brine bowl only for the initial fernentation?

Thanks in advance.

Greg

9/6/2016 08:42:01 pm

Hello Greg,

Yes, you are correct about the Brine Bowl not being necessary after the counter top phase. Once it goes into the refrigerator it no longer is necessary. :)

The videos referred to can be found here: http://store.probioticjar.com/category-s/1841.htm

Chuck

11/18/2016 04:04:48 am

Hello, in step 3 of the preparation, it advises to wait an hour to evaluate brine level. Are we waiting with a sealed top or is the jar still open during this waiting period?

11/18/2016 11:06:27 am

Hello Chuck,

In step 3, you're really only going to wait if you don't have enough brine to cover your packed cabbage. That would be with the lid open, as you're going to pack it down one more time to decide if you need additional brine! This time of year (late fall) hopefully not!

Annie

12/29/2016 11:52:46 pm

I can't find any recipe for kimchi... can I use this for making kimchi?

Karen (Probiotic Jar) link

12/30/2016 08:45:55 am

Hello Annie,

You sure can, except for the salt levels.

Because of the dried spices which introduce mold, we recommend using any traditional recipe for kimchi, and packing it in The Probiotic Jar to reduce the development of mold. I would be concerned that the traditional way of using dried spices would not allow for the incredibly low amounts of salt used in The Probiotic Jar, and truthfully we have not experimented with even half salt in kimchi in order to post a dependable low-salt recipe.

We would still recommend the full fermenting time in the refrigerator for this cruciferous vegetable.

1/7/2017 10:50:33 pm

Hi Karen, I'm going to use only cabbage, salt and pepper for Kimchi. Will this work? How much salt would you recommend? You mentioned dried spices - does that include pepper as well? Thanks!

1/11/2017 05:14:59 pm

Hi Annie,

You will not necessarily be able to tell. If you are not mold sensitive and otherwise healthy, and you cannot see or taste mold, then I would not worry about it. If there are levels of mold that will cause a healthy person trouble, then you will be able to see it.

That is why I never use ground/powdered spices in my ferments until after the countertop phase. I am a mold sensitive person, and I cannot tolerate mold, even when below the visible threshold of spoilage. We recommend for people who are immune compromised or mold sensitive or otherwise fighting a health battle that they not introduce mold-prone ingredients.

1/8/2017 10:18:52 am

Hi Annie,

I would use the same salt/cabbage ratio, and adding black pepper is fine as long as it is freshly ground. If you add pepper already ground when purchased, you may add enough mold to the ferment to cause early spoilage.

1/11/2017 03:11:45 pm

Hi Karen,

I used the Korean red pepper powder... today is the 3rd day. How would I know if there are mold in it?

Angie Hepp

1/7/2017 02:28:17 pm

I have made this recipe a dozen times and love it! Thank you! One question...I have tried (unsuccessfully) to grow cabbage organically. How did you manage to grow your own cabbage without it being riddled with worms? Any tips would be most appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Angie

Karen Ross link

1/7/2017 04:21:02 pm

H Angie Hepp!

I sprinkle coarsely ground eggshells on the soil surface right up to the plant for about 6" and make sure the rain doesn't wash them away. The slugs don't like to crawl over the eggshells to get to the cabbage. For us it's slugs; we don't have worm problems. If that doesn't help, I honestly don't know what will.

2/8/2017 01:39:16 pm

Thank you so much! We don't have slug problems, for us it's a small white moth that lays eggs that turn into worms that destroy the cabbage (and broccoli and pretty much any crucifer.) :( I'm thinking I may have to do row covers.

Louise

2/13/2017 05:38:17 pm

Hi Karen,
We love your website; you are a superb organizer with all this information. Thank you for your caring spirit for all of us "students".

We are making a cabbage, carrot, beet, onion, & garlic mix kraut.
Your instructions, step 2. say to "pack it down firmly to the shoulder of the jar, pressing firmly to release the liquid., then wait 1 hour to check the brine level.
Our question: do we need to "pound" the kraut with a wooden pounder to extract the juices, prior to adding the brine that may still be needed if the juice level is not up to the recommended level?
Thank you very much!
level needed?

Karen Ross

2/13/2017 09:08:26 pm

Hi Louise,

Thank you for your kind comments!

I don't "pound" so much as just press firmly until the liquid is released; I almost never wait an hour and press again...and I almost never add brine. You just want to be sure the food is submerged when you start (not that it will stay that way) and just 1/4" liquid above the veggies is adequate. Then after 72 hours you can open the Jar up and press the veggies under again. The veggies sticking out won't ferment; they must be under the liquid. :)

michael allen

3/30/2017 01:41:26 pm

last year i made this without any problems fermented for 8 months at 55 degrees before moving to fridge this year i noticed the water in airlock was quite low and cabbage at top of jar is moldy is it safe to scrape off and eat the rest?

3/30/2017 02:37:54 pm

Hello Michael,

I'm so disappointed to hear that your Airlock dried out and you've lost your sauerkraut. It is important to always check the Airlocks monthly to prevent this!

I'm sad to say that I don't think it is safe to eat it. Mold is neurotoxic and carcinogenic, and the compounds created by the mold permeate the food. :(

Sauerkraut Billy link

8/15/2017 10:30:03 am

I've never used carraway seeds before with kraut. Thanks so much for sharing! Very interested in giving this recipe a shot the next time I decide to crack down and make my own kraut. Love fermenting my own vegetables!

Terez

7/19/2018 05:31:01 am

Dear Karen,

my sauerkraut has been on the counter for 3.5 weeks and still producing bubbles.... The temperature is quite high (about 75-78 F). Is it a problem considering the bacterial culture if I have left it there for so long? (I like if the kraut is softer)
I have a very little flat and fridge and the 5 l jar cannot be put into the fridge with the airlock on it. Can I remove it after such a long time when moving the sauerkraut to the fridge?
Thank you a lot:)

7/19/2018 07:32:44 am

Hello Terez!

As long as you don't break the seal (don't open it or let your airlock dry out) your kraut should be fine - and you are most likely in the fourth stage of fermenting (Stage 3 does't produce bubbles and Stage 2 comes to a close after about 4 or 5 days at those temperatures).

At those temperatures, you are likely to get a soft kraut with less desirable flavors - the bacteria favored by warmer temperatures don't produce flavors that are as good as those at 68˚F.

I would advise keeping the airlock on until the bubbling of 4th Stage stops. We advise keeping the airlock on while storing and using in the refrigerator because the fermenting continues for a long time. However, it isn't the end of the world if you remove it; it's just less than optimal. :) I would advise using a Stopper and not transferring it into other jars because of contamination, at the very least. It will likely spoil much faster if you repackage it.

I hope this helps! :)

7/19/2018 07:47:43 am

Dear Karen,

thank you a lot for your kind reply! :)

7/19/2018 07:49:03 am

You're welcome! :)

Mary

8/20/2018 12:11:20 pm

So if you can’t open the sauerkraut jar for three months, how do you ever store it to eat it after that time.

8/20/2018 12:15:45 pm

Hi Mary,

The best way to store the medicinal quality sauerkraut you can make in a Probiotic Jar - is to leave it in the Probiotic Jar and ensure that the airlock doesn't dry out. :) I move my kraut made in 5 Liter Probiotic Jars down to smaller Probiotic Jars to use - I'll employ two 2 Liter Jars and eat the rest when I decant it! Of course, must be refrigerated after moving. I always store in the refrigerator for three months or at 55˚F it's ready to eat in six weeks. :)

George link

10/18/2018 10:01:30 am

Hi Karen,

I left the sauerkraut for 4 days and then tried to compact the cabbage more to assist the brine to rise higher (it only had a 1/4 inch above cabbage) but it has made it worse as the brine is now level with the cabbage after 5 days in total and the brine bowl is just sitting on top. How should I proceed ? this is my first attempt

Regards
George

10/19/2018 06:35:54 am

Hi George,

It will be fine. Now you should just leave it alone until it's ready to go to the fridge, even if the brine level drops. :) If you have an overflow though, you'll have to regardless.

Depending on how much head space, you may get oxidation of the cabbage (browning) if you open it again. While that doesn't render it inedible, it's not very appetizing.

George

10/19/2018 07:00:25 am

Thanks for the reply Karen. Ok I will leave it alone. I used a 750ml jar for 1.3 pounds of cabbage which is now just under the shoulder of the jar. Hopefully oxidisation doesn’t happen.

Irene

4/11/2019 09:52:12 pm

I purchased the nipple jar toppers will that not work? Do I have to use the airlock tops?

4/12/2019 08:19:40 am

Hello Irene,

The nipple tops perform terribly. As soon as you have an overflow (and if you fill the jar full enough to have a small headspace, you will - and if you leave a large headspace, then you have too much oxygen to start out with), the microscopic bits "prop the door open" for a nearly free exchange of gasses both ways. The of all the waterless valves which are ineffective, the nipple tops are my least favorite. They seem to reduce the incidence of spoilage when they are new, but they do not eliminate it. If you want optimized, medicinal results, a water seal is vital. If you're okay with hobby fermenting results and pitching food when it molds, then the nipples might be good enough for you. :)

4/13/2019 12:37:50 pm

You are right with spoilage. The last time I made kraut I did use the nipples and had mildew in the jar when I opened it. I didn't know why, now I do.
Thanks

Sauerkraut (Original German Style)

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