I think it best to warn you ahead of time that it takes about 6 weeks total to make sauerkraut in a fermenting crock.
I started by quartering my cabbage heads around the core. With a Weston Cabbage Shredder, I shredded all of my cabbage in no time.
I have a particular set up that I like to use when shredding cabbage. I find it easiest to turn the board away from me with the handle aligned with me. It is easier to push the cabbage away from you, rather than side to side. Your arm will get tired soon if you go side to side, but front to back will be effortless. Then, I use a Weston Meat Lug to catch the cabbage shreds underneath the board as well as another lug on the floor to catch the excess when I get messy (See the slideshow below for a photo of my set up).
Once the cabbage is shredded, I add kosher salt and mash the cabbage with a wooden spoon. This gets the cabbage juice extraction going. Then, I dump the cabbage into the fermenting crock, add boiled salt water, and press the weighing stones onto the cabbage until the juices stand above the cabbage.
I cover the crock with the lid and fill the trough with water until the openings are sealed. Bubbles start to escape from the holes - this is the air being removed from the crock. After about a week and a half, I moved the crock to the warehouse where it could sit at 40 to 50 degrees farenheit for four weeks in darkness.
Be sure not to lift the lid of the crock once it has been sealed, and to keep the trough full of water - this will ensure the vacuum gets maintained in the crock. Curiousity will kill the kraut! After the four weeks has passed, your sauerkraut will be ready to be served right out of the crock!
UPDATE (12/3/10)
Here are some photos I took today at Weston. We made reubens with the sauerkraut!
I think it best to warn you ahead of time that it takes about 6 weeks total to make sauerkraut in a fermenting crock.
I started by quartering my cabbage heads around the core. With a Weston Cabbage Shredder, I shredded all of my cabbage in no time.
I have a particular set up that I like to use when shredding cabbage. I find it easiest to turn the board away from me with the handle aligned with me. It is easier to push the cabbage away from you, rather than side to side. Your arm will get tired soon if you go side to side, but front to back will be effortless. Then, I use a Weston Meat Lug to catch the cabbage shreds underneath the board as well as another lug on the floor to catch the excess when I get messy (See the slideshow below for a photo of my set up).
Once the cabbage is shredded, I add kosher salt and mash the cabbage with a wooden spoon. This gets the cabbage juice extraction going. Then, I dump the cabbage into the fermenting crock, add boiled salt water, and press the weighing stones onto the cabbage until the juices stand above the cabbage.
I cover the crock with the lid and fill the trough with water until the openings are sealed. Bubbles start to escape from the holes - this is the air being removed from the crock. After about a week and a half, I moved the crock to the warehouse where it could sit at 40 to 50 degrees farenheit for four weeks in darkness.
Be sure not to lift the lid of the crock once it has been sealed, and to keep the trough full of water - this will ensure the vacuum gets maintained in the crock. Curiousity will kill the kraut! After the four weeks has passed, your sauerkraut will be ready to be served right out of the crock!
UPDATE (12/3/10)
Here are some photos I took today at Weston. We made reubens with the sauerkraut!
