chelot wrote:

Hi Uli, made sauerkraut yesterday... how will I know when it is ready to eat? Thanks

Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavour turns less pleasant. So make sure if you do sauerkraut in summer to stop fermentation by refrigerating or bottling or freezing it before it gets too soft.

uli - 2009-11-29 14:16:00

Thanks

chelot - 2009-11-30 18:55:00

Well it is that time of the year again. I have grown the most successful garden ever this year and I now have excess cauliflower, broccoli and broccoflower. So I am going to lacto ferment the cauliflower. I don't know if broccoli can be done this way yet but I will find out after Christmas.

buzzy110 - 2009-12-24 11:11:00

Here is the recipe I am going to use:

VINEGAR-FREE, LACTO-FERMENTED DILLED CAULIFLOWER PICKLES (gluten free, vegan, raw)

yield 1 quart

3 c cauliflower, cut into chunks
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 T dry dill
3-4 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 T sea salt
2-3 c filtered water
1. Scald a jar or wash with very hot, soapy water.
2. Wash cauliflower very well, and cut into chunks.
3. Crush garlic clove, and add to jar with spices. Add cauliflower, pressing down firmly into jar so chunks are tightly packed, leaving 1" space at the top of the jar.
4. Dissolve salt in 2 c of water, and add to jar. Add additional water as necessary to cover vegetables. Leave 1" space at the top of the jar.
5. Let sit 3-5 days at room temperature, in a cool place away from the sun, on a place or saucer to catch leaks. I let mine sit for 4 days in a room temp of about 68*, in warmer temps 3 days is usually enough. Try them and see if they have a good pickly flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, leave them out longer, up to 7 days depending on the temperature. Just a warning: when you open the jar, it is likely to fizz and bubble over, so open over the sink.
6. After it sits, transfer to fridge. I think cultured veggies improve with age, properly cultured vegetables will keep for up to 8 months. If your vegetables start to get slimy, change color, or just seem funky, toss them out.

buzzy110 - 2009-12-24 11:12:00

I do apologise in advance for anyone who objects to recipes being pasted directly from the net (apparently that is not done you know) but it is the best recipe for just doing cauliflower by itself that I could find.

If you pop in at any time uli, perhaps, if you have lacto-fermented broccoli, you could let me know. Save me wasting good food on experimentation.

buzzy110 - 2009-12-24 11:14:00

buzzy the cauli should be very good, broccoli is a bit hit and miss - because it really depends on the ripeness and consistency of the broccoli.

While cauli is about the same consistency in stem and flower bud - broccoli can be very soft in the flowers and much harder in the stem. So I would recommend to try and harvest the broccoli pretty early on so the flowers are more solid rather than later, otherwise you will get very soft mushy tops and wonderful crunchy stems.

Personally I eat the broccoli as it becomes available, rather than trying to preserve it - often instead of rice or pasta, just as a base to put my (pasta)meat sauce over or instead of rice to eat with my curry.

Once you have finetumed the recipe would you mind putting it into the "wild fermentation" thread so we have it available to use?

uli - 2009-12-24 17:19:00

Thanks for the advice uli. I was thinking along those lines with regards broccoli. I probably can eat it and I certainly have people who have been appreciating gifts of broccoli up to now so I'll just stick to the cauliflower.

Edited by buzzy110 at 10:32 am, Sat 26 Dec

buzzy110 - 2009-12-26 10:32:00

bump.

margyr - 2011-02-01 09:22:00

bump for jonnie1941

uli - 2011-02-19 17:15:00

The member deleted this message.

elliehen - 2011-10-31 17:02:00

This message was deleted.

elliehen - 2011-11-23 14:36:00

bump for kitcheno

uli - 2012-02-01 20:34:00

Bump for those wanting to improve their health with sauerkraut.

vmax2 - 2012-09-12 15:49:00

Hi Uli, if you want an on-going source of raw milk I can pads along my suppliers details... she is based in Drury

cat_sandcastle - 2012-09-12 16:45:00

Huh?? pads = pass LOL

cat_sandcastle - 2012-09-13 14:36:00

Bump

buzzy110 - 2012-09-17 18:22:00

Bump again

vmax2 - 2012-09-23 10:25:00

bump for mllawn

uli - 2012-10-23 17:36:00

bump for melly16

uli - 2013-01-15 16:42:00

l wish uli was back so l could read all the posts about how to make sauerkraut as l am keen to make it but l don't want to waste time and money with a recipe that won't work and l want to make it in jars for a start then l might go bigger

Buzzy if you could fill in the gaps and the page you bookmarked from Uli about making it please

griffo4 - 2013-08-12 18:04:00

This message was deleted.

elliehen - 2013-08-12 18:31:00

elliehen wrote:

griffo, did you know you can find most of the deleted uli posts on www.stackofrecipes.com ? Here is just one thread:

http://stackofrecipes.com/topic/8780/sauerkraut

That was kind of you.
Problem solved to the satisfaction of all.

samanya - 2013-08-12 18:34:00

This message was deleted.

elliehen - 2013-08-12 18:36:00

This message was deleted.

elliehen - 2013-08-12 18:39:00

Thanks ellie l never thought of that site and thanks for the c&p

griffo4 - 2013-08-12 20:03:00

l need some advice about sauerkraut

l made mine up on Sunday and put it in a jar with clip down lid and left a 3cm gap like Uli said

today looked at it and there was liquid in the dish under jar and when l opened the top the cabbage was had risen up and there was some not in the brine

l then put more brine in and when l went to close the clip l discovered that it was not sealing properly and that is why all the liquid pushed up and escaped and my cabbage was not in brine

? is it no good now as the cabbage has had air get into it and there was liquid on the bottom of jar and then cabbage had risen and there was air pockets all through where it had been bubbling?

griffo4 - 2013-08-21 11:02:00

It all sounds ok to me, but without seeing it, it's hard to know exactly. I leave my sauerkraut on the bench for 3 days before putting it in the fridge. So those 3 days are up now for you. You could give it a taste and see what it's like. If it smells bad or has gone soft then toss it out. Otherwise it sounds like you've got a good brew.

vmax2 - 2013-08-21 12:00:00

griffo your cabbage is fermenting and releasing air. This tends to increase volume. The gas rises to the surface and escapes out the lid. I'm not sure what jars your are using but can I suggest you 'burb' your jars twice a day. i.e. loosen the lid for a few seconds to allow air to escape.

I always fold the dark green leaves that are usually discarded over the top of my sauerkraut. Once fermenting has slowed or stopped, make sure you properly seal the lid and put away in the fridge. Unfortunately the process is not perfect due to the fact that jars are not the perfect medium for making sauerkraut. A Harsch crock or specially designed Fido jars with glass weights, one way valves on the top and good seals to plug up the hole once the fermenting is done are best but I have been very successful using Agee jars and plastic lids. Without a weight the contents will always rise to above the level of the liquid in the beginning.

Note: my preserved lemons still do rise as I eat them. I have a small caviar jar that I fill with water and use to weight down my lemons. I'd like to invest in the Fido jars but at hundreds of dollars for 30, and no possibility that I can sell excess once I have landed them, I stick to Agee jars and make do.

Vmax is right. You are doing everything right so far.

buzzy110 - 2013-08-21 12:38:00

ok will try some but it was the fact that l think air could get in

now l have the lid on tightly the cabbage has not risen up and the liquid is now at the top

l was just worried that the air was getting in

thanks for your advice

griffo4 - 2013-08-21 13:14:00

And a bump for those keen to make it :)

unknowndisorder - 2014-01-14 09:05:00

I cut a round of food grade plastic into a circle to fit the jar, cut another smaller circle in the center, make a cut from the edge into the middle and put that on top of my fermenting vegetables. A smaller glass jar filled with water / sand acts as a weight. As the food goes down I add more. Works a treat.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 10:24:00

pickles7 wrote:

I cut a round of food grade plastic into a circle to fit the jar, cut another smaller circle in the center, make a cut from the edge into the middle and put that on top of my fermenting vegetables. A smaller glass jar filled with water / sand acts as a weight. As the food goes down I add more. Works a treat.

That is interesting. I always use the old green leaves that are generally discarded to create a 'cover' on the top. I have been haunting OP shops and buying small glass things that will fit into jars. I use these now, to weigh down the ferment to ensure everything remains under the fermenting liquid. That works really well too and can basically stay in the jar till it is empty.

buzzy110 - 2014-01-14 10:41:00

buzzy110....Do you jar your fremented foods when they are finished fermenting.?..

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 10:49:00

yes the jars work, my jars are odd shaped. I use the 2600 gram jars I bought the gherkins in. I also found some huge jars on trade me a few years back, they have rubber rings and glass lids.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 10:52:00

pickles7 wrote:

buzzy110....Do-
you jar your fermented foods when they are finished fermenting.?..

I don't want to buy yet another fridge. I will do that with the cucumbers as soon as they finish fermenting, and taste test them before doing any more.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 10:55:00

This message was deleted.

elliehen - 2014-01-14 11:12:00

Thanks, I had a go before but wasn't sure about the fermentation. Lived in Munich for a time and went to the market every Saturday morning for the kraut and other farm items. The bloke I bought it from had it in a half of a big beer barrel and just forked it out as needed.

kitcheno - 2014-01-14 11:26:00

The member deleted this message.

threecheers - 2014-01-14 12:44:00

pickles7 wrote:

buzzy110....Do-
you jar your fremented foods when they are finished fermenting.?..

It depends what I'm fermenting. For instance, I always do lemons in jars and refrigerate. I have plenty of fridge space. sometimes I make sauerkraut straight into Agee jars, especially at this time of the year when my winter supply has run out. So the lemons and sauerkraut I weigh down with odd, small glass thingies to keep them below the brine. I also do cucumbers in a crock as well but this year I haven't grown any so won't be doing them.

Otherwise I use two 10litre Harsch crocks and store those in a cold place. I just take out a jar full at a time. The crocks come with specially designed weights. I've been thinking about the Fido jar method but the cost of the lids, vents and glass weights are a bit of a turn off.

One more thing. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in this thread, but I also add onion, cauliflower, daikon radish and carrot to my sauerkraut now. It certainly makes it much more scrumptious than just plain cabbage and choice of spices.

buzzy110 - 2014-01-14 17:24:00

pickles7 wrote:

yes the jars work, my jars are odd shaped. I use the 2600 gram jars I bought the gherkins in. I also found some huge jars on trade me a few years back, they have rubber rings and glass lids.

Big jars are good and if you can ensure they have an airtight seal after fermentation, you can probably take the risk and not refrigerate them. Once again, I suggest taking a jar full and keeping it in the fridge rather than dipping into the large jar all the time. I've got some big jars for making kombucha in but haven't been able to find any lids for them.

buzzy110 - 2014-01-14 17:26:00

Thanks for your reply.
I was more thinking along the lines of putting the food into smaller jars and heat treating them to seal the lids down. I am going to do that to the cucumbers. I wondered if you heat treated your sauerkraut in smaller jars so they can be stored for years..

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 18:07:00

pickles7 wrote:

Thanks for your reply.
I was more thinking along the lines of putting the food into smaller jars and heat treating them to seal the lids down. I am going to do that to the cucumbers. I wondered if you heat treated your sauerkraut in smaller jars so they can be stored for years..

Never, never, never. I'd never dream of pasteurising my fermented foods. That defeats the whole purpose of fermenting and changes the characteristics of the food. Raw fermented food retains all the crispness and goodness of the fresh food along with extra stuff that is created by the fermentation process - e.g. all the vitamin b complex, except for B12. By pasteurising it you lose all the digestive enzymes and vitamins, plus the whole nature of the food changes to something soft and horrible and you read idiotic comments from ignorant people who have never tasted a fresh, raw ferment, that contain the word "yuck".

buzzy110 - 2014-01-14 18:21:00

buzzy110 wrote:

Never, never, never. I'd never dream of pasteurising my fermented foods. That defeats the whole purpose of fermenting and changes the characteristics of the food. Raw fermented food retains all the crispness and goodness of the fresh food along with extra stuff that is created by the fermentation process - e.g. all the vitamin b complex, except for B12. By pasteurising it you lose all the digestive enzymes and vitamins, plus the whole nature of the food changes to something soft and horrible and you read idiotic comments from ignorant people who have never tasted a fresh, raw ferment, that contain the word "yuck".

OK. I found something on you-tube and thought it was a good idea. Not so, thank goodness I asked
I will still do that with the cucumbers but maybe only one jar first to see what the texture will be like.
Men , my husband just asked me what I was going to measure as I was going out the door with my tape in my hand. My cucumbers I said, he got to the glass house before me. lol. Went out the front door and sprinted.
I may pick my cucumbers younger, I just measured them. 32 cm long 11 cm circumference. 26 cm long and 8 cm circumference. I will pick at 32 cm in length and get 4 halves and pickle them like gherkins. Won't salt them.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 19:00:00

Cut them in half length wise, then halve the lengths. gee 4 halves...lol.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 19:26:00

I have gone off that idea already, I put 5 cucumbers into bread and butter pickles and got 4 good sized jars out of them. To pickle them so young I may need 5 cucumbers to fill one jar. Not practicable at all.

pickles7 - 2014-01-14 21:25:00

I like to use smaller cucumbers (more gherkin sized) which is why I won't be making any this year because you cannot buy them in the correct size. It doesn't matter how many I have because I make them in a crock that will take as many or as few as I want.

buzzy110 - 2014-01-15 18:06:00

buzzy110 wrote:

I like to use smaller cucumbers (more gherkin sized) which is why I won't be making any this year because you cannot buy them in the correct size. It doesn't matter how many I have because I make them in a crock that will take as many or as few as I want.

I ended up bottling all my cucumbers today.. I did not think they were fermenting, I may have used too much salt. The next lot I do I will soak in a brine. If that fails I will just give them away. It is nearing our busy time, so I will not be home as much.

pickles7 - 2014-01-15 18:35:00

Bump for this thread too. A pity Uli's recipes are gone from here.

bedazzledjewels - 2015-01-13 13:06:00

I've been making sauerkraut and kimchi and it's wonderful stuff. However my first attempt using the whey from some cheese I was making from raw milk didn't work so have only been using sea salt which works really well for me. Love the crunch of the veges when they've fermented. When they are fermenting which I do for 3-10 days I put in clean large jar in fact the one it will stay in but weight the veges down with a clean plastic freezer bag filled (or partly filled) with water, seems to do the job well. There is normally a cabbage leaf between the ferment and the bag.
I've also got the Nourishing Traditions book.

Edited by village.green at 1:14 pm, Tue 13 Jan

village.green - 2015-01-13 13:13:00

A friend of my sister in law has this blog/FB page on fermenting if anyone is interested
https://www.facebook.com/TheFermentedFoody/timeline?ref=page
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village.green - 2015-01-13 13:15:00