Sauerkraut For Canning Food

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.

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).

CANNING SAUERKRAUT

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.

BANANA PEPPER SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the sauerkraut, banana peppers, vinegar, jalapenos, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic. Pulse until finely chopped and well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.

KATE'S EASY GERMAN CHOW-CHOW SAUERKRAUT RELISH (NO CANNING)

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine sauerkraut including canning liquid, bell pepper, onion, celery, vinegar, sugar, and water.
• Bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 3 hours (3 hours is best) while occasionally stirring to prevent sticking. Add more water as needed to keep from drying out but not too much because relish should not be watery. Note: do not inhale steam from relish while cooking it because boiling vinegar can take one's breath away and is really painful (I learned this the hard way) lol.
• Can be eaten right way. Tastes even better the next day. Store in refrigerator.

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Quarter cabbages and remove cores; slice 1/8 in. thick. In an extra-large bowl, combine salt and cabbage. With clean hands, squeeze cabbage until it wilts and releases liquid, about 10 minutes. If desired, add optional ingredients., Firmly pack cabbage mixture into 4-quart fermenting crock or large glass container, removing as many air bubbles as possible. If cabbage mixture is not covered by 1-2 inches of liquid, make enough brine to cover by 1-2 inches. To make brine, combine 4-1/2 teaspoons canning salt per 1 quart of water in a saucepan; bring to a boil until salt is dissolved. Cool brine before adding to crock., Place crock weight over cabbage; the weight should be submerged in the brine. Or, place an inverted dinner plate or glass pie plate over cabbage. The plate should be slightly smaller than the container opening, but large enough to cover most of the shredded cabbage mixture. Weigh down the plate with 2 or 3 sealed quart jars filled with water. If using a glass container with a lid, cover the opening loosely so any gas produced by the fermenting cabbage can escape. Alternately, you can cover the opening with a clean, heavy towel. If using a crock, seal according to manufacturer's instructions. , Store crock, undisturbed, at 70°-75° for 3-4 weeks (bubbles will form and aroma will change). Cabbage must be kept submerged below surface of the fermenting liquid throughout fermentation. Check crock 2-3 times each week; skim and remove any scum that may form on top of liquid. Fermentation is complete when bubbling stops. Transfer to individual containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.