Yesterday, I decided to take the plunge and try making sauerkraut. I've had good results making milk kefir and kombucha in recent years, so this didn't seem too daunting. There are a few different ways of doing it. For the first batch, I decided to go with a 2% non-iodized salt ratio (2g salt : 100g cabbage). Pink Himalayan salt was on hand, though sea salt also seems to be a favourite of many people who regularly ferment vegetables.
I have fermenting stones and "burp" lids at home, but don't here in Halifax. Trying to improvise weights, I came very close to using marble chess pieces (only the very best for my kraut...ha!), but ended up using decorative houseplant stones from a package that Mom found instead.
Updates will be added below as the sauerkraut ferments and the taste-tests begin.
July 20 - the cabbage is now more yellow than green, as expected. Bubbles can still be seen in the brine, though the amount of brine in each jar seems to be less than it was a few days ago.
I ordered some fermentation stones and plastic jar lids online this past weekend (should have also ordered silicone fermentation lids, but I can do without them). I'm already planning the next batch of fermented vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, and garlic sounds good).
July 29 - The sauerkraut tastes great! If I had known it was this easy to make, I would have done so years ago. I put one jar in the fridge, and am leaving the other out to ferment a bit more.
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