Making saurkraut

[spirits]

Hi Everyone. Well....it is fall and my husband is making saurkraut. He is not a newbie at this and actually made a batch a few weeks ago that turned out great.

It was so good that he decided to make another batch. Everything was going well with the new batch. He was quite happy with the cabbage he bought the second time....it was tightly formed...he thought it was the nicest cabbage he has used.

He just came upstairs complaining about his batch going slimy. We looked online but most posts just say that if it tastes ok, it is probably ok. Others say it is just a stage of fermentation and does not make a difference.

The first batch was organic from the farmer's market but the second batch came from a local grocery store.....it might or might not have been winter cabbage like the first batch.

I have no hesitation in throwing this batch out but before I do, I want to ask my fellow Tuggers their opinion. I value your input much more than just another anonymous site.

 

[DeniseM]

I wouldn't chance it - have you ever had food poisoning? It can be your worse nightmare.

I found this info which may be helpful:

Sauerkraut will ferment faster at warm temperatures and more slowly in cold temperatures. But don’t let your kitchen get too warm (more than 80 F) as it can make your sauerkraut mushy and introduce off-flavors, slow and low is a good rule of thumb.

 

[Carta]

I like sauerkraut on hot dogs..That's about it...To me, sauerkraut is like beer. Why make it if u can buy it at the store..JMO. Not to mention, I like beer better than sauerkraut ..
Curious..Do u eat sauerkraut as a main dish or added to something?

 

[spirits]

Hi. My husband loves saurkraut but the stuff you buy is usually quick made with vinegar. Homemade is so wonderful because it is brined. Sort of like a commercial burger patty vs home made.

He likes it baked with ribs inserted. The ribs are fall off the bone tender and goes very nice with the tangy kraut. I like mine mixed with potatoes and then made into perogies. Honestly, I never appreciated kraut when I was younger but as I started cooking more and more......I began to appreciate all homemade foods.

I think we will chuck this batch....it was only a few heads and go back to organic winter cabbage.

PS. If you ever get a chance to have home made kraut....try it. The mellow flavor is way different than the pungent stuff out of a jar (;

 

[MULTIZ321]

.... I like mine mixed with potatoes and then made into perogies....(;

When I was younger, my Grandmother made Perogies for us with different fillings. One of the fillings she used was homemade sauerkraut
and wild mushrooms with diced hard-boiled eggs. Mmm-good. She also made potato perogies with sautéed onions and then served with a dollop of sour cream. Mmm-good. In season, she would also make Blueberry Perogies and Blackberry Perogies with fruit we would self-pick. That was a real treat.

Thanks for the wonderful memories.

Richard

 

[spirits]

Richard....here is a copy of one of my posts from a different group....thought you would enjoy it. I am making a big batch of perogies this weekend for our annual Grey Cup party.....if you or any other Tuggers are in Edmonton....come by Sunday....eat and enjoy our football final.


oops...had a picture but it did not go through.....

Behold my family’s favorite food. Perogies. They have many different fillings. The most popular is cheddar cheese with potatoes. My favorite is potato, cottage cheese and dill. My husband loves his filled with sourkraut. And my children who are vegan….they love the ones I make with potato, butternut squash and spinach. I make my own dumplings with home made dough. They are wonderful freshly made but take on another dimension when they are fried with onions the next day. Together with some garlic ham sausage and cabbage rolls….they are a favorite meal in our house. Made with love.

Sometimes, I bow down to my other favorite….Chinese potstickers…basically the same thing but with the wonderful way the Chinese season their food.

 

[Jan M.]

Our son and his family are coming on December 31st to visit us for a week and my husband was just saying that we have to make pork and sauerkraut for New Year's Day for them. I have no idea where or even if there is anywhere to buy good sauerkraut here in Southern Florida! We buy and like the jars of raw sauerkraut with Persian cucumbers from Trader Joe's but I'm not sure about using it to cook a pork roast.

I had never had homemade sauerkraut before I married my husband. I still remember several friends of his talking about making it with their families and they could hardly wait for it to be ready to eat. Making sauerkraut used to be something many families did together. I remember asking my husband what the big deal was about homemade sauerkraut because you could buy two cans of it for a dollar in the grocery stores. He looked at me like I look at people who say they've seen all the Harry Potter movies and love them but never read any of the books! No, no, no!

 

[spirits]

My husband has been going to a local rec center to keep fit....well to exercise a bit more than sitting in his recliner haha....and there are 4-5 men he has met....all around 70 plus. Anyway, they were laughing one day because they all discovered they loved making saurkraut. I call them the saurkraut gang. I think it has fond memories for them. My dad also made home made kraut....I think most German/Slavic people did. I grew up with it but it was not one of my favorites. I love it a lot more now because I enjoy anything home made.
But, here is my absolute favorite side dish. Sour cabbage rolls.....oh my dear.....they are to die for. My parents did not make them but I first tasted them at a girlfriends. Sour cabbage....like how kraut is made....but in leaves....not shredded. Then filled with rice. NO MEAT. NO TOMATO....but the rest is secret and I am still figuring it out. I think the best ones use butter and chicken stock for richness. But they are just heavenly. They have to be tiny rolls...not the big ones. I cheat a bit and buy the sour heads in the grocery store....soak them really good to get most of the salt out....and roll to my hearts content. Not everyone likes them...so many like the sweet rolls with or without meat and bacon. But to me the little sour rolls are worth their weight in gold....a few rolls and dressing with some turkey and perogies....they are only for special holidays so treasured. Yum yum...I have some frozen and will be making a feast for a gathering this weekend. Oh boy...thanks for letting me talk about one of my favorite subjects.

Oh. You and your husband should make some real kraut. You don;t need a crock but my husband uses a good food grade plastic pail. Lots of advice on the internet. See if there are any farmer's markets near you where the vendors sell cabbage for kraut. It is only available at this time of year. A great hobby....you make a batch and freeze them....easy peazy....haha...I talk big...I stay upstairs while he works his alchemy.....but it is something he really enjoys.

 

[MuranoJo]

DH makes homemade Kraut and it's a hit with friends and family. There was a lot of disappointment this year because he didn't make a new batch and all the rest is long gone. (Our cabbage didn't do that well this year.)

I'll have to ask him about the sliminess, but I'm guessing it has to do with temperature variances.