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Homemade Sauerkraut

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Homemade Sauerkraut is easy to make, all you need is cabbage and salt. Using a fermentation crock or vessel equipped with an airlock makes a big difference, eliminating the risk of mold

Homemade sauerkraut, in all its funky humility, is a favorite food in our home – particularly in wintertime when fresh, local produce is a rare treat and we rely on what we’ve put by over the summer and autumn months.  For us, this means lots of fermented foods and sauerkraut in particular.

Health Benefits of Sauerkraut

The fermentation of cabbage into sauerkraut preserves it, providing a ready food for the cold days of winter when fresh food was scarce.  So while early peoples preserved cabbage with salt in an effort to keep hunger away during the dark months, their method of preservation fulfilled another need: that of optimal nourishment.

The process of lactic acid fermentation used to transform salt and cabbage into sauerkraut increases food enzymes and vitamins, particularly vitamin B vitamins.  Moreover, homemade sauerkraut is also extraordinarily rich in beneficial bacteria – friendly microorganisms which help to colonize the gut, train the immune system and manufacture vitamins in the digestive tract.

Why You Should Make Sauerkraut at Home

  • Homemade sauerkraut is inexpensive to make, especially when you buy cabbage in season and in bulk.  Comparatively the price for raw sauerkraut at the grocery store can often exceed $8/pint.
  • You can adjust the flavor of the sauerkraut you make at home to suit your preferences, whether that’s more sour or less, or whether you include additions like garlic, dill, caraway or hot peppers.

Homemade Sauerkraut Takes Time

Good things are worth waiting for and homemade sauerkraut takes time – a week for the impatient and months for those who love their sauerkraut with the same fervor that an oenophile devotes to wine.  How long you allow your sauerkraut to ferment depends entirely on your preferences coupled with the quantity you’re making.

  • Small batches of sauerkraut need less time and large batches need more time.
  • 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.
  • Taste your sauerkraut; some people prefer their sauerkraut sweet and barely sour, and others like their sauerkraut so sour it’s like a punch in the mouth.  After about a week of fermentation, begin tasting your kraut periodically until it achieves a flavor and level of sourness you like.

How to Store Homemade Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut, and other fermented cabbage dishes like Korean kimchi and South American curtido, are naturally preserved through the time-honored method of fermentation.  When foods are fermented, beneficial microbes consume their carbohydrates and release acids, like lactic acid in the case of sauerkraut, which preserve the foods much in the way vinegar does.

  • Canning sauerkraut is not necessary to preserve it. As long as your sauerkraut remains submerged in its brine in a sealed jar, at a cool temperature, it will stay preserved. The high heat of the canning pot will destroy the beneficial bacteria you’ve cultivated when you make sauerkraut.  If you still wish to can you’re sauerkraut, follow these guidelines.
  • Cold temperatures that you find in root cellars, basements and your fridge will slow down the fermentation process almost to a halt.  So, when your sauerkraut is finished, just spoon it into a mason jar, making sure it’s covered with brine and store it in the fridge, root cellar or cold basement where it will keep at least a few months and up to a year.

Pro Tip: Use the Right Equipment

Using the right equipment is essential in preparing sauerkraut and minimizing contamination by stray microbes, molds and yeasts.  These special crocks and jars are designed to create an anaerobic environment, optimal for preparing fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, that keeps oxygen (and potential contaminants) out while allowing the carbon dioxide that builds up during fermentation to escape.

For beginners, inexpensive glass jars equipped with airlocks work well and for those who love making fermented foods, a stoneware fermentation crock is a worthy investment.

If you decide to use a mason jar, which is pretty popular among beginners, invest in glass weights to keep the cabbage submerged and an airlock like this one to keep oxygen out.

Fresh cabbages for making homemade sauerkraut.

Homemade Sauerkraut
Print
Recipe type: vegetable
Cuisine: german
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 gallon
Traditional, homemade sauerkraut relies only on cabbage and salt, and those ingredients come together through time and the work of beneficial bacteria to create a pleasant, sour, fermented vegetable that can be used as a condiment or side dish. Homemade sauerkraut pairs beautifully with broiled sausages, and hearty lentil stews.
Ingredients
For the Sauerkraut
  • 2 medium cabbage heads, about 5 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons finely ground sea salt
Special Equipment
Instructions
  1. Remove any bruised or damaged outer leaves from the cabbage, and then remove the cabbage's core. Slice the cabbage in long, thin shreds about ⅛-inch thick.
  2. Toss cabbage and salt together in a large mixing bowl and let it rest about five minutes, or until the cabbage begins to soften and release a little liquid, then squeeze the cabbage with your hands to further break up those thin shreds of vegetable and release more juice.
  3. When the cabbage has become limp and has released ample juice, transfer it to a sauerkraut crock or vegetable fermenter). Pack the salted cabbage into the crock or fermenter as tightly as you can, eliminating air bubbles. A kraut pounder is particularly helpful in packing the cabbage tightly within the crock.
  4. Continue packing the cabbage into the container until the cabbage is completely submerged by its liquid. Seal the crock and allow it to sit at room temperature, undisturbed, for at least 1 month and up to 6 months. testing the sauerkraut every few days until it is sour enough for your liking. Pack the sauerkraut into mason jars, and transfer to the refrigerator or other cold storage where it should keep for at least 6 months and up to 1 year.
Serving size: ½ cup
Notes
To seal a stoneware crock (like this), fill the crock to its neck with salted cabbage, place weights over the cabbage and ensure that the vegetable rests below its brine. Cover the crock with its lid, and pour water into the well around the lid, checking the water level every few days to make sure it has not evaporated.

To seal a glass jar equipped with an airlock (like this), fill the jar to its neck, place weights over the cabbage to ensure that the vegetable rests below its brine. Cover the jar with its lid, and insert the airlock. Fill the airlock with water to its fill line and snap its lid in place.

Want to know more?

The Nourished Kitchen cookbook discusses fermentation tips, safety measures and provides recipes not only for sauerkraut but for other fermented vegetables, condiments and drinks, too.

The Art of Fermentation is an extensive book covering many aspects of fermentation, including making sauerkraut and other fermented foods.

Cultures for Health is a resource for all things fermented, with an extensive blog and newsletter that provide guidance on fermentation.

Homemade Sauerkraut is easy to make, all you need is cabbage and salt. Using a fermentation crock or vessel equipped with an airlock makes a big difference, eliminating the risk of mold.

Other Sauerkraut and Fermented Vegetable Recipes You Might Like

Hot Pink Jalapeño Garlic Kraut is a gorgeous vivid pink sauerkraut spiked with garlic and jalapeno.  It’s easily our favorite kraut at Nourished Kitchen.

This Easy Kimchi combines cabbage, radish, carrots, garlic and hot pepper for spicy, richly flavored fermented condiment.

Traditional Moroccan Preserved Lemons are also super easy to make and great for newcomers to fermentation.

These Sour Pickles, flavored with garlic and dill, are easy to pack away into crocks during the summer time and then eat all year long.

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Reader Interactions

What people are saying

  1. I made this two weeks ago but my kraut is still very very salty and not sour at all. I used 1 chinese cabbage head and 1 tablespoon sea salt and packed it into a mason jar since I had nothing else.

    • Too much salt to cabbage. I use only 1 *teaspoon* of sea salt for each quart mason jars worth of cabbage and it starts bubbling and fermenting within a few hours.

      • I use 2% salt by weight, which seems to work well, though some recipes say twice that. I’ve just started a new batch, with 4kgs cabbage, and 80gms sea-salt.

    • Hi Victoria.
      Sauerkraut to salty! Means it is too much salt 🙁 “100 gram salt to 5 kg sliced cabbage is the basic” Mix salt with sliced cabbage roughly and put mix in a container. Put at least 3 layers of outer leaves on top and them and linen, wood and a clean rock. Wash rock, wood and linen once a week, (use hot water
      Best regards George

    • I use The Perfect Pickler for my kraut. I have never had a bad batch and it take approximately 7 days to turn a head of cabbage and sea salt into wonderful kraut.

      • i am doing kraut right now..could u tell me what u did to get it done in7days thank you fron manitoba.canada

      • your cabbage will never be properly fermented in less than 4 weeks. It has to go through all the fermentation stage to have good pro-biotics. In 7 days you have nothing more healthy for you than boughten sauerkraut.

        • Hi, I just started a batch of Kraut 2 days ago. I have checked it daily and today it had White bubbles so i removed them and the juices seemed slimmy. Is that normal? I also used a recipe that was for sweet Kraut that included sugar. I have pressed on the inverted plate and expressed more bubbles do I need to throw it out?

          • Hi Robin, it doesn’t sound like you used this recipe so that makes it difficult to troubleshoot it for you. It also doesn’t sound like you used a fermentation crock. Without a crock, ferments are more likely to become contaminated by molds, yeasts and stray microbes, which can result in slimy texture and off flavor.

        • You can buy the pickler on the Amazon web site,Amazon handles all kinds of products for the home fermenter and canner,beer brewer,wine maker.

    • in general, I start my ferments off with approximately 3 TBSP sea salt for every 5 Lbs cabbage. Just remember to weigh the thing at the store (or be sure to save your receipt) before you buy, or at the farmers market, just find someone with a scale to check it out.

    • Thank you for posting this! I live in Buffalo where you can’t call yourself a Buffalonian unless you eat Kraut. I’m always “suspicious of the stuff you can buy out and at restaurants….just sick of getting food poisoning!!! So I’m eager to try your much intriguing spin. Thanks! Not afraid of salt here.

    • Too much salt and loosen lid so it can breath. Do not over pack jar. In your case I leave 2 inches of air space so that it doesn’t bleed out of jar all over everything. I just did 3 cabbages and am putting it in stoneware crock, whole cabbage leaves on top a plate and a brick to keep it from expanding and gaining air inside.

  2. What do you use to shred your cabbage? I have been wanting to try this for some time now and have never gotten to it.

  3. I made a new batch with 1 head of regular green cabbage and 1 tablespoon salt packed into a large mason jar. The smell is atrocious! The first few days the jar leaked and I had to open it to relieve the pressure, there was a lot of foam. It has calmed down now and smells terrible. The juice tastes very very sour. Am I doing this right!?!?

    • If it smells like someone let a wicked fart loose in your kitchen, you’re on the right track. 😉 It should taste very sour, but once it achieves the sourness you like, move it to the fridge or it will continue to become more and more sour. Be careful about tightening the lid too much, as the CO2 can build up.

      • It does sound like the right track then, because that’s exactly what it smells like! I’m soo glad this second batch worked out—I think I used too much salt for that last batch and I read that too much salt will prevent fermentation. Thanks for the feedback!

      • It’ll continue to become sourer in the fridge as well, just more slowly. I recently spent 9 weeks in hospital, and when I got home, the two jars in the fridge were still perfectly edible, but much sourer than before.

      • That is exactly what mine smells like too, and I thought I was doing something wrong…this is my first try at saurkraut. It looks good so far..no brown or pink or slime or mold, but that odd smell ….thanks for the reassurance!

    • Leave 2 inches of air space and don’t tighten lid too tight, just finger tight.
      Set it in you garage or somewhere that is darker.

  4. I love making cultured veggies. Just so great to see you sharing this simple recipe with pictures as well as instructions. Just wondering about the glass jars with the air lock. Can’t seem to find a link to where to purchase them. May you have a great day!

    • Try looking into home windemaking suppliers for the airlocks. Wine also works better with an airlock. The point is to keep out any extra ‘wild’ yeasts I’m getting enthused but will start with a mason jar. good luck

      • You can make your own natural ‘saran wrap’ by using cotton muslin and beeswax. It will allow gases to escape and keep dust out of your crock. If you google it, it comes up under 17 cool and unusual uses for beeswax.

  5. With mine I get lots of air pockets building up throughout. Is this a problem? It pushes up above the brine and I struggle to keep it submerged. Any tips?

    • Are you using a weight? Make sure to use a weight and also pack your crock *really* tight.

      • Thanks. I’m struggling to find a weight the right size. I’m not keen on sing a plastic bag. I find that air pockets form inside between the bits of cabbage over the days and push everything up. Are the air pockets ok as long as top of cabbage is still submerged under brine? Thanks for you tips.

        • take a red brick and wash it and wrap it in plastic or a gallon zip lock freezer bag and fill it with water

          • Find a plate that fits down in your crock and use a mason jar filled with water as a weight on top of the plate. This is how most of the old timers I know did it.

        • An inverted plate, the right size to fit well inside the crock, and a heavy object (I have a large, flat rock). I used this method when making 14-day pickles years ago.

        • Just leave the kraut down about 4 inches in the crock put in a big piece of plastic tuck it down fill it with water bingo you got your weight and it can bubble around the edge of the crock between the crock and the plastic as it’s working

  6. I made some cultured saurkraut and could not remove the lid (I used quart glass jars with metal lids). I may have added too much milk whey to the saurkraut. Is it possible it could explode? If so, how should I handle it (call a bomb sqaud or what?).

    • run warm water over the metal lid. it will expand and you will be able to open it – open over the sink – you may have a gas buildup!

    • When you mix the salt with the shaved cabbage, the cabbage will become limp and begin to release water. When you pour the cabbage+salt mixture into your fermenting crock, the cabbage will release enough liquid that pressing all the air out will also press the cabbage under this released liquid.

      • I use an 6 gallon food grade plastic wine making bucket. I shave about 8 heads of cabbage w/ my mandolin. Then using my home made “masher” = 4×4 oak post w/ handle lathed like a baseball bat mash about 1/2 head until it is watery, then sprinkle a small palmfull of non iodized salt over the top. You do not want to use iodized as it will interfere with the fermentation. You continue mashing and salting untill the 8 heads are used up. The sliced cabbage getting pressed/mashed with the salt will result in a watery sliced cabbage mixture. If for some reason you cannot achieve enough liquid you can add 1 quart of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of pickling salt or sea salt (sea salt may have some impurities). Cover with a plate making sure the kruat is submurged. I use a piece or granite but have used a brick in a freezer bag or canning jar full of water to hold down the plate. I then cover the top of the bucket with plastic wrap and seal with a large rubber band or tape. I then store in a 45 – 65 degree area – basement or garage in fall for 4 – 10 weeks. Temperatures above 70 degrees will cause poor tasting microbs and mold. Cooler temps will just make it take longer
        Check for mold and scum, testing and resealing once a week until done. When I am happy with the batch I pack into quart freezer bags and freeze.
        In the middle of winter there is nothing like stuffing your crock pot with a few german sausages, pork (feet, tails, hocks)the kraut and beer.

        • That sounds yummy but I thought if we cooked the sauerkraut, it destroyed all the good enzymes/probiotics?
          I really don’t like eating it cold!
          Jo

          • Yeah. Jo, you want the authentic German experience? Rinse de-crocked kraut quickly in cold water. Press between towels to remove most of the moisture. Melt a lot of butter (I use 1/2 butter, 1/2 coconut oil )in a deep skillet. Saute a few rough-chopped shallots and maybe a few cloves of mild garlic like elephant garlic until wilted. Add all the kraut, some dill and some caraway seed. Cook in the browned butter until the sauerkraut picks up a little of that noir. then add flour and brown with the aromatics. Add chicken broth and stir to a smooth sauce. Add a million different kinds of pork, smoked and not. Cover and braise until the pork is making you crazy and the kapusta is mellow and fragrant. Serve with tiny boiled potatoes and a good dijon mustard on the side. (Maille rustic seeded = the best). To really go Germanic, drizzle more butter all over and maybe a scoop of sour cream on the side. And sub homemade latkes for the boiled tates. Serve with bottles of Spaten Weissbeir or a nice Riesling or Moselle [German wines are enjoying a rebirth a long time in coming]. Living that way for a few days will completely alter your attitude toward the universe… mostly in a good way…

            • Excuse me, but I am German and this is not how we make our Sauerkraut. Not sure where you got this from, but it is not the traditional German way at all. Sorry.

              • I do have a nice size of garden, grow most of my own vegetables including lots of cabbage for juicing and kraut for winter. Tons of cabbage, pickling salt, caraway seed, bay leafs, black peppercorns and if I wish I could put whole small hot peppers in also. Use my mandolin, slide cabbage in long thin strips, mix with salt and spices, massage it until juice comes out and than place it in fermenting crock as tight as I can handle.
                Cover crock with clean cloth, put a wide enough plate on it and I put a gallon milk jar full of water to keep it tight. Back in the old days, my great grandmother used a huge barrel with a screw top lid.
                I keep an eye on the cabbage and wash the covering cloth every few days, cleaning the scum off the top too.
                It tak s a few weeks (depending in temp) to be ready. At some point I start checking, tasting every day. Not just the top layer, but a bit under it too.
                It supposed to be salty, sour, but not too… No matter what, I always rinse the kraut before cooking, if you not, it’ll be too salty, sour to eat cooked.
                Raw is usually OK to snack on…
                My grandmother (living in an apartment) made the same kind of kraut, but in a big – about 1/2 gallon – glass jar, and put a slice of toasted bread on top. In a warm place the kraut was ready in a few days, and tasted wonderful. Till today I’m making the summer pickles the same way with the toasted bread – brings old memories back. Oh, it should be “normal” bread, hearty, chewy and not sweet bread. Nowadays I’m using the no kneed bread for this. Hope, it was helpful even without measurement, since I don’t weight things.

                • I have been corning meat as long as I can remember.My Mother and father were corning our hams and fermenting our vegetables before I was born.We corned brisket,hams,and used oak boxes for corning our bacon.I inherited all my folks crocks and receipts.I am at a age now where there is no one here to eat all the good things we made by hand.Just me and no need for a large garden any more.One thing my father used to say about our salt water brine for meat a potatoe has to float in it.All so we injected the hams with brine and rotated the hams every day.Every thing had to come together at the same time for smoking.We even brined our fish and smoked it all so.Our family all ways had the best to eat because we never forgot how to grow and prepare our own.I am glad to see some people relearning the good old ways.Mom live to be 98 dad lived to 101,my aunt 102,My sister is now 98,Iam right behind her.Farmers from the past.

    • In his own brine. Or if you have less brine than you need pour some salty water on the top.

  8. I made several different batches of homemade saurekraut and it is ok… but I have a craving for more tartiness so I added cider vinegar to a a bowl that I was eating and it was absolutely wonderful tasting,,, My sauerkraut is in mason jars in the fridge and I wont add the vinegar to that,, only as I eat it, but was thinking would the vinegar kills the good probiotics in the saurekraut?? am I defeating the purpose of homemade kraut??

    • There’s no reason to add vinegar to your sauerkraut – if you want it to be more sour, just let it ferment longer. \

      • Thank you. Was trying to figure out how to get it more sour. I testef at 5 wks and needs to be more sour. I have my 30lbs in an old crock passed on from generations. Msny memories when I make this and root beer.

        • You can also add a bit of sugar to give your cultures a little more “food.” I used a sprinkling of sugar to my latest batch and between the heat and the sugar it soured fast! At 30 lbs of cabbage you could offer maybe a 1/3 cup and see if the flavor goes any more sour in the next week.

          • A teaspoon or two of sugar will surely put those little yeastie-beasties to work with a vengeance, converting sugars into whatever they consider necessary…

  9. Hello,

    We’ve got some 12″ to 16″ diameter crocks that we used to make sauerkraut. All looked good, water level up. We used a plate with a bag of water over it to hold it down. Then a cheesecloth and the lovely precious lid. There was always a concerning amount of mold floating on top of the water. Skimming it off gets most of it but leaves fragments of mold floating around. Could you elaborate on your experience with this please?
    Thanks,
    Peter and Meredith Gilbert

    • I have the same question as Peter and Meredith (6/12/12). My last batch of sauerkraut had a thin layer of white mold on it that I could not skim off. I finally poured the top liquid off, which seemed like such a waste.
      Any suggestions or comments?
      Thanks, Jody

  10. I’ve just purchased a 10lb fermenting pot to turn my garden full of cabbage into saurkraut. I’m new to this and did’nt realise how long it would take to shred and pound 12 lbs of cabbage! I ran out of time (and energy) and only got to half fill the pot. Will it still work if the pot is only half full?

    • Get a kraut cutter. You can buy them on Ebay or at auctions. I can do a head of cabbage in about 3 minutes. Very easy and the right size slices.

    • Linda, I am curious about the “half full” issue. My kraut has been in my 8 gallon crock for about a week now, but it doesn’t smell like kraut. I am only using a hand towel to cover over the crock and after reading some of these posts, I’m wandering if I need a different kind of lid. Oh, and I used my food processor to slice the cabbage. I did 25 pounds in no time!

      • I have a 15 gallon crock I only had 36 pounds this year. But always use a garbage bag and fill it with gallon zip-lock bags full of water. The water hold trash bag down for a perfect seal pushes out against crock. Have used this method for last five years with great success. Also do not use scented garbage bags.

  11. I pickle my peppershot – by washing them, packing them in a sterilized jar, covering with a solution of 5 cups water, 5 cups vinegar and 1 cup plus 2 T kosher salt, boiling so salt is dissolved and solution is sterile, capping with a boiled lid, then sealing with a seal-a-meal. After 3 weeks you have incredible picked peppers. Would this method work with sauerkraut as well?

    • Fermentation causes gasses to build up, so NO, it would not work as the jars would break with the gas buildup.

  12. We just packed our first crock of sauerkraut and used a plastic bag fille with water for the weight. Overnight, the bag started leaking and added water to the mixture amounting to about 20% of the total volume. Do we have to toss it out and start over???

    • When I use a plastic bag filled with water for a seal I add 1 Tbsp of pickling salt per quart of water in the bag in case the bag leaks it will not weaken the brine. If you have any idea of how much water you may have added to the brine by your bag leaking you can add salt to your brine as above. It should be ok. I normally also double the bags I use too in case of a leak.

  13. I’m using a traditional krout crock to make souerkrout, but having some odd occurances. While making the first batch there was much fluctuation in the water level in the traugh at the top of the crock that is supposed to keep air out. I kepts adding water and it kept going down within a day or so as if it was being sucked into the crock. Finally I opened the crock and the level of the brine covering the cabage had risen all the way up to the top and was mixing with the water in the traugh at the top. I’m trying again now and the water level seems to go down very quickly in the traugh as it did last time. What’s going on here? I’ve ckecked for flaws in the crock and there are none.

    • Gerald: I add water every 3-5 days and only a very little amount. I cover my kraut with a 1″ thick board after I have covered the kraut with a black plastic trash bag. Example… kraut then bag then board. Then wrap the trash bag onto the top of the board and place a really heavy rock on top. I cut this board out at home. Make sure the board is 1/2″ smaller in diameter then the crock or it will swell and you will not get it out of the crock. Then cover the board/bag with salty water. This keeps a good seal and the water should stay on top.

      • To Marty
        You have to watch using trash bags as they are not food grade plastic and my leach harmful chemicals into your food.

  14. I tried this and after 10 days, I have a layer of mold on top. I remember my mom telling me about Gramma scrapping the mold off and still using what’s underneath. Is this OK, safe to eat?

    • this happened to me too! My kraut was submerged but green mold appeared on the top of the brine…can I just scoop off the mold?

      • You can scrape the mold off we have done it before if your prosess is done just get down to good clean stuff then eat or can.If not we have boiled 1 cup salt to 1cup of white vinegar to a gallon water. Cool down reaply for brine.

  15. I am making my first ever batch of kraut. I am using my old crock from my grandmother. I’ve had it going about a week now. I do not smell an odor. Is that normal at this point? Also, I read that all I had to do was put in the kraut and salt water, smush it down and lay a clean kitchen towel over the top of the cabbage then to put a weight on top of that. I then laid another kitchen towel on top of that. Am I supposed to have a different lid/covering over top of it??

  16. We use an old kraut cutter. The best place to find this would be an antique store or auction. We slice it into a large crock, and the key for the best flavor is to add caraway seed, dill seed and cut up garlic and canning salt. It needs to be stomped to make the juice. We cut/slice the sauerkraut, stomp it, add the seed and garlic & salt. Then repeat layers until you get the crock 3/4 full. I have yet to taste better sauerkraut. When our crock is 3/4 full we double a garbage bag and put water inside the bag and set on top of the kraut. The key is not to let air get to the kraut. There may be some seapage coming from the top of the kraut overflowing onto the floor . This is ok. We put the kraut in a location (porch) where it’s ok and put a towel over the top of the garbage bag. It ferments for about a month. After this time I take the bags with the water off the kraut and there is very little or no waste on the top of the kraut. I then put it in jars and hot water bath it in either pint or quart canning jars.

    • I am going to make my first batch this weekend , has any body made it in a plastic bucket with a plastic bag that has 2-3″ of water in it for the seal ?

      • We use 5gal plastic buckets lined with unsented heavy tall kitchen garbage bags plate on top something heavy on top of the plate and bag filled with water,or gal jugs filled with water on top of the plate

    • rdh sept. 12

      How much dill, caraway seeds, garlic, salt, cabbage do you use for a five gallon crock? This is our first time making sauerkraut, thanks for any help.

      • I bought kraut at grocery store because I wanted to taste the version with caraway seed. My family didn’t like it. I’m glad we tried it before spending all that time making the recipe.

    • Excellent choice for fermenting kraut! I do something similar and have had excellent results. I use a 8 gallon Red Wing crock (antique) and a old fashion kraut cutter that I nabbed from the 5 I have at my antiques store. I was able to cut up the 5 heads of cabbage in no time! I put the cabbage in the crock, salt it, mix well then add another layer and repeat the process. I didn’t have my kraut stomper at home so I resorted to using my fists to punch the kraut down. After 5-7 minutes I was tired so I used a pototo masher to pound it out. Even after it was fully pounded (this makes the kraut release it’s juices) I still didn’t have enough liquid to cover the cabbage so I boiled 4cups of water and added 2 TBS of pickling salt to the water and let it cool before pouring it over the cabbage. The key is to make sure that the cabbage is FULLY submersed in the brine. If you don’t do this you will have black mold and the batch will need to be tossed…unless you want to run the risk of an emergency room visit for food poisoning! Once the cabbage is submersed in the brine simply put a plate over the top of it and add some weight to it. I use a big jar filled with water to weigh the plate down. I then put a big towel over the top of it and let it ferment for about 4 weeks at about 70 degrees. The first 3 days are gloreous…not much odor but the ferment is taking place and you’ll find a scum (as some would call it) that you need to spoon off daily. Rather than call it scum I’d prefer to call it BLOOM! If you want to use a plastic bag filled with water to weight it down on top of the plate ,you better add salt to it in the event that the bag would leak and ruin your lovely batch! I personally think that fermenting in crocks is the only way to go, but to each their own. Some folks like to use jars but unless you have a way to vent the CO2 you could be looking at some real trouble with the back up of gas and mold spoiling your batch. An excellent resource on fermentation can be found in “Wild Fermenation” by Sandor Ellix Katz…he has 2 books out right now with a wonderful collection of recipes. I found mine on Amazon (used) for about $7.99 with shipping and handling! WooHoo!! Hope this helps!

        • Hi James.
          …the first six days at 60°F, then 50°F is best (any room temperature will work). Do not add water or vinegar, you may add 2 tablespoon of white wine for start fermenting- caled wein sauaerkraut 🙂 and spices off your choice.
          Good luck, George.
          Sauerkraut to salty! Means it is too much salt “100 gram salt to 5 kg sliced cabbage is the basic” Mix salt with sliced cabbage roughly and put mix in a container. Put at least 3 layers of outer leaves on top and them a linen, wood and a clean rock. Wash rock, wood and linen once a week, (use hot water
          Best regards George

          • I have a question…. I haven’t made this yet but very interested………My question is after i make the sauerkraut to my liking can i can it??? and store it….thank u….

          • George, or anyone……

            Been making lots of fermented cabbage.
            This time – the liquid is slimy.

            What is up?
            Can it be eaten or saved?

            THanks, anyone….

            • No, slimey is a bad thing. Don’t eat slimy sauerkraut, pickles or any fermented food. Or canned food for that matter.

      • do you have any idea why my brine is getting thick and slimy? this is my third batch,but the fist time this has occurred. I use an old crock,plate,weight and cover method. Sounds like you know a thing or two.Can you help?
        chris

        • I too have made sauerkraut many times, but this time the broth is slimy. What did I do wrong?

      • There is no need to “stomp” or “mash” the cabbage to make it release its liquids. Salt will do that by itself. That said, I am not saying to not stomp or mash the cabbage, but doing so will affect the final consistency of your product. I personally do not like to mash the cabbage, just toss the cabbage with salt then weight it down with whatever clean & sterile weight you have laying around. In less than 12 – 24 hours your cabbage will be covered in liquids released from the cabbage.

      • 15 minutes for a hot water bath. Canning does soften the end product because of the boiling. It’s still good though!

  17. We made sauerkraut for the first time. We covered the sauerkraut with cheesecloth and weighed it down with a food grade plastic bag filled with brine. It smells okay but we haven’t seen any bloom and hope we did this right. Is it all right to lift the bag to peek or should we keep it covered until the end of the 4 weeks?

  18. We have made kraut 5 or 6 times before, but this season the kraut is not “tasty”. I wonder if we did not add enough salt. It tastes just ok, not much flavor and not salty or sour enough. Any ideas?

  19. A great source for fermentation crocks is ACE Hardware. You can order 1-10 gallon crocks on line and pick them up at the local store. I got a 2 gallon one for under $30 and picked up a plate at a thrift store and use a quart jar filled with water on top to hold down the cabbage.

  20. Have you made lacto-fermented sauerkraut with juniper berries, or other interesting additions like sea vegetables? I’d love to start experimenting with different flavors and am curious about combos you may have tried and liked! P.S. I love your site. Thanks for all of the awesome and inspiring info!

    • Juniper berries and sea veggies are good to add.
      Mine is basic and delicious with only Fennel seeds and fresh dill weed.
      You can experiment with beets (which will turn the kraut purple) and other veggies too.

  21. I have a question. I made kraut for the first time, and used a German style crock with the water well on top. When I packed in the kraut, there was over an inch of brine over the top of the kraut. I opened the crock 3 weeks later, to find what looks like nicely fermented cabbage on top, no mold, but no brine, either. Is it safe? What happened to the brine? I thought I’d even have MORE brine than when I first closed it up.

  22. My mom and I made sauerkraut about a month ago. We made it the traditional crock and added salt but did not specifically measure the amount of salt added. We checked the cabbage yesterday and it is tender but not sour at all. Why is that?

  23. made a small batch of fermented cabbage. It smells ok but it tastes bitter is that a problem?

  24. I went to your ‘sources’ section to find crocks, but there was nothing there. Just “We saved this spot for you” for sponsors. Do you have any direct links to fermentation crocks? I have been looking for a good one for over 2 years. Mine is a pickle crock without a lid… would rather find one not open to the air. Thank you!

  25. I’m on the 4th week of my first kraut run using a Harsch Crock.

    The climate in Colorado was such that I had to add water to the water grove every two days or so to keep the vent hole covered. Was originally worried that the water was being sucked into the crock but that was not the case. I guess when you have 10% humidity and use a wood stove that the dry air here sucks up the water.

    Opened it today for the first time and looks good. Liquid covering the stones is clear with a trace of film on it (almost look like an oil sheen) and nearly the same lever as when I put the lid on. Now my questions – What to I do with the brine covering the stones? Should I siphon it off before taking out the stones? Should I try to get the film off so it will not contaminate the kraut?

    As an engineer am I making it too technical or over thinking it and just take the stones out? 🙂

    Thanks for your suggestions in advance.

    • Dude,

      Your just wasting your time waiting for a reply to your message and request for information. Go some where else where the posters are interested in helping. hasta la-vista baby.

  26. I have made quite a few batches of sauerkraut, keeping it very simple. I shred the cabbage as finely as I possibly can, then put one teaspoon of salt (Kalahari or Himalayan crystal salt if I’m feeling generous, otherwise ordinary cheap table salt) in the bottom of each jar – I just recycle jam or peanut butter jars; anything with a good lid will do. For the bigger jars with the flat lid and ring (I think those are what you call Mason jars?) I may use a bit more than a (flat) teaspoon per jar. Then I in goes the shredded cabbage, and I squeeze it down and keep refilling & squeezing until it’s full to the brim, then I pour over boiling water to fill the gaps – squeeze a bit more, add a bit more cabbage if there’s space. Then another teaspoon of salt on top and seal the jar. Finally I write a date six weeks hence on the lid – that’s when it will be ready. I keep the jars at room temperature (I’m in South Africa, so no sub-zero room temperatures) in some place where it won’t matter if they leak, say on a plastic tray. The lids bulge out a bit after a few days/weeks, and sometimes some juice & smell escapes, but I don’t open the jars until I’m ready to eat the sauerkraut – which may be years later. If at that stage I find it’s too strong/salty, I simply rinse it a bit in water before serving. The ‘juice’ is apparently very healthy, so I keep any that’s left tin the jar and use it in salads etc when salt/vinegar is needed, or even to add a bit of moisture to stir-fries, preferably after frying to preserve the enzymes.

    • That should be “in goes” not “I goes”. And I should add that the bulging lids go down again after a while, and sometimes the lump of cabbage in the jar contracts away from the walls when the pressure decreases. Sometimes the jars become difficult to open if the lids rust and/or a vacuum builds up inside, but that has never been a problem. Once opened, I keep the jar in the fridge. I’ve never had a problem with mould, or with kraut ‘going off’ in any way. Good luck! I’ve just inspired myself to make a new batch, as I’m on my last jar now.

      • Carola, I have never tried before, but have an abundance of cabbage from the garden this year. I have lots of canning supplies, so I have plenty of mason jars with lids that will fit very tight… are the metal lids/rings ok to use?

        • Betty:

          A bi-product of any fermentation is CO2. It is never recommended to ferment anything in glass jars that cannot vent. Go read through some homebrew forums about hand grenades from over-carbonated beers. Whatever you end up doing, make sure you have a way to vent your gasses or you are potentially creating hand grenade time bombs.

  27. Thanks for sharing… it made my mouth water for several minutes until I could get ahold of myself!!

    Anyway, an elderly woman taught me years ago to put some of the outer leaves of the cabbage heads down at the bottom of the kraut container so that when all of the kraut has been eaten you get these fermented leaves to use for that hamberger/rice/tomatoe dish… you know you put some stuffing in them and roll them up and bake them. It’s a way delicious treat for when all of the kraut is gone in the crock!! Most people throw the outer leaves in the garbage or compost. If they only knew…

  28. Searching for a way to get some probiotics into my poor insulted gut after a course of antibiotics–led me to your most excellent site and this intriguing idea—homemade sauerkraut-!

    I live in West Africa, and our kitchen is always at least 80ºF — Would it be better for me to develop/cure it in my half-broken fridge instead?? (@ between 50ºF and 70ºF; only once in awhile does it get below that).

    (we have a properly working fridge that I intended to keep it in after it was ‘done’) thank you.

  29. Hi! I’m making my first batch of fermented sauerkraut (cabbage, beet, carrot, onion, garlic, caraway. I’m so excited! I just put them in glass containers , topped with water (1 tsp salt per cup , plus salt I added to mash) and then read somewhere you could top with oil to keep matter submerged under water. So, I melted some coconut oil and topped them off. It’s cold here, so solidified, but maybe due to gas, broke through coconut oil disc. Is that OK? Is any of it OK? I’m nervous about getting sick somehow from this. Need reassurance. 🙂 Thx.

  30. I am brand new to fermenting cabbage. Im on my first batch now. Using a 1/2 gallon mason jar with a 3 piece airlock system. I woke up this morning with liquid in the airlock system. Is this normal? The cabbage is on day 3.

  31. Thanks for a great article! I’ve found that the one time outlay of cash for a Harsch-type crock ( I have the Polish version, which works wonderfully) is well worth the cost for the time and labor it saves. Using one of these crocks with the water-lock moat at the top eliminates the need to open the crock at all, since it creates an anaerobic environment which doesn’t support mold growth.

  32. Help. Is my sauerkraut safe? I shredded cabbage and packed it into a crock after mixing 3 tbsp canning salt with every 5lbs. Of cabbage. I put a dinner plate on top and weighted it down, then covered it with a cheesecloth like material using a large rubber band. After a few days, I un covered it so I could remove the sum off the brine (there was plenty of brine over kraut), and I found mold spores instead of a white scum. I removed them and recovered the crock. But every time I go to descum it, I find these mold spores instead. Is this going to be safe to can and eat. The kraut itself smells really good. It has been fermentng about4weeks now.

  33. After this is complete and in Mason jars, can I can these to avoid cold storage, which I am short on space of? Thanks for what sounds like a great recipe!

  34. Hi There,

    I just followed this recipe above (adding carrot as well).

    As this is my first go, I am using a sealed jar with a metal hinged locking mechanism. I cleaned it throughly on returning from the stores today and then rinsed using hot water to remove the cleaning liquid residue from the tap which is in my case very hot, and then allowed to dry fully.

    I was fully intending to steralize with boiling water, but I forgot in all the excitement of prepping the food and just realised when I sealed the jar that I had not done so.

    Clearly there is more potential for contaminants and germs to have gotten in.

    Will this spoil it?

    Wondering whether to remove the contents to a differnet container (steralised), then clean the jar and return the contents?

    Would really appreciate advice.

    Cheers,

    Nick

  35. how about using plastic food rated buckets? The recipe I was told to use
    5 lbs cabbage to 3 T of canning salt.
    mixed real well, placed in bucket, put another bucket in with a gallon of water in a bag for weight
    mix exery few days

  36. Awesome easy and fun recipee!
    How long can the fermentation be perpetuated; indefinately? Just add new ingredients?
    Mine is working great; just wondering how long I can keep it going.
    Thanks!
    Mike

  37. I use a Fido jar from Sur la Table. It keeps air out, but kets pressure out…love it!

  40. Sure brine no molld. Pack your crock with cabage or bucket mix 1 cup of canning salt 1 cup of white vinegar 1 gallon of water bring to a boil cool down and pour over cabbage in crock.Solition should be at least one inch over top of cabbage.Cover with a old sheet or cheese cloth weight down with plate and gallon jug of water. Check ever there or four days skim if nessary or rebrine with same if evaporation occurs.takes three to four weeks at 75 degrees for fermentation to complete. Makes wonderful kraut every time.

  41. I have followed directions, but some cabbage (just a small amount) is floating to the top. I’ve tried to remove these pieces but can’t remove them all. Is this OK?

  42. I’ve got a couple of Gartopf fermenting crocks and I can’t wait to try this out. I’ve got about 8 heads of cabbage just about ready to pick so I think I’ll use the 50 l version. Thanks for posting this!

  43. I am gonna b starting my first batch of kraut soon they say u have to watch what days is that still true? The farmers almanac I want to make sure. Also I bought food safe new 5gal food grade buckets with lids will these b fine? I’ve been reading a lot and watching YouTube I want this to turn out! I’m going to use my food prosseser to cut the cabbage ans then use these buckets put something heavier in plastic bag on top and put lid on isthmus ok? Plz any help thanks so much

  44. I love sauerkraut and wanted to make my own. My mom always spoke of her aunt that kept a crock going in her barn all the time, when she visited, they would go out and grab a handful. I searched and found your site. I even bought the kraut crock from this site, it came with the 2 stones for weighting the kraut down, and you keep water in the outer rim. I worked shredding 2 cabbages, about 4.5 lbs. I checked the look of the kraut after a week, but did not disturb it. I checked back today, 2 weeks, and there was a layer of blue green mold across the top, the stones and up the sides. I threw out the whole batch and cleaned all like crazy. What the heck happened? It broke my heard to throw this out.

    • The mold is natural.Scrape it off gently, not distributing in into the sauerkraut. Wash the rocks (I boil mine) , the lid or plate and cover and allow it to continue to ferment. The first time I made sauerkraut it had a white “bloom” the next time it was white, pink and blue and it kinda freaked me out. I stayed the course and the kraut was fine. I like to skim mine every 2 days or so depending on how fast it’s fermenting.
      Lots of luck

  46. I shredded 22 1/2 lbs of cabbage 9 days ago. It is in a 15 L crock with a trough. It began “working” within a day or two, expelling the gas. But I haven’t heard it for the last 4 days. Should I be concerned? What should I do? Thanks for your advice.

  47. I am wondering what size of crock you recommend buying for a family (4 people). I live in Austria and they come in sizes ranging from 5L to 20L and beyond. I don’t even know where to start.

    Thanks!!!

  48. My mother use to make bell peppers stuffed with cabbage put it in a crock and it was sauerkraut when it was done she made it ever fall and was so good but I don’t know how she made it do you know how

  49. I have left my kraut for up to 25 days, but it still does not come out sour enough for me. Does it continue to get more sour if you continue to leave it ferment? Right now I make one gallon of kraut as soon as I transfer the finished kraut into quart jars. Could the people that add seasonings to their kraut please give me some measurements to the volumne (1 teaspoon per gallon of kraut for example) of each seasonning that they add? I have used fennel in the amount of 1 tablespoon per gallon, spread out in 1/2 teaspoon increments in layers of the kraut and like that very much but would like to try some other spices. Also, I use plastic bags filled with salt brine on top of a layer of outer leaves to hold down the cabbage and add water to keep it up to the rim as needed. The salt to water solution I use to add to keep it full is 1 teaspoon of pickling of kosher salt per cup of water. Does anyone know if I can I do green tomato slices the same way without mashing them down? Thank you for the help.

  50. Made sauerkraut with my uncle yesterday. we don’t have crocks so we used two large one gallon glass jars. he made a ‘pounder’ out of a branch which he carved. just the right weight and has a natural grip on it. i shredded the cabbage and onion. (we used 3 heads of cabbage and 4 white onions) we would put about 4 or 5 handfuls of cabbage and about 2 handfuls of onions in the jar, very lightly sprinkle salt, caraway seeds and drop one or 2 juniper berries and then pound. have to be careful pounding because of the glass jars. we did that equally among the two jars until we had no ingredients left. it smelled heavenly! I also enjoy snacking on the fresh onions and cabbage while making this fun stuff. then we covered each jar with plastic and rubber bands. will leave in the house a few days to get the fermentation going, then will place in the well house outside for about 6 weeks. (the end of february) …oh- the well house keeps the ‘fart’ smell out of the living space! it can do what it needs to do out there. around Easter our family will get to try the kraut! you can add vinegar to it on your plate if you like it that way or plain is just as good. by the way, after we packed the jars, we cleaned up the inside of the jar and took the outer large leaves of the cabbage and pressed that tightly against the kraut to keep it packed down while the juices start to fill up the jar. then we placed sanitized smooth rocks to keep the ‘goodie’ weighted down during the fermentation process.

  51. Do you ever the powder from one probiotic capsule to your salt and then put on your cabbage to speed up the fermentation process? I have done this a few times and within 2 weeks my Kraut is ready 🙂

  52. This is my fist time making kraut, and since I collect crocks I have plenty to experiment with. I used a #6 crock slice my cabbage, onion, green apples, and used celery seed, and coriander, and sea salt. All layered in crock up to the top. Placed a large glass plate on top then a plastic bowl with lid full of salt water, and then a gallon jug of water on top of that then covered. It’s just been a week, but the bloom is there already, and removing it every two days. I just had to taste it, and the flavor is good, but to crisp of course. Can’t wait for it to ripen.

  53. Hi. I have been waiting a month for my first sauerkraut batch to be complete, and had been checking it several times throughout the process. It always seemed to be doing okay, until today when I noticed there is a little sediment of white on the bottom of each mason jar and the smell and taste are very yeasty. It almost smells like beer. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this, but am concerned that it is not healthy or safe to eat. I can’t seem to find any resource online that reassures me what amount of yeast is okay in the sauerkraut fermentation process. I added a little bit of salt and put it in the fridge, hoping this will change the properties of the kraut.

    Any advice you could give I would be grateful for!

  54. Hi Guys

    I was wondering if someone could help me. I have just lifted ‘the lid’ of my first batch of Sauerkraut to reveal an exposed, smelly, soggy and rotten cabbage leaf (which i used to squish the shredded cabbage down and thought it would hold) – Yummo. The thing is that it looks ok but am not sure if the liquid (and hence rest of jar) would be contaminated?? My sauerkraut is also bright fucia pink – which I thought looked pretty cool and that my daughter would be into but want to make sure its ok first….

    Hmmm maybe its back to the drawing board 🙂

  55. Hi all-
    I use the airlock system (mine is called the perfect pickler) and it makes a perfect batch every single time! Amazon sells a six pack which is great because you can have six batches going at once. While we start enjoying the first batch, five more are cooking, and as soon as we finish that first batch, i make a new one, so there is always plenty to go around! (We are a family of six, so the two-quart mason jar batches go pretty fast!) I’ve never lost a batch, so the airlock system is definitely my favorite. It’s also super easy and takes out any guess work.

  56. I put my sauerkraut in the frig. Everything was good. The next day there was no brine on top of the kraut. Do I need to add some at this point?

  57. Hi Jenny,

    I recently made my first batch of auerkrau with cabbage etc- I made use of large 24 litre sealed tupperware plastic boxes. After 2 months of fermenting at room temperature a great deal of mould developed on the top of the kraut, how do I prevent this? Am I using an incorrect type of container perhaps?

  58. I use purple cabbage the same way and also I add grind apples and grind carrots and add small amount of Bragg’s Apple Cider vinegar pack it into large jars and keep it out for two to three days then I place it into the fridge.

  59. Hi

    I have troubles packing the cabbage into the container until the cabbage is completely submerged by liquid …… I have a juicer at home, just wondering it I could juice some and add it to the jar?
    by the way I just got your Cookbook and I have fallen in love with it I can not wait to start cooking with it

    Regards

    • Hi Monique, you could certainly juice some cabbage, or use salt water. You might invest in some weights for your fermentation jars.

  60. Hi Jenny,
    Any thoughts on how one goes about starting to add other ingredients – specifically, I am wondering about proportions against this basic recipe? I would like to add arame and ginger but not sure how much to add – I realize I could just go according to taste, or trial and error, but if you have any advice on this I would be most grateful!

  61. I used 1/4 cup kefir whey in filtered water, which helps to ferment and add probiotics. I put my cabbage on the bottom, then I added onions, and carrots, raisins and red grapes for ferment “sugar”. I stirred in 1 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt for minerals and 2 tsp lemon juice for flavor and sour.

    I put large outside leaves to weight down the vegs under 1″ of the liquid in a see-through glass jar with a tight lid, and put a heavy bottle filled with water on top of the lid. I left it on my counter in a 77 F degrees room.

    After day 1 1/2 I opened the jar, removed the top white layer, added a little more whey, and it was done about 3 days later. I put it in the fridge so it’s fermenting more slowly, but I tasted it and it’s got a good flavor. Next time I’m gonna add dill weed, which I didn’t have at the time. I may leave out the grapes next time, we’ll see, but the resverol in the skins is good for you, and I don’t drink wine, so I’ll probably keep putting it in.

    I made another one and put broccoli and peppers in and it was good too. So not just kraut, you can make a whole salad out of it.

  62. I’ve been making kraut in my Harsch crocks for seven years now. Never a failed batch! I add only enough salt for my tastebuds, and often throw in apples, beets, ginger, turnips, onions, carrots, sweet peppers, some kale, green tomatoes—if you keep cabbage at 50% of the bulk, you can pretty much toss in anything and it is all good. We eat a few tablespoonfuls a day for our tummies!

  63. Several links in your post to products are no longer valid, leading to “We are sorry, but the page you are looking for cannot be found” 404 URL errors.

  65. We had a large batch turn out extremely bland and hardly sour at all. It was fermented for 5-6 weeks in the basement in a food-grade plastic bucket. The same day we started that batch we started a smaller batch in our regular Harsch crock which turned out great as usual. The bucket batch is still a little crunchy (not slimey), but hardly worth eating because of the blandness. Can it be saved? What might have caused this?

    • Michelle-

      The bigger the batch, the longer it needs to ferment. 5-6 weeks is a very short period of time for a large batch. For a large batch, you’re looking at 6+ months.

  66. How long can sauerkraut be stored in a Harscht crock if it’s opened frequently so we can eat the contents (after it’s ready, of course)? We’ve been canning ours to preserve it, but if it’s able to last a year, I’d rather skip the canning…

  67. I don’t get enough liquid from the cabbage to “submerge” the cabbage in. Do I add water to this?

  68. Goodmorning Jenny, Just a short note to let you know that I am following your link here for sauerkraut. We are in Mexico, just a couple of hours south of PV. If you can even find kraut here, it is imported and very expensive. We make it all the time at home in Canada, so I thought that if I had some spare time, I could do it here. Crocks as we know them don’t exist here and no type of plastic, food grade or not is unacceptable in our view. I chose to use the slowcooker crock and it work fine. Remember that the bigger the knife, the easier the cutting of the cabbage. I cut up two cabbages and and worked the salt in. I used a beer bottle for packing, starting from full and slowly emptying it as I packed more cabbage. By the time all the cabbage was in, there was no more beer in the bottle either. The beauty of it being so hot is that the fermentation process had begun in 12 hours. Make sure that you keep the cabbage submerged for proper results. It just goes great with the pork down here.

  69. I just tried a batch of sauerkraut about a week ago. I packed it in mason jars and is currently fermenting. I looked at the jars and I noticed air bubbles in the jars and the mason jar lids are up. I my standard canning I know they are supposed to be down. Is this bad? I am not sure. Please advise! Thanks!

  70. i use a 5 gal water bottle half filled with water to hold down my cabbage while it forments and there is only a half inch of space around the the water bottle and the inside of the crook

  71. The top 2 – 3 inches of my sauerkraut turned a nasty brown color! Can anyone tell me what happened? I used my food processor to shred the cabbage this time. I have always sliced it with a knife. Could this have caused it to go bad? I’ve heard that the food processor creates too much juice causing it to ferment too fast. Have you heard this before?

  72. Hi, I’m from Queensland, Australia and was wanting to know how fermenting would work in my very hot climate. Should I wait until winter? My summer ranges from 25c – 42c ( sorry not sure in Fahrenheit) and winter can be from 3c – 32c. Would it work in a fridge?
    I’m loving your webpage.
    Thanks

  73. Question…I used iodized seasalt because my recipe didn’t say not to….will this ruin my batch or will it just ferment slower?

  74. I have a question. I would love to try this with some carrot in it as well, shredded or coins. Is there any chance of botulism if done anaerobically? Just wondering because that could be too scary for me.

  75. Hi ~ I have made sauerkraut in a 2 qt mason jar which was not quite full. The first 2″ have turned brown of which I removed (orig covered w/fresh cabbage leaves and pressed down). After 7 days the top part started turning brown. Today is day 10, I removed the brown stuff and tasted it. It needs more days (my orig recipe said 10..I see yours is way way longer). However, the jar I felt was too large so I transferred to a 1 qt mason jar — did I just ruin it exposing it to air and should I chuck it? I put fresh cabbage leaves on top and pressed it down, put a towel over it and it’s sitting. And, am I supposed to put the lid on? I just have the cabbage leaves pressed with a kitchen towel over it. Thank you!

  76. Good afternoon, I have read all your questions and answers & found it very useful for what I am doing at the moment. I am a chef and own a homemade pickle, jams Pate and so on for orders and mainly selling at market fairs. I have a few orders for fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi, and anything else I can come up with.) I have already made a few batches of orders everything seemed to come out well. but I just can’t stop wondering whether the hot weather have anything to do with the fermentation process? (Where I live the weather is very hot and humid) My products seem to be ready way too early than the time the recipe requires? but I’m happy with the out come, so are our customers, the orders are growing bigger & bigger. I must be doing something right?
    Question #2 We are allowed to open to check and mix or turn the vegs aren’t we? Reading some of the questions wrote to you sounds like there are some miss under standing that not allowed to open.
    Question #3 Is the sourness comes from the amount of salt we use, and if we want it to stop getting any more sour is to put it in the fridge?
    Thank you very much for your time and answers in advance.
    Patti

  77. Sauerkraut makers need to go to Northern Brewer home brewed beer site and take a gander at the
    Big-Mouth Bubbler glass beer fermenter
    … this is a fancy watersealed crock substitute … very cleanable in 1, 5 & 6 gallon size …. I have co2 tanks and can top my cabbage over with a protective blanket of protective gas not actually necessary but extra insurance …. with starter lacto and topoff brine I would defy anyone to spoil a batch …. sour is good … happy fermentations to you.

  78. This might be a silly question, but you didn’t mention at what stage to put liquid in, and if it was cold or hot, or boiling water. I’m new to this whole fermenting and pickling thing and not quite sure what to do. Would you suggest filtered water is better than tap water for example? Also, would is your opinion on using culture starter? I don’t have any right now, but have been looking at recipes with and without and wondered what your take is on it. Thanks

  79. Susan D — No liquid is added. The liquid mentioned in the article comes from the cabbage itself. When the salt is mixed with the cabbage, it pulls water out of the cabbage. This water builds up and pools. No starter is needed, cabbage has it’s own bacteria which causes the fermentation process.

    • Topoff brine; boiled then cooled … 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt per quart of water for the brine ….
      After I’ve mashed (potato masher) the shredded cabbage as firm a pack as I can manage, I let the fermenter sit on my counter overnight. In the morning I determine if I need the topoff brine. I give it a dose if necessary … up to about 1/2 an inch over the level of the packed cabbage … Sauerkraut juice is a throwaway for me … I rinse the finished product put a ton of brown sugar and more caraway seeds …. lace the whole shebang with pig fat and I’m good to go…

    • I agree … and did I not mention that I made Sauerkraut exactly that way for 30 of my 40 years fermenting cabbage … your correct in your implication that Sauerkraut is easy … but not so easy that a batch cannot fail … my thesis is the slight pains taken to insure rapid uptake and perfect sealing of the fermenting mass is worth it … no self respecting fermenter of anything beside Sauerkraut would risk their hard work ton chance.
      EXAMPLES FOLLOW
      1.Beer (except Belgium lambic and a few wild fermented beers)
      2. Wine
      3. Most cheeses
      4. Bread (except salt rising)

      there are probably others but I’m 66 retired and Tim for my nap.

  80. I usually make sauerkraut in a glass jar; however, because there were so many posts saying this is the best way to do it, I bought a large crock and made a batch in it.
    The sauerkraut developed slimy pink (and other colors) mold and I threw it out. The problem is that the crock has become infested with many blue mold spots that are now incorporated into the paint and surfaces of the crock–they will not wash off.
    Has anyone else had this problem–if so, how do you remedy it?

    • It sounds like yu didn’t use the crock properly. The crock needs to fillled almost completely. The cabbage needs to be weighted down so that brine covers it, and the well of the crock must always be kept full. Used properly like this, whatever you’re fermenting won’t develop mold or slime.

  81. If i have used too much salt and its been fermenting for a couple of days, is there anyway to save it? or will it just take longer to ferment? or will it go bad before it has a chance to ferment?

  82. Hi there from Vietnam, where the temperature is around 30°C/86°F day and night…
    With this kind of temperature, do I have any chance of making sauerkraut?
    Would my last possibility be the refrigerator? (I cannot adjust it, and it is just above freezing point)
    Or put it in my bedroom with air conditioning on (and sleep with the smell) for one month ($50 extra electricity)?
    I also thought covering my jar with a heavy wet beach towel, and put a fan on it… That could be a bit cool.
    Waiting for a suggestion before going to the market… Thanks!

    • I hot climates do as the Koreans do with KimChi, a type of sauerkraut, bury it in the ground
      .

  84. Can I use a cabbage to cut the scabs off of my esky lid. Its hard to pick off with my nails alone or with my friends.

  85. Two questions.
    Does the crock with the sauerkraut stay at room temp for 1 – 6 months while its fermenting?
    Can I do cabbage like this whole in a crock pot? I prefer sour cabbage when I do cabbage rolls.

    Thanks for your reply.

    Ricki

  86. Hi, I have tried to make Sauerkraut for the first time last Sunday. I have followed a “simple and easy way” recipe, one cabbage + 1tbspn salt and I packed it tightly in a mason jar. I had a large amount of liquid come out and it is in there with a cabbage lid placed over the cabbage and packed down tight. I left it in a dark, cool place for 3 days and checked it last night and it seemed fine.

    When I opened one jar it had a lot of bubbles where the other one didn’t. It also smelt but not as bad as some people say it should smell in this post. I followed the instructions to put it in the fridge today; yes I know it isn’t the long process everyone talks about here; but I am not sure if I should continue to keep the cabbage lid and liquid in the jars?

    Every recipe I have read online does not give me this answer, any help would be greatly appreciated.

  87. I have experimented with different ways of making sauerkraut. I always use Molkosan from Bioforce, which reduces the amount of salt you need to use. Molkosan is a concentrated whey and can be bought online.

    The easiet way: Finely shred cabbage, omit the coarser bits, and pack into 4-liter plastik bags suitable for food storage. Add salt and whey directly in the bag. Suck as much air out of the bag as possible (with your mouth) and close with a rubberband. Toss the cabbage around to mix it with the whey and salt. No liquid is needed this way. Leave at room temperature for 3-5 days, turning the bags over a couple of times a day. When the bags swell up from the fermentation process put the sauerkraut into suitable jars with lids and store in the fridge.

    The tastiest way: Finely shred the cabbage and put into a big bowl. I use a big glass bowl with a plastic lid. Add salt and whey between the layers. Instead of crushing the cabbage and adding water to cover, juice the coarser cabbage bits and the core and cover the cabbage with this juice. Cover with the lid and leave for 3-5 days at room temperature. Transfer into smaller jars and store in the fridge. This method gives an intensely flavoured sauerkraut. I’ve just eaten the last bit from last autums production and the umami flavour is incredible now.

  89. I started my Saurkraut process 4 weeks ago. Plate on top of the kraut and brine. Then a weight. Then on top of the crock I sealed it with wrap and rubber and. I smell nothing. Why is there no Oder. I don’t want to check it til week 6. Does no smell mean a problem or does it mean I sealed it tightly?

  91. I’m making kraut now it has fermented for six weeks in my kitchen in a special fermenting crock it looks great, smells awful, but isn’t sour enough it still tastes a little cabbagey. Do I need to let it ferment longer?

  92. Is there any need to control the temperature of the fermentation? I’ve read elsewhere that lacto prefers +/- 45 degrees C?

  93. hi there

    I just made a batch in a 3 gallon crock. I have it about 2/3 full. I put the ;eaves on top and the weights over that. However I read conflicting issues whether to cover or not. I put a piece of wet mulsim sheet on top and put a bunjee around it, is this correct? I don’t have a lid. I see some people do a lid others do what I do, what is correct?

    thanks

    Thom

    • I live in florida so I am thinking this should be ready in about 3-4 weeks.

  94. I have used a culture purchased from Body Ecology, is this necessary? Do we get the same beneficial microbials for good gut flora without adding something like like this.

    • Hi Patricia,

      No, purchased starter culture is NOT necessary. You get plenty of beneficial microbes without the addition of starter, but using a starter might inocculate the sauerkraut with specific beneficial bacteria.

  95. Can I use a mason jar that has a hermetically sealed lid in order to acquire the anaerobic environment?

      • Oh okay, I guess I’m a little confused then. The kraut needs to be in an airtight environment but also allow air to escape?

        • I guess, “air-tight environment” is the easiest way to explain an anaerobic or oxygen-deprived environment. What you’re really after, optimally, is an anaerobic environment that allows Co2 build up to escape, but that does so without allowing oxygen in.

  96. A friend sliced cabbage for sauerkraut and sliced the end of his finger into it. He wants to use the cabbage rather than “waste” it.He says the salt in the brine eliminates any contamination from the mishap.I disagree. He should discard the offending cabbage.Who is correct?

    • Hi Susan,

      The risk of illness associated with the mishap is virtually nonexistent, particularly after extensive fermentation; however, the cabbage is contaminated with blood (and potentially other tissue depending on the extent of the injury) and that raises the question of whether or not he intends to serve it to unwitting guests, or to guests with the caveat that he sliced the end of his finger into it. They’re not likely to get sick eating it, but they’re also not likely to want to eat something that your friend bled into.

      I would recommend discarding the cabbage.

    • I recommend using stoneware crocks or glass jars as explained above, and I don’t recommend plastic.

  98. I see from the article that it is not necessary to can the sauerkraut, but can I if I want to?

  99. GREAT TIPS – First, Use Morton Natural Sea Salt !!! It is like pickling salt, no additives, HUGE DIFFERENCE !!! SALT with NO ADDITIVES. 2nd, add a little sugar in the bottom, it kick starts the fermentation, and converts to harmless alcohol. Third, if you have a little juice from a good batch, throw that in, its called a “mother” and it also kicks start the fermentation. All natural mother please, no vinegar. Happy, happy, happy…

  100. Hello –
    My father and I have been making Kraut for years together now in a large Red Wing Crock. This past fall we again made it the way we had for years however after canning the kraut within about a month or 2 most of it had turned quite dark in color and did not look appealing at all. About a dozen of the quarts turned out completely normal in color. I have been unable to find an answer to this mystery anywhere and was wondering if you had an answer to this? Other question is if the jars are going to be kept at room temp do you typically boil the jars with the kraut in to seal?

  101. Thank you for all this valuable information.

    Can I add cloves of garlic to the recipe, or will it alter the fermentation process?

    Also, I don’t have the jars so I am using large Kilner type jars with clip shut glass lids. They have an air pocket in the lid, so I have put cling-film over the lid and then replaced the rubber seal – hope it works!

  102. Can you purchase unpasteurized kraut that would have the same heart health benefits as homemade?

  103. I tried making sauerkraut awhile back, but it turned out kinda gross! I think, after reading this, that my salt ratio was wrong, and that it was also too warm where I was fermenting it. I think it’s time I tried making it again!

  104. Hi Jenny,

    When using an airlock to make sauerkraut, when is it safe to replace the airlock with a lid? For example if I am fermenting my sauerkraut for at least 1 month or possibly up to 6 months, can you replace the airlock with a lid after 2 weeks so that you may use the airlock for another ferment?

  105. Love this simple recipe! I used it with great success earlier this year! I started a blog and shared this post for reference!

  106. Hi. I’m new to your site and new to fermenting. I’ve just made my first batch of sauerkraut. It has been submerged in its brine now for 11 days. I used a rock inside a ziplock bag for a weight and I did not have a fancy pressure lid, just a brand new Mason jar. I burped it a few times. Anyway, it has changed color now from the brighter lime green of the cabbage to the pale washed out color typical of sauerkraut. Is now the time to test it? I’m super nervous, this is the first thing I’ve ever fermented, and to be honest, I’m not usually a brave DIY-er so frankly my family is shocked I gave this a try. I’m just worried about it tasting bad, or worse, poisoning myself (because I won’t let the family taste it till I know it’s ok). How do I know if it’s good and how would I recognize a problem? Thanks for any help.

    • Hi Bev,

      As long as any solid materials are kept below the liquid in the jar, and the contents are not moldy. It should be fine. I TOTALLY understand your trepidation, but foodborne illness from properly fermented foods is very rare.

  107. I made a small batch of saurkraut but it is a little bit brown near the top. Maybe I didn’t have it submerged enough.

  108. Can I use a ceramic jar and put two or three layers of muslim tied with an elastic band to cover instead of a jar with an airtight cover?

    • Hi Sinead,

      I recommend that you use an airlock, as muslin tied with an elastic band will leave your sauerkraut prone to mold.

  109. Thanks for the simple recipe – I’m rather regretting having given my copy of “Nourishing Traditions” to charity now! Just bought a 3-litre kraut crock (from a local place, and hello from rainy Somerset, England) and I’ve got 3 heads of white cabbage coming in my next veg box. I’m guessing this would taste just as good with the addition of some juniper berries and caraway seeds? I’m part-Austrian, and there’s a few food traditions that I can remember from holidays in Vienna (mostly things like apple strudel and lovely rye bread and leberwurst – the spreadable liver sausage – and Hungarian garlic bread with thick raw garlic) , and well, the sauerkraut preparation method seems to be something I remember without knowing how – a folk memory, maybe? And anyway, caraway seeds reduce flatulence, promote digestion and taste good, and juniper berries stimulate and aid digestion, among other properties. (I’m a Herb-Woman, by the way)