- 55 lbs cabbage
- 2/3 cup salt
- 1/2 liter buttermilk or whey
- juniper betties to taste
- apple slices to taste
- dill to taste
- caraway to taste
- Chop cabbage uniformly and finely. Mix with other ingredients and firmly press down into the crock until the juice stands above the cabbage. The salt should be more or less evenly distributed throughout the cabbage. Add boiled salt water (1 liter [quart] water to 15g [1 qt to 3 tsp] salt) or the whey. Fluids should cover the stone weight.
Here are some general fermenting tips:
Preparation:
Cleanliness is very important, not only to prepare
good quality vegetables, but also to maintain the crock and especially the lid. To clean, simply wipe, brush off or spray the inside and outside of the crock and lid, and the stone weights, and let them dry completely. Unlike other crocks, this one cannot absorb water, which can affect taste and preservation and cause mildew growth. The glaze prevents flavors being absorbed into the crock and transferring to or contaminating other vegetables.
Juice or brine should cover the vegetables about 4-6 cm (approx. 1 1/2"-2 1/2"). A brine of saltwater in a predetermined concentration (see
recipes) may be prepared by boiling and cooling the vegetable juice if there is not enough to sufficiently cover the vegetables. Linen cloths (traditionally used to cover the vegetables) are not needed as long as the crock and lid are kept clean. Lining the crock with large cabbage, grape or horseradish leaves is adequate.
Filling the crock: Vegetables should be clean and of high quality. Cut away all the damaged, bruised, brown or black parts. Remove stems, leaving only the best parts of the vegetable. Wash thoroughly. For sauerkraut, you can make clean and uniform slices (which are important) using a Cabbage Cutter.
After preparing the vegetables, fill the crock about 3⁄4 full. After the weight stones are placed on top of the vegetables, there should still be about 1” of space. The mixture of juice from the cut vegetables and brine (see recipes for details) should cover the weight stones by at least an inch. (This is to allow space for the carbonic acid which will accumulate later.)
Fill the gutter with water and place the lid on. Let stand at room temperature (64-68F) for 8-10 days to begin the fermentation process. Adding some whey, buttermilk or wine will encourage and speed up the process (see recipes).
You will hear an occasional "gurgle." This is normal, and is caused by carbon dioxide leaving during the fermentation process. After 8-10 days, move the crock to a cook, dark place (such as a basement or root cellar) at approx. 40-47F.
Observation and Maintenance: Constantly observe the water level in the gutter, adding more as needed. Don't worry if all the water seems to suddenly disappear from the gutter. Move the lid slightly (don't lift it!) and you will see that the water is still there; the vacuum has just drawn it up inside the lid. Keep the lid on at all times to keep out dust, insects, etc.
After 4-8 weeks, depending on the type of vegetable, the finished vegetables may be removed. When removing vegetables, be careful not to keep the crock open any longer than necessary. Vegetables that are too sour can be tempered by mixing in some fresh ones.
If mold has formed on the surface of your brine, you can skim it off and discard. Your pickled food will not be harmed, since harmful microorganisms cannot survive in the acidic brine.