Actually, I just read Sandor Katz's instructions and he said to give it 24 hours, before adding extra brine, so I guess that's what I'll do.

If you made it correctly - well mixed, well packed, using recommended ratio of salt to cabbage (3 T for 5 lbs.) then there is never any need to add more brine so I'm not sure exactly what your question is.

Liquid should have begun to develop as you were mixing the cabbage and salt and even more develops as you squash it into the jar so that by the time the jar is packed all the cabbage is covered by liquid. More then develops over the fermenting time. Fermenting time is goverened by your air temperature and ranges from 5 days to 3 weeks.

If no liquid developed while mixing then you didn't use enough salt or didn't mix and squash it well enough. A wooden mallet comes in handy when mixing and packing but you can also use your fist.

Dave

Hmmmmm....its starting to make brine, but maybe I didn't use enough salt. It tastes extremely salty. If I do add more salt, do I need to mix it all up again? Its tightly packed down now.
Alot of sites say to use 2T salt to 5# of cabbage, so I'm thinking my 3T to about 6# is probably enough. The cabbage had been in the fridge, so maybe once it comes to room temp, it will give up more liquid.
I realize that I should have tamped it down and added salt as I went, which I didn't do. I added salt half way up and then added more cabbage and salt, and then mixed it up and then tamped it down. So next time, I'll salt and tamp it down as I go.
Thanks Dave.

I've only made sauerkraut a few times now but I've always used 3T per 5# of cabbage. It has never been salty.

In order to get the cabbage to release water you really have to pack it down. A wood mallet or simply use the handle of a wooden spoon to punch into it to get the water out.

I've never added brine. But I've had to work the cabbage for a bit to get it to release enough water to cover.

I typically cut my cabbages into quarters and shred 1/2 to 3/4 of a head into a bowl, liberally salt it, toss and then pack. Repeat until you've added all the cabbage and salt. Then continuing pounding the top of the cabbage until the water starts coming up. When it gets to the point that the voids in the cabbage formed when you are punching start filling with water you are close to done. Putting your weight on top at this point typically will get the water over the top of the cabbage.

Alot of sites say to use 2T salt to 5# of cabbage, so I'm thinking my 3T to about 6# is probably enough.

It is your choice as to which info source you use as long as you understand up front that reducing the salt below the tested approved level of 3 T per 5 lbs. does carry some risk. The ratio of salt used is vital to safety when fermenting foods. Lots of sites claim lots of things but that doesn't mean they are correct or safe and some of what you appear to have read elsewhere is very suspicious to experienced kraut makers. The standardized guidelines are safe and accurate and work exceptionally well as they have been rigorously tested.

Of course it would taste quite salty at first since the brine hasn't yet fully developed so the taste now isn't a valid indicator of the finished taste. The standard recipe won't be salty when finished.

The cabbage had been in the fridge, so maybe once it comes to room temp, it will give up more liquid.

Always best to start with the cabbage at room temperature and of course once it is mixed and packed it remains out of the fridge in a warm 70-75 degree place out of direct sunlight.

I realize that I should have tamped it down and added salt as I went, which I didn't do. I added salt half way up and then added more cabbage and salt, and then mixed it up and then tamped it down. So next time, I'll salt and tamp it down as I go.

No, as chudak said it is normally well mixed in a large bowl first - mixed and squeezed, mixed and squeezed over and over and only then packed into the fermenting container. 40 years of making kraut has taught me that trying to do it in layers only results in uneven and inconsistent fermentation and the development of molds and yeasts.

Personally I would dump out your jar into a large bowl add an additional 1 T of salt to it, mix it all up very well and then wash out the jar and repack it for best results. It isn't far enough along in the process yet to prevent fixing it now.

Dave

I agree with the previous comments. You've got to get the cabbage/salt thoroughly mixed or you risk plain cabbage rotting somewhere in the mixture.

With this kind of fermentation it's critical to use the right kind of salt in the right amount. The 3 T. canning salt is actually a transposition of the weight of salt needed for 5 lbs. of cabbage. As mentioned already, below that ratio there's a risk of spoilage as there isn't sufficient salt to develop a safe level of lactic acid.

If, at the end, you decide the sauerkraut is indeed too salty for your taste, you can always rinse it. But this is the wrong stage to be reducing salt.

I've attached a link to an excellent document outlining all the sauerkraut steps and issues.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Make Your Own Sauerkraut

I have only fermented sauerkraut once and still have much to learn, but I have to say it was the easiest thing I have ever preserved. I was SO leery of letting something sit out on the counter top (mine ended up taking 23 days) and it possibly rotting on me. My Mom never made Kraut or pickles like this, but I am glad I tried it.

I fermented 8 pounds of thinly sliced cabbage and used 5 TBL of Kosher salt and it tastes perfect. When I made mine, I spread a thin layer of cabbage down, added a sprinkle of my pre-measured salt and mushed it down hard to draw out the juices. I had half a jar full of brine by the time I was done filling my gallon jar, then weighted it down. But the next day I had a full jar of brine. But after reading the experts opinion on this thread, I like adding it to a bowl first then making sure it was thoroughly salted. It makes complete sense. I canned mine after it was completely fermented and I think it tastes even better after doing that :)

Thanks everyone.
I didn't throw it out. Its looking and smelling good and making bubbles. We'll see how it turns out. Next time though, I'll be sure to mix it up well as I go.

It's a bit late to be responding to this, but here's my $.02. If the cabbage has been stored for a while, some of the juice may be gone and you may not get enough brine from it. That's happened to me. In fact, the only time I've used cabbage that made enough of its own juice, it was cabbage from my garden. However, I have a head that I bought a couple of days ago; since it's harvest time, I think it has enough liquid in it - I pinched a leaf and got juice on my fingers!

It depends on the cabage variety, not just freshness. With practice you can just "see" which cabbage is good (gives plenty of juice) and which is not good for fermentation. Around here usually asian stores carry cabbage which is good for fermentation. Whole Foods and Giant approx 30% of time in winter sell "right" cabbage, but mostly they sell round dense cabbage which is really freash, but as juicy as cardboard. In my experience if you know how to ferment, quality of cabbage is the only one important variable which really determins the final result.
Olga

Agreed that most cabbage available in the wintertime is going to have lost natural moisture due to lower seasonal humidity. For the new batch of kraut I recently started, I had to boil an extra quart of water with 1 and 1/2 tbsp of pickling salt added in order to completely submerge the cabbage and the 'cover stones' ( using Harsch crock ).

Also agreed that the salt ratio of 1 and 1/2 tbsp of pickling salt to every quart of contents ( water or cabbage or whatever ) is very important in regard to 'food safety'. The whole idea behind sauerkraut fermentation, or fermenting anything else by 'natural' means, is that the food will be preserved via lactic acid formation. When you place cabbage or anything else in your fermenting crock, you are relying on the fact that the natural 'lacto-bacillus' on the surface of the cabbage will be the only type of microbe that will be growing in there !!! Lots of other types of 'bad' microbes / mold etc. would love to 'eat' your cabbage instead ... and some of these can be toxic. Fortunately, not many of the 'bad' microbes can survive in a salty environment, and even fewer can survive in an oxygen depleted environment, and even fewer still can multiply well at a temperature below 70 degrees F. But the 'good' lacto-bacilli can.

While the 'old school' fermenters rely on natural lacto-bacilli that is naturally present on the cabbage or whatever, consensus these days is that it helps to give the batch a 'jump start' by deliberately adding 'good' lacto-bacilli. Kefir Whey is excellent for this. Simply draining whey from everyday plain active culture yogurt works OK as well. And of course there are now a number of lacto-bacillus based 'starters' available from probiotic websites.

I started 12 lbs of kraut today in the Harsch crock. It is interesting that the instructions that come with it call for much less salt than the American ones. It says to use 5 to 8 grams of salt per kilo of cabbage and a maximum of 15g per kilo. I weighed the salt after measuring it got 20g per tablespoon so I had 60g for 5 lbs. Converted their maximum is 34g per 5 lbs. Went the old fashioned way and didn't add any kind of starter.

I "stomped" and smushed the cabbage in a big stockpot to get the juice going and after reading one of John's old posts, I wiped down the inside of the crock with vinegar before adding the cabbage to it. I was able to get enough juice to cover the weights. Yeah!

Has anyone ever made wine kraut? I used to buy that sometimes in Germany and was reading the directions from the Ziedrich book. She adds the wine of day 2 so I have a day to think about it.

The crock is sitting on my kitchen counter (at 70 degrees) has already started burping. If it starts to smell, I'll move it out to the room in the detached garage. But is about 66 out there so I'll want the fermentation to be going first if I move it.

My only 'complaint' about moving a Harsch crock to an 'out of sight, out of mind' location is this. The water seal on Harsch crocks is sensitive to both rapid evaporation ( compared to a winemaking style water bubbler seal ) as well as to natural vacuum produced at particular stages of fermentation. I lost an entire batch of Harsch crock pickles last year because I moved the crock to the basement and didn't check / add to the water seal fast enough to prevent the water from evaporating ( or being sucked backward by vacuum ) and letting oxygen in.

As to wine kraut, I sometimes do this ... but AFTER the crock fermentation is done. I rinse the finished kraut with water first to remove surface salt, and then let the kraut soak for a couple of hours in Reisling wine.

Personally speaking, I am a bit leery of the fermentation recipes that call for adding wine directly to the crock at the beginning of a new batch of kraut. Adding wine immediately lowers the pH ... and I'm not sure how that might impact the lactic acid fermentation cycle.

That is an interested point about the wine. We decided to skip it this time.

^^^ actually, the 'ex post facto' wine soaking not only adds a bit more flavor, but it also reduces the saltiness.

does someone know where to purchase harch crock in europe (berlin) or elsewhere and barcelona? (what is the lowest price) thanks a lot!

I bought mine in the Netherlands at Intratuin which is a garden/floral supply store. They had a small preserving/wine making section.

Hey gang a little help please. Put up twenty pounds of cabbage for kraut and failed to pack tight enough to cover with brine. After checking containers daily, found this forum and learned of my mistake. Removed to a bowl and squeezed by hand and repacked which provided enough brine now to cover. My question is did it set too long without brine to still produce sauerkraut, (three days). Cabbage is still green, however, smells a little funky.
Thanks in advance.
"Newbie"

Can't say for sure but 3 days is plenty of time for funky bad bacteria to develop. Would have been better to pitch the cabbage that was above the brine and re-pack only that which had been brine covered. So now it is a wait and see. Give it a week and then decide.

Assuming you used the proper amount of salt and the ambient temps are enough for quick fermentation the new lactic acid may be enough to overcome the bacteria, maybe not. If funky smell continues or any discoloration or pink scum forms you may have to pitch the lot. Is it covered/sealed or open to the air?

For future reference just make a water & salt brine up and pour on enough to cover it if it doesn't make enough of its own.

Dave