I’ve officially made the most sauerkraut at one time, 25 liters to be exact. Back in late November or early December I decided to get a couple of batches going. I wanted to try out my new Craigslist crocks and of course I had to try them both. ;)
I meant to use only one of the CL crocks, which are 10 liters each, and then use my 5 liter one to develop a brand new recipe but even with my very careful planning I ended up having too much cabbage and had to employ Castiel (the name of the 2nd crock).
The plan. I decided on 10 liters of salsa sauerkraut (basically doubling the recipe), 10 accidental liters of hybrid or diluted salsa sauerkraut, and 5 liters of Italian Deli Sauerkraut (the new recipe).
I wondered going into this endeavor where on earth was I going to store it all? We talked about a second fridge, but man even used refrigerators are expensive. We rationalized storing it in the garage. Technically sauerkraut can be stored at 55º F or lower and will not go bad. I mean stuffed in a jar with a lid – not canned or sealed etc. Crazy? Right?!
I proceeded even without a storage solution because I figured it would all work out how it needed to.
For this round of ‘drawing out the brine’ and getting the cabbage ready, I used one of my 5 gallon food grade buckets and used my hands or the rolling dowel to massage the cabbage. Time went by and I fermented everything between 5 and 6 weeks.
Everything worked out great even when it came to storage issues. We gave away several pints to friends which helped reduce quantity as well as get taste testers. :) Rave reviews!
I ended up buying 1/2 gallon Ball jars to store the bulk of the sauerkraut. Even though it’s all volume, storing in 1/2 gallon containers seems to take up less space. They’ve taken up anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the refrigerator.
This time around I strained the sauerkraut from the brine before filling the jars. I want to use the brine as the starter in a future batch and eliminate the need for salt thus creating a lower-sodium sauerkraut.
New Sauerkraut Recipe!
Ingredients
- 8-9 pounds organic green cabbage, shredded
- 1 yellow onion (194 g), thinly sliced
- 2 heaping cups fresh organic basil (85 g or a 4 oz container)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 6 tablespoons kosher salt (pickling salt or sea salt works too)
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano
Instructions
- Prepare sauerkraut according to these directions.
- Ferment 3-6 weeks, remove from crock and store in mason jars in the refrigerator.
We are still enjoying these batches and probably have a gallon and a half remaining. I’m excited to plan the next recipe but I think I’ll stick with the 5 liter crock. ;)
Just recently I used the diluted salsa sauerkraut on my homemade ‘Subway’ sandwiches and it was exceptionally good!
Enjoy the new recipe my fellow fermenters! xo
The post 25 Liters of Sauerkraut and an Italian Deli Sauerkraut Recipe appeared first on Feed Your Skull.
