Please do, Billy! Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

All that mold? I really don’t think you should be eating that. I’ve been fermenting for a few years and what you show in the above picture is unfortunately no longer fit for consumption in my opinion. Your cabbage was not completely under the brine, so air got on it and then the mold formed.

There are various glasses for making great sauerkraut and keeping the air out. The best report on the different glasses that work are here (this is the final report): http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index.php/03/sauerkraut-survivor-final-report/

The whole series of posts is very interesting and shows the glasses in more detail (also pictures of lactic acid bacteria): http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index.php/fermentation-information-and-supplies-needed/

And somewhere in there she says that she looked at the brine of a moldy batch and found mold spores not only on top of the brine but also on the bottom.

One thing I found is that is is better to use a mandoline for the cabbage and to cut long thin strips. They are much easier to control and push under the brine than food processor cabbage pieces.

Stay healthy and mold-free! 🙂

Chris

I learned the hard way that too much salt can make your kraut turn pink. I don’t know if it’s a bad thing though. It just looks weird and doesn’t taste very good. The lady who taught me, told me to dump half of the brine, rinse off half of the kraut and put it back in your container, then refolace the removed brine with chlorine free water to cover the kraut. Ack up and then let it sit for 3 days then taste it, every day till it tastes right.

If it’s still too salty you can redo that replacement process.

You can also use a little less salt. If you squish your shredded cabbage with your clean hands until it is juicy, it won’t take a lot to make a good brine.

We used to ferment big crocks of whole cabbage heads in the fall, and these were weighed down to keep them under the surface. The “bloom” (mold) was skimmed off every week and the brine was stirred. The old Germans in the family always used this brine raw as a tonic. I think it was a laxative tonic. Just saying.

Thanks for your reply. I guess it’s one of those tricky questions! 🙂

Hi Donna, thank you for reaching out! I am not aware of the answer here either, but it probably depends on many conditions that the fermentation takes place in.

Hi Jackie, thanks for reaching out! It should be fine to go ahead and use the juice that is left. In the end, as always with fermenting, it is your nose that will be the judge.

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for reaching out! Some people are unable to tolerate it, but we suggest testing sauerkraut by adding it in very slowly and if you have problems come back to it in a few months.

I think it could be very early maybe in the first month. So give it shot!

SOLUTION: For those of us with cold homes, use your yogurt maker to ferment anything! Keep it at “room temp” with a light dimmer switch.

For the minority they are this sensitive, Jordan had to start with like one or 2 strands a day. Try a very small amt for the next 3 days. If BM’s don’t firm up then move on to pills for now.

Worried I’ll never be able to use probiotics!

Thanks, Mike.

Many thanks for making it easy and doable.

Beryl

I have also heard that the amount of salt used in fermenting does matter, as too little will not be effective at inhibiting bad bacteria, and too much will inhibit the good guys. I have not experimented with it much myself to test that, as I usually just use a 2% brine in most of the ferments I do, but thought I’d share what I read from experienced fermenters.

http://www.probiotics-lovethatbug.com/bacteria-in-sauerkraut.html#axzz2S0UDNJZM

One question I do have is regarding hygeine. Like with the SCD yoghurt – heating the milk kills any bad bacteria before fermenting. Is there the need for any similar process with sauerkraut? Is there a chance of bad bacteria getting into the fermentation process and creating a potentially dangerous food?

Many thanks for the great site,

Michael

Hi Keri, I tried making it straight into a jar and it didn’t work so I am going to try and follow your tips next time 🙂 So you’re saying you have a jar, leave the lid off and put the ziploc bag with water in on to of the cabbage…so no jar lid?

That’s a useful point Jackie thanks, I think my first attempt is more of a pickle than a fermented sauerkraut!

Hi there Jordan 🙂

Am interested in which book you recommend as the link lists a lot of different ones 🙂

That’s a great question Jackie. Lactofermenting is very different. I highly recommend you check out this book on it:

http://amzn.to/10OMJw5

Jordan

Sure, you can lactoferment any veggie. Check out this book:

http://amzn.to/10OMJw5

Jordan

@Solomani – 🙂

Yes, I try and mix the brine in with the veggie. It’s very powerful, so some people have to ramp up slowly.

Jordan

In theory, yes warming it up will kill the beneficial bacteria.

In good health,

Jordan

@Judy – I’ve read that it can keep for months… so I wouldn’t too much about it.

@Marlene – You will destroy the probiotics if you heat it up. It should taste sour, a bit crunchy and slightly bubbly.

Hi Marlene, it will destroy the bacteria if you head it up. Keep testing it, you might see what it tastes like at 10 days and see if that’s better for you.

It really depends on temperature. I’ve had some taste better at 10 days and 14 days in the winter.

In good health,

Jordan