Sauerkraut SOS...Help!

[RGHS150]

Okay. Disclaimer, fermenting is not my thing. Sigh. One day.

So I jarred up a head of cabbage on saturday. I didn't use whey (didn't want to after mushy reports), but I did use 1 TBS of salt and added leftover "Bubbies" liquid. I lidded it and waited 3 days.

It is decidedly NOT sauerkraut, just salty tasting cabbage mostly.

Should I have left the lid off and loosely covered with cheesecloth? Should I leave it to ferment another day or so? Or just go ahead and refridgerate? It tastes like it is trying to do something. Sally's book says three days, but maybe sometimes it just takes longer?

Help

[mbravebird]

I go by the Sandor guy -- the website is Wild Fermentation. I don't use a lid, and I don't use whey. I salt and bruise the cabbage and other veggies, then as I press it, little by little, into the jar, the brine comes out and covers it as I press.

I cover the top with a cabbage leaf wedged under the shoulders of the jar, and "tuck it in" by wedging rolled up cabbage leaves over that, again under the shoulder of the jar. Does that make sense? Then I just leave it open. I press it down or weight it if the brine gets too low, or add some more brine if necessary.

It takes mine at least a week or two to taste right.

Does that help?

[RGHS150]

Yes it does make sense and it does help. I've just been pressing my shredded cabbage down a little every day, to make sure the top part stays moist. But my cabbage did not produce a lot of it's own liquid, that's why I added liquid from the previous batch.

Knowing that it may take a few more days to "sauer" up is very comforting. I guess I was worried that I didn't do it right, since it wasn't ready yet.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed it turns out. It's 6 bucks for a jar of the bubbies stuff, I want to try and save money [I]somewhere[I] in our traditional food diet.

[cristeen]

The first time I made a ferment (kim chee), it took almost a week. Remember that the temperature and humidity of your fermenting location can also have an effect on how long it takes. Just keep tasting it until it's no longer salty cabbage.

[Magelet]

three days, unless it's super hot, is just too short. Your technique sounds good to me, let it sit another week or two or three or longer, then give it another taste.

I let my sourkrauts ferment 4 or more weeks in fall-spring.

[tanyalynn]

Ditto the previous posters, I see a lot of variation in how long my ferments take based on the temperature in my kitchen, and some batches still go faster or slower depending on salt and, well, sometimes I have no idea why.

I taste test after a few days and then decide how often I need to keep tasting. The kids really enjoy that part, we check each morning after breakfast.

[RGHS150]

I had to check, in nourishing traditions it says "Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but improves with age."

Hmmm, I wonder why it says to ferment for three days if it really takes much longer? Maybe since her recipe uses whey?

Oh well. I'll cue the Guns n Roses music and keep tasting the cabbage

[Magelet]

cause a lot of her fermentation recipes are crap? seriously, a lot of her recipes are great, but a lot leave you going " there's no way that will work."

Learn from mama's here, use wild fermentation the book or website, etc.