Sauerkraut Question

[boadhagh]

I hope someone can help me out here . . . I made some sauerkraut yesterday using 1 head of cabbage and pounding it into a quart mason jar. Most of the cabbage is below about 1" of brine with some little pieces floating around within that 1" (though no cabbage is above the brine). In NT, she says to cover your sauerkraut and leave it on the counter for 3 days, then to put into cold storage. So, here's my question: do I put a tight fitting lid on the jar for the 3 days? I did this yesterday and noticed that the top had a lot of pressure, so I loosened the lid enough to let that pressure escape. But I'm worried that this is going to let too much air in, though perhaps that doesn't matter since I've got well-established brine.

So, experienced kraut makers, please share your wisdom! Thanks!

[quietserena]

Mine is always open because I get all the extra brine escaping. I learned my lesson, I put the jar into a bowl now to prevent the brine flood in the kitchen.
I just cover loosely so that dust and stuff doesn't fall in.

[Jojo F.]

I follow Katz here.

If you close the lid tightly you will get a bunch of brine all over the place when you "burp" the jar. I very loosely put the lid on and let it sit for about week on the counter until I notice it stop bubbling. The longer the kraut sits out the more flavor it will have. If you stick in cold storage too soon it takes a long time to get the yummy tangy flavor.

As long as everything is under the brine don't worry about the air, that's why you have the brine. I will save the outer leaves of the kraut, roll them up, and place on top of the kraut to keep it submurged.

Enjoy your kraut!! Now I want sausage and kraut

[TraditionalMommy]

I totally agree with letting it ferment for a week. I tried the three day thing andI didn't like it at all. So, I thought that I must not like fermented foods. But then I followed the advice from Wild fermentation, and let it ferment until it tasted good 7 to ten days for me), it was a totally different experience. But I did his method where you put it in a traditional crock and weigh it down, so I didn't have to worry about the pressure building.

Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet

[krankedyann]

The first time I did sauerkraut, I sealed it tightly. It burst and I wound up with it all over the kitchen and ceiling.

[tanyalynn]

I cover mine with a few layers of cheesecloth and use the ring to the jar to keep that in place. And with my last batch of ferments, I _finally_ actually tried them all each day (sometimes 2x/day because it's very warm here and things change fast) to see how they tasted, and used that to decide when to stick them in the frig (some of my jars went faster than others, even the same type of veggie--odd). I like Katz's approach, the bacteria and what-not in the air is important to what bacteria I get in my veggies (no dairy for us, so no whey as inoculant) so I like the airflow. I've never sealed any ferments, so I don't know if that works just as well, and it's all really flexible.