Having trouble with my sauerkraut

[AutumnMelody]

I guess I should have done this earlier in the year! I have a batch of sauerkraut in going, but I having serious problems. It's now chilly here and we have the fire going pretty much 24-7. It's so dry in here that all of my brine keeps evaporating! Any thoughts?!? I wonder what would happen if I basically watered it every day?

[Jojo F.]

You would have to add more bring solution in stead of plain water. If you keep adding plain water you will dilute the brine and your kraut will rot.

This may seem a bit watesful but, could you boil a big pot of water or keep a humidifier in the kitchen/pantry to add moisture?

[velcromom]

We always had a kettle of water on the woodstove to humidify the air, I bet that would help.

[AutumnMelody]

We do have a steamer on the wood stove, but it's still very dry in here. We have to run it very high to heat the whole house and it just seems to suck the moisture out of everything everywhere.

Hmm...I would think that it would get terribly salty if I keep adding brine...

[ChristieB]

First off, I think you're right about the water. I don't think I would add brine in this situation. I do always add brine if it needs to be topped off because it didn't make enough juices, or if it bubbles over, but this is different. In this case you lost water, but not salt.

Secondly, I would cover the kraut more tightly so that it loses less water. If it's in a jar, put the lid on. If it's in a crock, cover it with a big plate or something. I live in the SW, and I would never leave a ferment open, for this reason.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.