Sourkraut

I had a request for my sourkraut recipe, so here goes.

I weigh out 5 pounds of cabbage, then shred them.  If the head is decently tight, this gadget works great–otherwise, chop finely with a knife.  Then, mix in 2 1/2 ounces of non-iodized salt.  Pack this all into 5 pint jars–yes, it will fit!  Fill the jars, then pack it down with your fingers and fill the jars again, then pack it down again, and fill again–the cabbage keeps wilting down and you can pack an incredible amount in.  You want to end up with the cabbage/juice mixture all the way to the top of the jar.  I cover with a piece of plastic wrap, or a plastic bag cut open, then put the lid on.  Warning–don’t use a good ring for it if you use Mason jars–it will rust!  Put in a darkish, coolish but not cold, place for six weeks.  Be sure to have something under the jars to absorb the juices that ooze out, because they will for the first week or so.  After six weeks (mark your calendar), open a jar and taste–should be good!  As long as you don’t open the jars, they will keep on the shelf, but as soon as you open a jar it must be kept in the fridge.  The children and I like to eat this for our salads in the winter at lunchtime.  Gayle doesn’t like it, so we eat it when he isn’t home.  It’s also delicious cooked with porkchops, of course, and Gayle likes it that way with mashed potatoes.  I like to eat it raw because of all the good-for-you enzymes and bacteria.

I should mention–I end up using odd-sized jars for my kraut here, so I just measure out five pints of water and pour it into jars till I have the right combination.