| SAUERKRAUT 20 pounds shredded cabbage ½ pound pickling salt Wash, quarter, core and shred sound, hard, fully matured green cabbage. Weigh cabbage and measure into a super large mixing bowl or stainless steel kettle. Thoroughly mix ½ pound pickling salt (that which does not contain iodine) per 20 pounds of shredded cabbage. Allow cabbage to set for 10 minutes to wilt as the salt dissolves. It will begin to make it’s own brine. Pack salted cabbage tightly into clean, one-quart canning jars to within one inch from the top of the jar and finish filling with brine juices to within ½ inch from the top. If there isn’t enough brine to go around, make brine by adding two tablespoons pickling salt to one quart of water. All of the cabbage must be completely submerged in brine to keep it from spoiling or turning dark. Screw lids on jars and set on a thick pad of newspapers in a cool place to cure. This process takes 3-4 weeks. When properly cured, sauerkraut is slightly yellow and free of all white spots. When there are no white spots left on the shredded cabbage, unscrew lids and wash bottle lids and sides of jars where juice may have worked out during the curing process. Replace washed lids on jars taking care there are no chips in the glass or food particles that remain on the lids or mouth of the glass jars that might interfere with the rubber seal. Add just enough brine to fill jars to within ½ inch from the top. Tighten lids and then place quarts in a large kettle specifically designed for canning. Fill kettle with cold water up to the neck of the bottles. Turn the burner on high and bring the water in the kettle to a boil. Continue to boil for 30 minutes. Do not cheat and take the kettle off early - always keep the kettle timed and boiling the full 30 minutes. Once the timing process is complete, remove jars from the kettle and set in a dry area away from cool drafts. The jars should be cooled at room temperature. Once the bottles have cooled, tap the top of the lid to make sure all the seals are tight. If any of the caps cave in but pop up again the bottle is not sealed and you must repeat the canning process with that particular bottle or store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. Date the top of the lids with a permanent marker before you store. This makes it easier to keep your canned goods rotated and fresh. |
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