Sauerkraut Saga - Part 4 - Controlling the Air, Salt and Water

The primary variables that a home sauerkraut maker can control are; air, salt and water.  The secondary variables are temperature and light.   Here is some information I have collected from the web.

The lacto fermentation process is anerobic; that is, you do not want oxygen in the air to have access to the cabbage. The primary barrier is simply to submerge the cabbage in a brine (salt water) solution.  This has been used for centuries. Traditionally the cabbage, salt, and water are placed in a crock.  A weighted plate or other disc is used to keep the cabbage submerged. A cloth or other barrier is used over the crock to reduce air, insect, and possibly rodent access to the fermenting sauerkraut. 

The modern home sauerkraut maker has several approaches for lower risk production of small volumes.   The first is to use a mason jar as the fermenting vessel.  One average cabbage will be enough to fill one 2 quart mason jar. This is a very nice batch size to use to experiment.  You can also use any similar container like a large empty mayonnaise jar.

The traditional cloth over the crock is a poor barrier for undesirable items entering the fermentation vessel.   If you seal the mason jar tightly you risk that the carbon dioxide from the fermentation process can develop sufficient pressure to explode the jar.  I do not personally know of anyone that has exploded a mason jar, but a friend has exploded a few wine bottles making kombucha.  Messy at best, dangerous at worst. 

My suggestion is to use an air-lock system, a wine makers bubbler, to allow carbon dioxide to vent from the fermentation vessel without allowing air to enter.  One company,  pickl-it.com , sells a complete system of this type. You can make a very similar system by purchasing the components from a local home brew or wine making supply store.

Here is a photo of the system I used.  A plastic mason jar lid from Ace Barnes Hardware in Ann Arbor. A wine bubbler and rubber stopper from Adventures in Homebrewing in Scio Twp.  All I did was drill the hole in the plastic lid. Use a wood bit with an outside spur to cut a clean hole. 

The salt you use should be pickling salt, kosher salt, or sea salt. The important thing is to avoid salt with iodine or other additives that might discolor the fermented sauerkraut. 

Finally the water.   Tap water contains chlorine or chlorine compounds to prevent bacterial growth. For home made sauerkraut we want to encourage the lacto bacteria to grow.  In most cabbage fermentation you will not need to add much water.  When you do add water it is best to use carbon filtered water, well water, or water from other sources that that does not contain chlorine or chlorine compounds. 

The best fermenting temperature is cool room temperature.  Direct sunlight should be avoided since light in the ultra violet spectrum is antibacterial.  The traditional fermenting location is a basement. 

Next: A recipe and my results

Sauerkraut Saga - Part 3 - The History and Some Theory of Lacto fermentation

The sauerkraut method of preserving vegetables has been used for centuries.  It was a method of keeping some of the fall harvest late into winter without refrigeration. In central and eastern Europe; it was sauerkraut or a similar dish by a different regional name.  In the east, the dish is kimchi, similar to sauerkraut, but usually spicier. In central America the dish is Curtido; and is usually milder and fermented for a shorter period of time.

The practice in all the regions was the same.  Members of the cabbage family are fermented using the naturally occurring bacteria.  A salt brine is used to encourage the growth of the desirable bacterial while suppressing the growth of undesirable forms.

Very little has changed in many centuries.  We now recognize that the bacteria we want are anaerobic; that as, they do live in the presence or air and the ones we do not want are aerobic.  This gives us a few better ways to protect the fermenting batch.  We have isolated the bacteria and have names for them.  Little else has changed for the home sauerkraut, kimchi, or Curtido maker.

Next - Controlling the primary variables, air, salt and water.

Sauerkraut Saga - Part 2 - The Definitions

Lacto fermented means that bacteria are used to convert the sugars in the vegetables to the organic acid, lactic acid.  Organic acids are usually sour to the taste.  This is the "sauer" of the sauerkraut.  These bacteria and the resulting acids are compatible with human digestion. This 'preserves', 'pickles', or 'cures', the cabbage or other vegetables and prevents other bacteria, yeasts, or molds that are incompatible or poisonous to us from growing.

Probiotic, means that the bacterial cultures in the food are still active when consumed.  Think of yogurt, the most common probiotic food.  The right bacteria in our intestinal tract are very beneficial to our human digestion.  If the bacteria in the food are to be active the food must be fresh and not pasteurized.

As a final point, many vegetables can also be 'pickled' by the addition of vinegar. In this case the bacteria has acted on a different host, usually apple cider or grape wine to produce acetic acid. This is added to the cabbage or other vegetables for taste.  This is usually described as quick or easy pickling.  This can be very good, but it is not the same as the traditional lacto fermenting pickling process and it is not probiotic.

I urge you to try fresh fermented sauerkraut, Asian kimchi or the Central American version, Curtido, versus the pasteurized or the 'quick pickled' versions. The fresh fermented version is different and it is the real, authentic way to make the food. Try it.

Next post: some theory and history of lacto fermentation"

Sauerkraut Saga - Part 1 - How It Started

I have been intending to do a post about my experiment with homemade sauerkraut for some time.  I knew it would be a long post so I kept procrastinating;   waiting until I had a lot of free time.  As usual, that never really happened.   So rather than one long post,  I decided to make multiple short posts that I would find time to do.  Here is the first.
A few weeks ago one of my neighbors and I were discussing food.   She commented that she was interested in probiotic food and asked if I ate sauerkraut.  I commented that did eat it occasionally.
She than asked if I knew how to make it.   I told her I had never made any, but I did not think that it was difficult.   I suggested she try Goggling it.
Well now, you may ask how a lad of Scott heritage ever came to eat spoiled cabbage.   Like many a lad gone a stray, it was a lass that lead the way.   She was a cute, beautiful, fraulein that said "love me, love my sauerkraut".   I never quite got to the point of loving the sauerkraut, but I got as far as liking Reuben sandwiches.
A few days later my neighbor reappeared at my door with two heads of organic red cabbage.   She said "Here is the cabbage, go for the sauerkraut.   I want probiotic, lacto-fermented unpasteurized sauerkraut".
The first thing I had to do was look up the definition of these terms.

Three Bean salad

This is a modification of a recipe from the “Favorite Recipes of California Winemakers”. The salad is simply equal amounts of three beans, together with onions and peppers. The veggies are marinaded in a herb flavored vinaigrette dressing. It is very simple to make and enjoy.

VEGGIES

1 qt (as purchased) fresh green beans.
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans or about 2 cups of cooked dried garbanzo beans
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans or about 2 cups of cooked dry beans
1 large red onion, quartered and sliced
red, yellow, green, poblano, jalapeno, or other peppers, to taste

Tip and cut the green beans into 1 inch segments. Steam or blanch them for about 3 minutes or to the degree of tenderness you prefer. This will yield about 2 cups of cut green beans.

Drain the red kidney beans and the garbanzo beans. Seed and dice the peppers. I like poblanos, but you should select the pepper, or combination of peppers for your preferred taste. Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.

DRESSING

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup red wine
¼ cup sugar, more if you like a sweeter dressing
¼ teaspoon dried basil or mixed herbs (use 1 tsp to 1 tbsp if the herbs are fresh)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Combine the marinade ingredients, whisk and pour over the veggies. The bean salad improves as it marinates in the refrigerator for a few days.

New Vendor at the Market

There is a new vendor at the Market selling Asian and traditional vegetables.

This is the type of vendor that the Market needs for the future. A true grower that brings a product that is a bit different. I have purchased several items from them and have been happy with all. I encourage you to visit their stall and experiment with a few different vegetables.

I will post what I have purchased and how I prepared it in future posts. Until then, just ask them. They have more experience preparing Asian veggies than I do.

New Potatoes at the Market

The new potatoes for this season have appeared at the Market. I really like these in potato salad.

Here is a link to a good recipe for potato salad and some theory behind the recipe. The only change I made was substituting new red potatoes, unpeeled, for the recommended peeled russet potatoes. I also think substituting a small amount of pickled jalapeno peppers for some of the cornichons would be interesting.