Well, so I got my very first batch of homemade Sauerkraut.
It was a week of being both impatient—I almost could not wait to try it—and afraid that something could turn out wrong. I checked it after three days, I think. I did not see anything strange. I just needed to add some brine to keep the Kraut submerged.
By the fifth day, I saw a thin film of kahm yeast forming on the brine's surface: nothing of concern. I skimmed it with the blade of a knife and discarded it. Then, I took a sample to taste. It was okay, but I thought it needed a little more time. The following day, the kahm layer was thicker. As before, I removed it, washed the plate and weight, and covered everything again. By the day I decided that the Sauerkraut was ready, the kahm was big and beautiful. Yes, I know you may be wondering why I would say something like that. It might be that kahm yeast is not harmful, and the only thing you need to do is remove it and discard any Kraut that is not as good as it should be. But it is also that it seems beautiful to me, so I posted about it. Yes, I digress. Let us get back on track.
The time came on the seventh day. First, I patiently removed the water sitting on the top of the plate using every resource I imagined. I needed to get rid of that water to prevent the remaining yeast from falling in the Kraut. I took the plate away and then took the cabbage-cover off to reveal the beautifully pale greenish-yellow final product (with some greener bits). I filled a couple of half-liter jars and left the remainder in the pot. I plan to add more fresh cabbage to have a constant supply.
Here are some photos I took the day I transferred the Sauerkraut to the jars.
Skimming off the kahm yeast.
I removed all the yeast I could before removing the liquid.
Unveiling the Kraut.
Two jars ready to go in the fridge.
There's nothing like making your own sauerkraut. I invite you to try it, it's really worth it!
I took the pictures with my Redmi Note 8 and edited them with Snapseed.
Beautiful. So checking it every few days and removing this yeast layer is important? And I'm not quite sure what you meant by the water on top of the plate at the end of the process. But it seems like an achievable feat, and I hope I can try it someday soon. :)
Hi there!
Checking it every few days is advised, especially if –as in my case– you don't have airtight containers. Removing the yeast layer is recommended because it affects the flavor. However, some authors let it in peace until the Kraut is done. I was not going to risk my first batch, so I removed it every time.
That water on the plate stuff is confusing, yes. I used a plate to cover the cabbage, and then put a weight on it. Because the cabbage must be submerged, it is normal that the brine (what I called water; maybe I should correct it) covers the plate.
It is achievable, yes!
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STOPLooks really delicious, cool idea to make sauerkraut yourself :)
It's delicious. The caraway seeds were meant for it, hehe.
If you can try making it, I'm sure you won't regret it.
I wrote something weird about caraway. I meant that it seems that its existence is justified by the beautiful flavor it gives to Sauerkraut. And to wholegrain breads.