PRESERVING a year’s worth of SAUERKRAUT (Don’t can it!)

I did a big batch of sauerkraut in 1/2 gallon jars. By the time I got to eat the last jar it was five years old. Never went bad as long as it’s under the brine.

My German grandfather made about twenty 10-20 gallon crocks of kraut every year, from cabbage he grew. The smell of their house in the fall was just a bit sharp from all the crocks in their basement. The bulk of it was sold to the fraternal organizations , and my grandfather belonged to nearly every one you can name: Odd Fellows, Eagles, Elks, VFW, American Legion, Knights of Columbus. All these had New Years Eve parties, for which sauer kraut was a must. For them, it was raw. But by far, the most flavorful sweet stuff was what he canned. Unbelievably mellow and sweet. We kids would raid the root cellar and devour the quart jars as fast as we could, before being caught. The raw stuff may be more nutritious, but does not come close in flavor to that preserved by the water bath process. I never had to eat the crap store bought stuff till after he died in 1985, and after a ten year time of refusing to eat it from the grocery store, I learned how to make it from an old German woman. Mine is every bit as good as my grandfathers was - it’s not hard to make at all. I make a 15 gallon crock most years, and we can every bit of it. But I buy my cabbage, and have retired my grandfathers two wooden-framed kraut cutters that I inherited in favor of an all stainless steel one. It will outlast me, I think.

My wife and I filled a 12 gallon crock this past weekend. We used my family's old antique wood kraut cutter. We do it old school, it never fails.

This is a great tutorial!! Very clear, concise and to the point. I have been making kraut for a long time in half gallon jars like you do and I actually learned a new thing here. For some reason I never knew to save the juice that leaks out of the jars!! And, I never knew that you should top off jars with low brine levels with lemon juice/water rather than salt brine. Thank you so very much for this!!!

I like to add a sweet onion and a few cloves of Garlic when I make my krout. I ferment in a 5 Gallon beer fermenter. (I no longer drink) and haven’t ever had an issue. Sanitize everything and always use a quality air lock. No chance anything can go wrong even if the temp changes.

I'm tired of eating store bought sauerkraut where pasturising kills all the probiotics ! Thank you for your demonstration ! Well done !4 lbs is a perfect place to start !

One thing I learned was to keep in mind that the chlorine in tap water can kill a ferment, so use either non-clorinated water or boil the tap water and let it cool to remove it. That goes for water used to top off the jars, too

I don’t care for sauerkraut (my husband LOVES it though), but I find this FASCINATING!!! I wasn’t going to grow cabbage this year, but I am now!

I snagged a 4 lb cabbage at the farmers market today - perfect for a half gallon!! 😁 thanks for the excellent step by step!

I like adding yellow mustard seeds, juniper berries, garlic cloves, bay leaves and a wee bit of thyme…a real hit!

I started fermenting last year and have been learning on the fly. I SOOOO appreciate the half lemon juice/ half water tip!! I am now a new subbie!

This was fantastic showing all the steps. I'm such a visual person. Thank you so much!!!

I have been fermenting cabbage for years now… love it! Cabbage has more vitamin C than oranges! My dog loves “kraut making day” … one of her favorite snacks is crispy cabbage! 🐾

My childhood. Grandmother made kraut in a crock out in the shed. It had a wooden top that she placed a big rock on the lid. I asked my father why she place a rock on the lid. He told me it was to hold the gas in the cabage until it fermented, other wise the stuff wouldnt be any fun to eat

First time making kraut. Day 4 and looking perfect. Thank you Great lesson.

So simple yet so good for us.

You answered so many of my questions on longterm storage of kraut! Thank you!!!

I appreciate all the extra tips. Very Thorough ❤️

Great job explaining the process.

Thank you. I’m planning to make my first batch of kraut. Your information was excellent.