Sauerkraut Recipe

I was asked by a reader of my blog to post the recipe for the sauerkraut I made this week. It is super easy and so far mine appears to be working great. I have 4 more days for it to work it's magic, so we shall see how it turns out. Anyway, here is the recipe....I would HIGHLY recommend that you order this cookbook, however! It's by a woman named Fran Gillette that lives here locally. I have three of her cookbooks and love them all dearly! The history in them alone is amazing. The books are not expensive and well worth every penny, I promise!

I didn't make the full batch of this, just used the 6 heads of cabbage that I had purchased for this recipe. I didn't want to jump into doing 40 pounds of cabbage if it was not something that was going to work well for me. Not that I don' t trust the recipe, but there is always that factor of "user error" you know. :)

Homemade Sauerkraut

40 pounds shredded cabbage
1 pound salt

In a very large pot or bowl, layer cabbage and salt. Mix well until the cabbage is starting to sweat or make juice. Pack into sterile, clean, wide-mouthed jars. Pack the cabbage down firmly until 1/2 inch from the top of the jar. Wipe off rims and place cap and ring on. Tighten. Line a large wash tub with newspaper and set quarts in the tub. Cover with a large towel and keep tub with cabbage in a warm to mild place. Jars will bubble and stew for approximately 4-5 days. Don't panic! This is OK! Jars will start smelling like sauerkraut as they work. When fermentation stops, wash off jars, rinse seals and lids; wipe lids. If needed add some water to bring liquid up to the neck of the jar; about 1 inch from top. Replace dry lids and seals. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. Ready to eat in 4-6 weeks.

It was SO easy to make this with the help of my food processor. I actually did mine in two big bowls. From 6 heads of cabbage, I got 5 quarts of kraut. I had to guess on the salt, just put a layer of cabbage and then sprinkled on canning salt and repeated until the bowls were full. Mixed it up with tongs and once it started getting juicy I packed it into jars. EASY! I just had a mess of cabbage everywhere....do you do that? Canning seems to be the hardest thing to do neatly for me. :) I found more cabbage that I had missed cleaning up the following morning...AFTER I had cleaned (or thought I had) the mess up the day before. :) Yes, I guess I am a messy cook. :)

If you decide to try this, let me know how it turns out and if you did anything differently. I'd also love to hear if you order any of Mrs. Gillette's cookbooks, you will love them! The best cinnamon roll recipe I have ever had is in them (I believe all of them, they are that good). Best pie crust recipe too. :) They make the perfect housewarming gift or wedding gift! Anyone that loves the country and loves to cook will love them. I sound like a commercial and no I am not being asked to say this or sell these cookbooks...I just LOVE them! I also love to see local business people succeed. :) I know most of you aren't local, but I'm sure you understand. :)