DIY Turmeric Jalapeño Sauerkraut Recipe - Wicked Spatula (2024)

FAQs

What to do if sauerkraut doesn't have enough brine? ›

If you did not get enough juice from salting and pounding your cabbage, you can moisten it a little with a brine, using a 1/2 tablespoon unrefined sea salt with 1 cup of filtered water. Or if you have a little brine left over from a batch of kraut or vegetables use that.

Sauerkraut in a jar: keep your cabbage below the brine

Alternatively, tear one of the outer cabbage leaves to size and press down until the sauerkraut is submerged in its own brine. Then weigh down with a clean jar (filled with water or clean rocks if more weight is required).

If the juice does not cover the cabbage or pickles, add boiled and cooled brine prepared with 1½ tablespoons of salt in a quart of water. Cover the cabbage or pickles with a plate just small enough to fit inside the fermentation container and weigh it down with two or three clean quart jars filled with water.

Mold or Discolouration

Looking at sauerkraut can tell you if it's safe to eat. If you see the mold that's blue, green, or black, or if the colour is odd, throw the sauerkraut away.

Through the salt, the vegetable's liquids, good bacteria in the air and time, sauerkraut is rich in beneficial bacteria. As the sauerkraut created good bacteria and gases, the jar needs to be “burped” every so often. This simply means opening up the lid and allowing some of those gases to escape.

Firstly, when making your sauerkraut, you'll want to use an airtight, sealable container, such as a mason jar, to store your final product. You don't want to allow unwanted bacteria into your mixture (you just want the good bacteria!).

If you prefer sauerkraut with a nice crunch, it can be heartbreaking to open up your jar to find mush. Soft sauerkraut results when bacteria that normally do not initiate growth until the later stages of sauerkraut production actually grow earlier usually due to too high of fermentation temperatures or not enough salt.

If your cabbage isn't submerged in about 1cm depth of liquid after 24 hours, add some extra brine. Dissolve 1 tsp salt, (always use pure sea salt), into 250ml water and add, or multiply and add enough to cover the cabbage.

The time you let your sauerkraut ferment is really up to you. I like to let mine go for 2 weeks, but you might prefer the taste at 1 week or even 4 weeks! Keep an eye on your sauerkraut throughout the fermenting process. If the liquid gets too low, top it off with a 2% solution of salt water.

Mold forms when the cabbage isn't fully submerged under brine or if it's too warm in your kitchen. What you can do here is scoop off the mold and proceed with fermentation. That said, it's important to use your best judgment when fermenting food.

What happens if you don't put enough salt in sauerkraut? ›

Using too little salt not only softens the cabbage but also yields a product lacking in flavor.