Making sauerkraut is easy. It’s quite possibly the simplest fermented food to make. While browsing a local market in Kent called Carpinito Brother’s Inc., I found these enormous, heavy cabbages for 19 cents a lb. I bought two at 10-12 lbs a piece and I also picked up two Brussels sprouts stalks.

The one on the right was around 12 lbs. I cut it into sixths so I could actually work with it. I went to work, corsely slicing the cabbage into thin strips. It went pretty quickly, and there was a lot of water in the cabbage, which is a good thing. The raw cabbage was also sweet, so I hove a feeling this batch of kraut is going to rock. So, shred your cabbage and put it in something you can mix in. I had tio mix in in a big, food-grade 5 gallon plastic bucket, but usually a big mixing bowl is enough. Add 3 TBSP salt for each 5lbs. of vegetable mass and mix it up really well, incorporating the salt into the cabbage with a rubbing motion.

When all your cabbage is shredded and salted, pack it tightly into a pickling crock, enameled pot or food-grade bucket. A crock is best, as it is porus, and allows the ferment to ‘breathe’, but I’ve used all of the above with success.

Lastly, and also a very important step, is to weight and cover the sauerkraut. Tamp down the contents and weight it all down with a plate and a weight. I’ve used large boiled, scrubbed rocks as weights, but this time I used a large glass jar full of water. I covered the whole thing in cheesecloth, tied it off, and draped a clean dishcloth over everything.
Now, a bit of observation will be necessary at first. Every few hours, within the first 24 hours, press down on the weight. You are trying to get the brine that will eventually form to rise above the level of the cabbage. If the cabbage is dry, and the brine fails to rise in the first 24 hours, dissolve 1/2 a TBSP of salt in a cup of water and pour it over the cabbage - repeat until it does.
After a few days, you may notice bits of mold bloom on the top of the brine - this is normal. Just skim it off. The actual fermentation process, or the initial first stage of it, is entirely anerobic, and happens under the brine. Every few days, skim the mold, turn the cabbage over in the brine to incorporate it, re-tamp and cover. Taste it after a week, two weeks, until it reaches the saltiness and texture you desire. I have only let it ferment for two weeks in the past, but you can go four weeks or more. If it is in a cooler environment the process may take a bit longer.
I will keep everyone updated on the progress of this batch. (Oh, and let me know if you want some - I will end up with 12 lbs. of this stuff!)