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  • "Kraut" Kit, from Farmsteady

    NOTE - Scroll down for full pictorial, with pictures!

    I just placed an order for one of these today.

    http://farmsteady.com/shop/kraut-kit



    This is marketed as a sauerkraut kit, but good for any lacto-fermenting project. I've made home-made sauerkraut before, on a smaller scale, using an old recipe and method that we found in my wife's grandmother's recipe files after she passed away. The method works, but is probably not the "best" way to do it where food safety is concerned.

    I'm looking forward to receiving and experimenting with this kit, which is totally re-usable and should last many years. One of the first projects on my list is pickles, and I am guessing that there well be a few more. I might even dip my toe into the pool that is kimchee!
    Last edited by TasunkaWitko; 05-03-2017, 08:33 PM.
    Fundamentals matter.



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  • #2
    Cool... I love me some kraut... It'll be interesting to hear how things turn oot.

    Now I know what to get Craig for Christmas...
    .

    Not to mention the occasional campfire

    My --->
    Paul

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    • #3
      isn't sauerkraut just cabbage and salt ?

      Erain makes a lot, pretty sure that's all he uses.

      So have you just bought a box of salt ?

      Ah okay, a jar with airlock as well
      Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
      Just call me 'One Grind'



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      • #4
        Hi, Alex -

        Yep - in the end, sauerkraut really is just cabbage and salt. This kit, like all of the kits from Farmsteady that I've bought, can be duplicated by buying separate components, improvising or scrounging around. They are a bit over-priced, but I happily pay for them in order to achieve all the equipment in one, convenient spot...along with a very big shot of inspiration in order to actually get started, rather than just thinking about it or planning to try it. The salt that comes with it is not really part of the equation, as far as my purpose is concerned.

        As for "Grandma's recipe," mentioned above, it is simply what one would probably do with a crock, only on a much smaller scale. Shredded cabbage, layered with a bit of salt, packed tightly into mason jars and loosely covered with the mason jar lid until fermentation gets going. Skim off any "stuff," and somewhere in the timing of things, process the finished sauerkraut (or enjoy it fresh). I've got exact measurements etc. somewhere - if interested, I'll dig it up - but that's the basic idea and method....no special or secret recipe in its own.
        Fundamentals matter.



        Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
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        • #5
          Lightning-fast shipping; four hours after I ordered it, it is on its way! :)
          Fundamentals matter.



          Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
          Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen

          Foods of the World Forums - From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, it's all good

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          • #6
            Try it with caraway seeds if you like Bavarian style. I add raw garlic also.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by barleypop View Post
              Try it with caraway seeds if you like Bavarian style. I add raw garlic also.
              Interested about the caraway seeds BP. When do they go in and how much? I guess it is to taste but if doing in a 10 gallon crock, what, just sprinkle some in with the salt?
              Ed

              Smoke Vault 24
              Vermont Castings Gas Grill
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              The Neighbor's 36" Blackstone

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              • #8
                Here's some old time kraut made in a crock and canned.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Smooth E Smoke View Post
                  Interested about the caraway seeds BP. When do they go in and how much? I guess it is to taste but if doing in a 10 gallon crock, what, just sprinkle some in with the salt?
                  I'm pretty bad about directions, my bad. I add 1/4 teaspoon per head from the start. Garlic I add one sliced clove per head. The caraway seeds I add last so they stay on top, my thinking is that the flavors will meld throughout the pot.

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                  • #10
                    Well - it arrived yesterday, but the post office was home when I got back to town after work. I was, however, able to pick it up this morning.

                    I haven't been able to open it yet, but will do so this evening. I bought some cabbage, so I see no reason not to get started!
                    Fundamentals matter.



                    Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
                    Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen

                    Foods of the World Forums - From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, it's all good

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                    • #11
                      Making Sauerkraut with FarmSteady's "Kraut Kit"

                      I have had an interest in gardening as long as I can remember, even though I’m not very good at it. Some of my earliest memories involve my grandfather in North Dakota working on his garden, and of our family enjoying the fresh tomatoes and other produce that was grown in it. My parents, especially my dad, also did a lot of gardening when I was a child, and my dad still does. My thumb isn’t quite as green, but I keep trying to grow a garden each year, and I’ve tried to teach the importance of gardening to my own children; I have had some success in this with at least two of them. The tradition of working with the land runs quite deeply in my family, back through Montana, North Dakota, Ukraine, Germany and Alsace. It produces some of the best, most wholesome food that a person could ask for on this earth, and it is virtually free! All one has to do is invest a little time and effort.

                      Hand-in-hand with gardening is food preservation, part of the ancient ritual of “putting food up” for lean times, be they winter, famine or some other adverse condition. When gardening, there is an added factor of surplus food to be dealt with; there is often more fresh, perishable food grown than one can eat in the limited time that it is available before it spoils. There are many ways to go about this, and virtually any food can be preserved - even milk, in the form of cheese and other products. With modern (and not-so-modern) innovations, food preservation methods include freezing, canning and other practices; however, before those technologies were developed, people engaged in other food-preservation methods such as dehydrating, curing….

                      ...and fermentation - in this case, lacto-fermentation.

                      It is not my intention or desire to give a Chemistry lesson on the process of lacto-fermentation, but here is a brief summary as it relates to food preservation:

                      From http://www.culturesforhealth.com:

                      Fermentation is as old as life itself. At some point, humans learned to guide the process to repeat especially tasty results. These processes have been handed down and passed around, creating beloved foods and national dishes. The most familiar fermented foods are made using lacto-fermentation.

                      Most people think about beer or wine when they hear the term fermentation. While certain yeasts are used to convert the sugars in grape juice or grains into alcohol, it is bacteria that are responsible for lacto-fermentation. The “lacto” portion of the term refers to a specific species of bacteria, namely Lactobacillus. Various strains of these bacteria are present on the surface of all plants, especially those growing close to the ground, and are also common to the gastrointestinal tracts...of humans and other animal species.

                      Lactobacillus bacteria have the ability to convert sugars into lactic acid. The Lactobacillus strain is so named because it was first studied in milk ferments. These bacteria readily use lactose or other sugars and convert them quickly and easily to lactic acid. However, lacto-fermentation does not necessarily need to involve dairy products.

                      Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria…. Beyond preservation advantages, lacto-fermentation also increases or preserves the vitamin and enzyme levels, as well as digestibility, of the fermented food. In addition, lactobacillus organisms are heavily researched for substances that may contribute to good health.

                      http://www.culturesforhealth.com/lea...o-fermentation
                      The website referenced above appears to be a great resource for learning more about lacto-fermentation; I know that I certainly plan on spending more time browsing around there. For further, more in-depth reading, it would be worth your time to follow the links above; additionally, if anyone has other links to post on the subject, they are encouraged to so do.

                      Even though lacto-fermentation is a preservation method that is practiced around the world, for whatever reason - rightly or wrongly - I have always associated it in my mind with Germany and Eastern Europe; in particular, I have associated it with pickling cucumbers, peppers...and cabbage. As we all know, lacto-fermented cabbage is (drumroll, please) sauerkraut, a very good and healthy food that is a time-honoured staple in the regions I’ve mentioned, as well as many others.

                      A few years ago, I tried making some home-made sauerkraut, using a method outlined in an old newspaper clipping that we found in the recipe files of the Slovak grandmother of The Beautiful Mrs. Tas. Here is the forum post relating to that find, if anyone is interested:

                      http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards....topic1349.html

                      Both my #2 son, Mike, and I have used this method to make decent sauerkraut; I have no complaints about it, but in the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered if it was the “best” way to go about it, especially where food safety is concerned.

                      Not long after, Rod Franklin did an outstanding pictorial on the concept, complete with a lot of really good information:

                      http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards....topic1350.html

                      I’d highly recommend reading his thread; not only is it packed with a plethora of knowledge, it is also very good, interesting reading!

                      Anyway, last year, I discovered a line of do-it-yourself food kits from FarmSteady:

                      http://farmsteady.com

                      FarmSteady was founded by Erica and Stephen of Brooklyn Brew Shop:

                      www.brooklynbrewshop.com

                      I was already very familiar with their brewing products, as well as their contagious enthusiasm for these kinds of “DIY” food projects. At the time, these kits included pretzels, bagels and various fresh cheeses, so I scooped up one of each and have been working my way through them.

                      Then, just recently, they released three new kits; among them was a kit for making home-made sauerkraut, as well as other lacto-fermented foods:

                      http://farmsteady.com/shop/kraut-kit



                      Here is the “blurb,” from the FarmSteady page:

                      Discover the joys of fermenting your own food with a batch of kraut. It's easy to make and packed with nourishing probiotics. Along with the included equipment all that's needed is a fresh head of cabbage. The equipment is all reusable so you can keep experimenting with different krauts, kimchis, and lacto-fermented pickles!
                      The kit comes with everything you need, except the cabbage itself:

                      1/2 Gallon Glass Fermenting Jar
                      Glass Fermentation Weight
                      Lid with Airlock
                      Glass Writing Pencil
                      Kosher Salt
                      Caraway Seeds

                      If you add up the components of the kit, it might be a little over-priced, but as I’ve said before on other threads, I don’t care. I am very happy to support this endeavour; to me, the education, experience, convenience and the inspirational “get-it-done” enthusiasm that come with the kit are worth it. On top of that, the folks at FarmSteady (and Brooklyn Brew Shop) are very accessible, and always ready to answer questions or provide feedback regarding ongoing projects. They take a genuine interest in the progress that their customers have, and I cannot count the number of times that they have truly been excited and happy to see someone’s efforts come to fruition. To me, things like this are worth paying a little more, and I will continue to support them for it.

                      With all of this in mind, I wasted no time ordering a “Kraut Kit,” as they call it, and eagerly awaited its arrival; my enthusiasm was pretty high, and I found myself actually tracking the progress of the shipping, which is something I normally don’t do. On the expected delivery date, I went to the local grocery and bought the biggest head of cabbage that they had at the time, which was about 2.35 pounds, or just a bit over a kilogram. Unfortunately, the post office was closed by the time we got home, so I had to wait until the next day to pick it up.

                      That same evening, 2 May 2017, I began the process of making my sauerkraut, using this kit, which I think is pretty cool. Before getting started, I read (and then re-read) the instructions, which can be found here:

                      http://farmsteady.com/instructions-how-to-make-kraut

                      The following photos and commentary will summarize and dovetail with those instructions.

                      Here is a list of all the equipment that you will need, including the components of the kit:

                      Large Mixing Bowl
                      Fermentation Jar
                      Fermentation Weight
                      Lid
                      Airlock



                      The only other equipment that you might want are a wooden spoon to stir the cabbage with and something to tamp the sauerkraut down with as you pack it into the jar; however, these are not totally necessary, and there can be much satisfaction found in doing this work with your (clean) hands. If you are like me, you will also need measuring spoons and a liquid measuring cup; I am not good at “eye-balling” things, and I generally like to have a measurement to use as a reference point, even if I don’t follow it.

                      Oh, yes - you will also need a good, sharp knife, for slicing the cabbage. If you have a mechanical slicer or a mandoline that can slice cabbage, so much the better; but there is something very satisfying and “old school” about slicing it by hand.



                      Moving along, here’s the short list of ingredients for making some good, old-tyme sauerkraut with this kit:

                      1 Medium Head of Cabbage
                      1.5 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
                      1 Tablespoon Caraway Seeds

                      For this first attempt, I omitted the caraway seeds; but in the future, I plan to use them. There are, of course, many, many other ingredients that can be added just for sauerkraut alone, not to mention other fermenting projects. It seems to me that - with few exceptions - one could let his or her imagination go wild when it comes to this. One goal for the future is to add some chopped hot chiles.

                      Let’s get started, shall we?

                      First, I removed and discarded any damaged or wilted outer leaves; with this particular head of cabbage, this wasn’t really a problem. I also took care to reserve one large leaf, which will be used later.



                      Next, I quartered the cabbage and cut out the core from each quarter:



                      I then cut the quarters of cabbage into thin ribbons:



                      It’s amazing how much results from a seemingly small head of cabbage!



                      Here we are, all sliced and ready to proceed:



                      Now comes the fun part!

                      Add your salt to the shredded cabbage; there is probably an “exact” ratio by weight, but for those of us who are less precise, it seems to be about half a tablespoon per pound of the original head of cabbage.



                      Next, you need to mix the salt and the cabbage; this can be done with your hands or by tossing it around with a wooden spoon. The idea is to “massage” the salt into the cabbage, so that it (the cabbage) softens and releases its liquids, which will be instrumental in the fermentation process. With this in mind, don’t be afraid to show both the cabbage and the salt who the boss is, in this regard. The next time I do this, I plan on not being quite so gentle as I was this time; indeed, this sauerkraut-making thing might be rather therapeutic, I think, but it’s all good.

                      This process will probably take about 8 to 10 minutes; you will know when you are finished because the “cabbage juice” will start to pool in the bowl, and the cabbage shreds will drip when you squeeze them. The cabbage will have also wilted quite a bit:



                      If you are using caraway seeds, now would be the time to add them to the mix and combine them; FarmSteady suggests 1 tablespoon per batch of sauerkraut; if I ever use them, I’ll probably cut that amount in half, at least the first time.

                      Moving along, pack your cabbage into the fermentation jar; once again, there’s no need to be gentle when doing this.You want to pack the cabbage tightly, pressing it down and squeezing more liquid out. This can be done by hand, or with any utensil that will help tamp the cabbage down. I used this wooden pestle from a cone-shaped strainer/juicer commonly used for making jelly:



                      Once all of the cabbage is packed into the fermentation jar, be sure to add any liquid left in the bottom of the bowl before proceeding to the next step.



                      Speaking of the next step, this is a part that I personally found to be really cool; it seemed to me to reach pretty far back into the art of sauerkraut making, and as simple as it was, I really enjoyed it.

                      Remember that large cabbage leaf that we reserved, way back when we began this project? What you need to do is to trim that leaf into a circle, using the the base of jar or the lid as a guide. If it’s a little larger, that’s okay, too.



                      Next, place your cabbage leaf circle on top of the packed cabbage; here, you can see that I used a bit of the trimmings to cover a spot where the cabbage leaf had split:



                      By the time you have completed this step, you want to make sure that the packed cabbage is completely submerged in the liquid that has been released from the cabbage. If there is not enough liquid, you can make a brine consisting of 1 teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 cup of water, and add as much as necessary to cover the cabbage. Because I was probably too gentle with my cabbage, I did end up adding some brine; that won’t be the case next time, but it all works well, either way.

                      Next, add the fermentation weight that comes with the kit:



                      This holds everything down and keeps the cabbage submerged; it ensures an anaerobic environment so that the “good bacteria” can work without any harassment from the “bad bacteria.”

                      Finally, screw the lid onto the fermentation jar, fill your airlock up to the line with water and insert it into the lid:



                      If you want to, you can use the glass writing pencil (my dad would call these “grease pencils”) to mark the date that you began the sauerkraut.

                      That’s pretty much all there is to it! All you need to do now is to put the jar someplace out of direct sunlight, where it can ferment for 7 days. This time might need to be extended, if the temperatures are a bit low; I will do some research and see if I can find some good visual indicators that show the progress of the sauerkraut.

                      Once your sauerkraut is fully fermented, it can be enjoyed fresh; any surplus sauerkraut can be packed into jars and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, according to FarmSteady. Alternately, you can also process the finished sauerkraut in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, or in a pressure canner according to the manufacturer’s instructions; you will lose some of the fresh crunchiness, but the flavour will all be there.

                      I hope you enjoyed reading about this project as much as I enjoyed doing it; I also hope that you learned a few things and are inspired to give this a try, with or without the kit. I will continue to post my progress as this project continues, and will note any significant happenings. My guess is that this sauerkraut project will only be the beginning of some great things; I am already looking forward to lacto-fermented dill pickles, peppers and possibly even some Korean Kimchee. If anyone has any questions, comments or other feedback, please feel free to post them here, and I will be sure to reply.

                      Enjoy!

                      Ron
                      Fundamentals matter.



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                      Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen

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                      • #12
                        Very nice write up Ron. I look forward to hearing your results
                        Mike
                        Life In Pit Row

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by PitRow View Post
                          Very nice write up Ron. I look forward to hearing your results
                          X2 you going to make some homemade bratwurst for that kraut to go on top of?

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                          • #14
                            X3 Nice write up. Looking forward to seeing the final product. Love me some homemade kraut. So much better than that other stuff. I grew up on homemade and have trouble eating anything but.
                            Ed

                            Smoke Vault 24
                            Vermont Castings Gas Grill
                            Thermoworks Smoke
                            The "Fastest" Orange Thermapen around!
                            The Neighbor's 36" Blackstone

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                            • #15
                              Hi, guys, and thanks for the feedback. I am finding this to be a really cool endeavor, and am looking forward to seeing where it leads me.

                              I took a look in on it this morning, and there seems to be a little activity; but then again, maybe not yet. I know that it takes some time to get going, but when it goes, it goes.

                              Bratwurst with this (or maybe some Hunky Kolbasz) would be really good!
                              Fundamentals matter.



                              Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
                              Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen

                              Foods of the World Forums - From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, it's all good

                              BaitShopBoyz.com - Shoot the bull with the boyZ

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