Norm inspired me to try making a jar of sauerkraut....what the heck do I have to loose? I mean, especially after looking at the simple internet instructions ~ slice the cabbage, salt with sea salt, massage and allow to draw out the moisture...and, finally, put in a jar to ferment.
I used Grandma's vegetable slicer to get thin, even slices of cabbage
After an hour or so of rubbing and squeezing and generally just playing around with the salted sliced cabbage I thought it looked ready to push into a jar. One site I looked at suggested topping the sliced cabbage with some of the outer leaves to keep it all submerged. I decided to soften up the tough leaves with a soak in warm salt water. Then the leaves went on top of the sliced cabbage and brine and I topped it with a small plastic container to keep everything submerged in the jar. I rubberbanded a piece of cheesecloth to the top of the jar to allow for airflow for the 3 or 4 days it is to ferment on my countertop. I'll let you know if it gets stinky or turns into a gigantic mess ~ but it seems to be a fun experiment.
I used Grandma's vegetable slicer to get thin, even slices of cabbage
After an hour or so of rubbing and squeezing and generally just playing around with the salted sliced cabbage I thought it looked ready to push into a jar. One site I looked at suggested topping the sliced cabbage with some of the outer leaves to keep it all submerged. I decided to soften up the tough leaves with a soak in warm salt water. Then the leaves went on top of the sliced cabbage and brine and I topped it with a small plastic container to keep everything submerged in the jar. I rubberbanded a piece of cheesecloth to the top of the jar to allow for airflow for the 3 or 4 days it is to ferment on my countertop. I'll let you know if it gets stinky or turns into a gigantic mess ~ but it seems to be a fun experiment.