Nanas Sauerkraut
Ingredients
25 pounds of cabbage. | 3/4 cup of Kerr Pickling Salt.
Preparation Time: 3 to 6 Weeks depending on the tempature.
Directions
Work with approximately five pounds of cabbage at a time. Discard outer leaves. Wash heads of cabbage and drain.
Cut heads in quarters and remove cores. Shred or slice thinly. Put cabbage in a clean, uncracked, stoneware crock. (A glass or food grade plastic container may be substituted.) Add three tablespoons of pickling salt. Mix thoroughly, using clean hands. Pack firmly until the salt draws juice from the cabbage. Repeat shredding, salting, and packing, until all the cabbage is in the container. If the juice does not completely cover the cabbage, the add boiled and cooled brine. (1 1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water).
Set a clean dinner plate or glass pie plate which is slightly smaller than the container on top of the cabbage. To keep the plate submerged you can weight it with two or three sealed canning jars filled with water.
Cover the top of the container with a clean towel. Store where the temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees for three to four weeks while fermenting. Temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees will require five to six weeks for fermentation. In either case you need to remove the scum daily.
Note: At a temperature above 75 degrees during fermentation, cabbage will become soft and may spoil. Fermentation is complete when bubbling stops.
Transfer the sauerkraut and juice to a very large saucepan, then over medium-low heat bring the sauerkraut and juice to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and immediately pack hot sauerkraut and juice into hot jars, leaving one half inch headspace.
Carefully run a non-metallic utensil down inside the jars to remove trapped air bubbles. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place hot lids on jars and screw bands on firmly. Process quarts for 15 minutes and pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Yield: 9 quarts 18 pints.
Hints and tricks:
A 10 gallon crock holds 80 lbs of cabbage and 2lbs of salt.
Food-grade plastic means food storage containers. Do not use garbage bags.