I’m a bit behind on this, as the last surviving jar of sauerkraut was ready almost 2 weeks ago.

This sauerkraut is from a very basic, small batch recipe. You can check out the making of it in this step-by-step post. (link will open in a new tab)

After what happened with the other jars, I was really nervous when I checked this one after the recommended fermentation time, but everything looked just fine.

It really didn’t look like any commercial sauerkraut I am used to, and not much like what my mother used to make. For starters, it was still a lovely light green, instead of the more yellow colour I am used to. Granted, I didn’t cut the cabbage anywhere near as finely as the commercial types. My mother’s would have been something in between how I cut it, and how I see in commercial jars, too.

I taste tested it at that point, and found it still had a nice, toothsome crunch. It actually tasted quite “fresh”, if such a word can be used for something that has fermented for weeks. Not a lot of sour bite to it, and only a light taste of saltiness. I really quite enjoyed it. On a whim, I added a whole bunch of it to some leftover shredded pork I was reheating. I figured, if it works with bigos, why not with slow roasted pork?

It was absolutely delicious.

Sadly, I was not able to get a photo at the time.

After that, I put the rest of the jar in the fridge and left it until this morning, when I taste tested it again.

The extra time in the fridge did result in a very slightly more sour flavour, which I had read might happen. It was also not quite as crunchy as when I first tried it, which also makes sense, since it is still fermenting. Just at a much slower pace.

I added it to my breakfast hash and, once again, it was quite delicious.

I definitely would make this again, though I will try the more complex fermented vegetable and probiotics version first. I spoke to my friend who gave me her recipe, and she told me she gets mold at the top of hers all the time, and just removes it. She uses fermentation lids on her jars and still gets mold, which really surprised me. The lack of brine I found when I discovered the mold on mine, however, is not something she has ever experienced before. That sort of evaporation can’t happen when using fermentation lids.

So I will use what I learned from the first time I made both versions and try again with the pro-biotic one.

This one jar of basic sauerkraut, on the other hand, was definitely a success, and I will certainly be making more in the future.

The Re-Farmer