successful saurkraut!

I had to find something to do with the 10 heads of cabbage in my extra frig. I have never been a big fan of saurkraut but I also have never had any that wasn't store bought.  I somewhat skeptically salted some shredded cabbage and let it ferment at room temperature. I knew it was done but it took me a week to work up the courage try it. (something about eating food that has been left on the counter for four weeks......hard to shake old ideas) well it goes the same route as canteloupe and tomatoes for me. store bought = inedible..... homemade/grown = wonderful! I wanted to hurry and make some more with a portion of the rest of the cabbage before it gets too old and because of refrigerated storage space limitations I canned the first batch and than packed the "crock" full with the next! I would encourage any one, even those who think they don't like saurkraut to try giving the homemade stuff a go. I'm rather proud of my first cabbage fermentation project! although it was super easy there isn't much to be proud of..... maybe I'm proud of the fact that I talked myself into trying it

That looks good! Ok, give some specifics. Is it just cabbage & salt? Do you add water or vinegar?

It was so easy. shred cabbage. mix in 3 Tb pure salt for every 5lbs cabbage. (from what I  have read it doesn't have to be exact) layer in a crock of some sort and tamp each layer a bit to squish it some. After 24 hrs if the cabbage hasn't released enough liquid to cover the shreds add a brine of 1 1/2tsp salt to 1 cup water. place a lid and weight on top to hold the cabbage under the brine. Many recomend a large plastic bag full of water so that it covers every nook and cranny of the top. I have an aversion to buying diposable things (pay for trash??? so I used an old canning jar filled with water on top of a  lid that was very close to the same circumfrence of the crock. Ferment at a temp between 68-72 degrees until cabbage is golden and has a tart taste, any where from 2 weeks to 8 depending on the temperature it is fermented at. Store around 40 degrees or can in a boiling water bath.