My neighbor said my sauerkraut looked like a science project gone wrong

I was showing off my first batch of sauerkraut to a neighbor, and he just stared at it and said, 'Looks like a science project gone wrong. You got any weights in there?' I was using a small plate with a jar on top, which I thought was fine. He pointed out the cabbage above the brine was turning a weird color, which meant it was exposed to air. The next day, I went out and bought four glass fermentation weights for about twelve bucks total. Now I use them every single time, and my kraut comes out perfect, no weird colors or mold. It was a simple fix for a problem I didn't even know I had. Has anyone else had a basic piece of gear totally change their results?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinf512d ago

That plate and jar trick is so common, I did it for years. The real game changer for me was switching from a basic airlock to those silicone waterless ones. They don't dry out, so I can forget a ferment for a month and not come back to a cracked lid or a dried out airlock letting in bad stuff. It made my hot sauce ferments way more reliable because I wasn't constantly checking water levels.

alicehernandez2d ago

Constantly checking water levels" sounds like overkill. I just top mine off when I walk by, it takes two seconds. Seems like making a simple process way more complicated than it needs to be.

murray.drew1d ago

It's funny how many things get turned into a whole process. People love to add extra steps and call it a system. Half the time the simple way works just fine, but we get talked into thinking we need special gear or a strict routine. I see it all over, not just with hobbies like this.