14
My brother said to just ignore the bubbles in my first batch of sauerkraut
He told me, 'If it's not fuzzy, it's fine, stop opening the jar.' So I left my first try at red cabbage kraut alone for a full two weeks in my pantry. When I finally checked, the whole thing smelled like old gym socks and the top layer was a weird, slimy texture. I had to dump the whole jar, which was a real bummer after all that chopping and packing. I learned the hard way that you do need to burp it or use an airlock, and pushing the cabbage down every couple days is key. Now I use a simple glass weight and a fermentation lid, and my last batch came out perfect and crunchy. Has anyone else had a batch go wrong from not checking on it enough?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
murphy.abby2mo ago
My cousin gave me similar advice with pickles once, told me to just let them sit in a dark closet. Ended up with a jar of mushy, boozy cucumbers that smelled off. Sometimes the hands-off method really backfires. I'm way more careful about checking for pressure now, even if it means opening the lid. It's a bummer to waste all that good produce. Your new setup with the weight sounds like the way to go for sure.
8