Cafeoutdoors.com: pickles

OK. I've been making kraut out of regular green cabbage for years, but the last few batches I've made, I've followed this Ruby Kraut recipe. I think now that red cabbage has a little better flavor, and besides, it makes the kraut purty. This will make a long post, but here's how I do it, and it's real good.
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RUBY KRAUT
Makes 4 quarts

Ingredients:

ADJUST THE AMOUNTS OF CARROTS AND SALT IN PROPORTION TO THE WEIGHT OF CABBAGE YOU ACTUALLY USE.

For the vegetables:
4 pounds red cabbage
1 pound carrots
3 tablespoons pickling or sea salt (non-iodized), or 4 tablespoons Kosher salt (grain size is bigger).

For the spices:
1 bay leaf in each wide-mouth quart canning jar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns in each jar

Optional: Many other herbs, spices, seasonings, and even vegetables can be added for different flavors. Caraway seeds, rosemary, dill, onion, garlic, beets, etc.

Method:

Shred or grate the cabbage and carrots using a food processor or hand grater. Put the shredded vegetables in a large bowl and add the salt. Mix the salt in and let things sit for a half hour. At the end of that time, mash and bruise the vegetables to work the salt in – veggies should start to go limp, the volume should be reduced, and some juice should be produced.

Put a bay leaf in the bottom of each wide-mouth quart canning jar, and fill the jars with the vegetable mix. Sprinkle the teaspoon of peppercorns throughout as each jar is filled and pack the veggies down with a spoon while filling the jars. Stop filling the jars at least 1” from the top. Sanitize a standard-size canning jar lid and lay it on top of the kraut. Put a weight on top of that to keep the kraut pressed down under the brine (a washed flat rock about 1” thick, inside a clean plastic bag works).

Put lids and bands, loosely, on the jars in a room-temperature area away from strong light and loosen the bands every couple of days to release gas. Make sure the kraut is pressed down under the brine and isn’t in contact with air. If mold grows on top, scrape it off. After a week or so, start tasting the brine for sourness – the kraut gets more sour the longer it ferments. When it’s the way you want it (usually at about 12 days), put the jars in the refrigerator to all but stop fermentation and start using out of them.

You can either cook the sauerkraut or eat it uncooked. If left uncooked, beneficial lactobacillus bacteria will stay alive, but the sauerkraut will still be rich in Vitamin C even if it’s cooked.

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