Saurkraut makers, do you use red cabbage?

[Larry Caldwell]

We have been harvesting cabbage and I was telling the wife that I need to try and make some Kraut. I'll have to look it up and see if it's difficult. What ya'all think any tips, I like the pepper idea and have some drying now.

I suppose you could use dried peppers, but there's no reason. Just pick the peppers off the vine, slice them into strips and mix them into the crock. They will ferment right along with the other vegetables. Fresh seasonings always give a finer flavor than dried seasonings.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

As a rule of thumb, use 3 tablespoons of pickling salt to 5 lbs. of shredded cabbage. The typical large head of cabbage is around 5 lbs.

Mix the salt and cabbage in a large bowl and let it wilt down. That will make it much easier to pack into the crock.

Like dill pickles, if the crisp crunch of fresh cabbage is what you are after, a little alum mixed in will help.