HowToFerment

Cabbage sauerkraut

How to make sauerkraut

One intact, research-based procedure for turning five pounds of shredded cabbage into sauerkraut. The selected procedure is Penn State Extension’s 2023 home-preservation method, with matching USDA/NCHFP guidance cited for provenance.

Evidence
Documented
Reproduction
Not yet reproduced by HowToFerment
Selected procedure
Penn State Extension, updated May 22, 2023
Process family
Vegetable lactic-acid fermentation

Procedure card

At a glance

Batch input

5 lb prepared, shredded cabbage

Salt

Exactly 3 level tbsp canning or pickling salt per 5 lb cabbage

Temperature

70–75°F (21–23°C) for the selected procedure

Expected window

About 3–4 weeks at 70–75°F

Environment

Cabbage packed firmly and kept beneath its brine

Endpoint

Desired tartness, firm texture, clear brine, and no mold or yeast growth

Make / start

Prepare and pack the cabbage

  1. Clean the work area

    Wash hands, counters, utensils, the fermentation container, and anything that will contact the cabbage.

  2. Prepare five pounds

    Use firm, disease-free cabbage. Discard outer leaves, rinse under cold water, drain, quarter, remove the cores, and trim damaged tissue. Shred to about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm).

  3. Add the procedure’s salt

    Place 5 pounds of shredded cabbage in the fermentation container and thoroughly mix in exactly 3 level tablespoons of canning or pickling salt.

  4. Draw out the natural brine

    Pack, pound, or squeeze with clean hands until the natural juice drawn from the cabbage covers its surface. Pack firmly to remove air pockets.

  5. Cover and weigh

    Keep the cabbage submerged. If its own juice is insufficient, add only boiled-and-cooled supplemental brine made with 1½ tablespoons of salt per quart of water. Use a suitable plate and weight or the brine-filled-bag method described by the source.

  6. Ferment in range

    Hold the covered container at a stable 70–75°F (21–23°C). The selected procedure expects full fermentation in about 3–4 weeks at that temperature.

Control

Know what each instruction means

Controls in the selected Penn State procedure
Control Type Procedure-specific instruction
Cabbage Batch input Work in 5 lb prepared quantities.
Salt Fixed ratio 3 level tbsp canning or pickling salt per 5 lb cabbage.
Temperature Operating range 70–75°F for the primary 3–4 week window.
Time Expected window 3–4 weeks at 70–75°F; temperature changes the expected duration.
Brine coverage Process control Keep cabbage submerged throughout fermentation.
Readiness Endpoint Use the source’s combined tartness, texture, brine, and growth criteria.

Check

Follow the process state, not a universal calendar

Prepared

The salt is evenly mixed, juice has been drawn out, and the cabbage is firmly packed below brine.

Fermenting

Acid-forming bacteria work under the covered, submerged conditions specified by the procedure.

Activity easing

Bubbling eventually ceases, but bubbling alone is not the complete readiness test used here.

Ready

The kraut meets all of the selected source’s endpoint checks and has no stop-condition signs.

With jars used as weights, Penn State directs checking two or three times each week and removing scum if it forms. With a sealed brine-filled bag used as the weight, the source says not to disturb the crock until normal fermentation is complete.

Finish

Use the selected procedure’s full endpoint

Penn State describes ready sauerkraut as having the desired tartness and a firm texture, with brine that is not cloudy and no sign of mold or yeast growth. Do not replace these checks with a single elapsed-day or bubbling rule.

Once fully fermented, keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months, or use the source’s tested freezing or canning directions. “Several months” is the source’s wording; this manual does not invent a more precise refrigerated shelf life.

Fix / stop

Respond to the condition you actually have

Not enough natural brine

Add boiled-and-cooled brine made with 1½ tbsp salt per quart of water, then restore submersion.

Room below 60°F

The selected source says the sauerkraut may not ferment. Move it into the documented range.

Room above 80°F

The selected source warns that the kraut may become soft and spoil.

Mold, slime, or bad odor

Do not taste it. These are explicit Penn State stop conditions.

Change

What this manual does—and does not—authorize

  • Do not reduce, estimate, or substitute the fixed salt quantity.
  • Do not convert the temperature and time into one universal “room temperature” duration.
  • Do not add a pH endpoint from another source and call it part of this selected procedure.
  • Small-batch jars have greater spoilage risk because keeping cabbage submerged is harder; this crock-oriented manual is not an automatically scaled jar procedure.
  • Other published sauerkraut procedures use different salt expressions and temperature/time combinations. They must remain separate, named alternatives rather than averaged values.

Provenance

Sources for this procedure