From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 141
I was very surprised to see a recipe for making your own sauerkraut in the book. Upon second glance, I noticed that the cabbage is not fermented here, but salted and pickled instead. I was curious and tried it out- and later surprised because it did work really well. And as a German I suppose I have something to say about sauerkraut 🙂
The sauerkraut tastes fresh and retains its crunch, the spices are well balanced and aromatic.
I decided to strain the spiced vinegar before pouring into the jars with the sauerkraut, which worked great. The amount of spiced vinegar was far too much for my sauerkraut, so I kept the remaining vinegar in a bottle in the fridge and used it for salad dressings. Would also make a great gift for another foodie…
As the recipe does not specify how long the sauerkraut has to mature before using, I tried the first batch after about two weeks and the second batch after 5 weeks. From week 2 to week 5, it had not changed much in taste or consistency and was very nice. After draining from the jar, the sauerkraut was still very salty, so I did rinse it with cold water.
Another try with a remaining jar of Sauerkraut, 9 weeks after I had made it showed that it does not keep well for that long. The Sauerkraut had turned greyish and had developed an unpleasant taste.
I tried the sauerkraut in these recipes: Sauerkraut and Veggy Dogs, and Maine Sauerkraut.