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PSA: I was sure my sauerkraut needed a weight, but a guy at the farmers market changed my mind.
He told me his grandma in Krakow just uses the outer cabbage leaves tucked inside the jar to keep everything submerged, saying 'the old way works if you check it.' I tried it on a small batch last Tuesday and it's fermenting fine without any extra gear. Has anyone else had good luck with this cabbage leaf trick for a few weeks?
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fisher.diana11d ago
Wait, is it really that big of a deal? People have been fermenting stuff for ages without fancy weights. If it gets a little scum, you just skim it off. Feels like we overcomplicate simple food sometimes.
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torres.drew11d ago
My great-aunt in Poznan did the same thing with her pickles. She'd use a big horseradish leaf pressed down over the cucumbers in the crock. I was so nervous the first time I tried it, checking the jar twice a day for mold. But it worked perfectly for a full month-long ferment. It's a relief to skip buying another piece of kitchen gear.
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Remember when we all thought you needed special gear for this stuff? My first ferment was just a cabbage leaf and a whole lot of panic.
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