17
Update: My sauerkraut brine level disaster last Tuesday
So I was feeling pretty good about a big batch of sauerkraut I started last Monday. I had it all packed down in a 2-gallon crock with a glass weight on top. Checked it Tuesday morning before work and the brine was just covering the cabbage, perfect. Came home that night and the whole thing had burped up, the weight was sitting on dry, exposed cabbage. I panicked, thinking the whole batch was ruined and I'd have to toss 5 pounds of cabbage. I ended up mixing up a fresh 2% brine solution with filtered water and just poured enough over the top to re-submerge everything. It's been bubbling away fine since then, no weird colors or smells. Has anyone else had a batch just drink its own brine like that overnight? I'm wondering if my kitchen was just too warm.
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
scott.mia17d ago
Oh man, the "burped up and left the cabbage dry" thing is a special kind of kitchen horror. I once had a jar do that and I reacted like it was a home invasion, just full panic. Your fix was totally the right move, the extra brine. My kitchen temp swings a lot and I swear that's always the culprit when it happens to me, everything just gets too excited and drinks the pool.
7
Remember my friend Dan had that happen with a big crock of kimchi. He woke up to a dry, fizzy mess and totally freaked out, just like scott.mia said. He added some brine made with the leftover veggie scraps and it turned out fine, maybe his apartment was just too hot that week.
5