Sauerkraut & fermented vegetables - the super food from the past?

[calumniate]

Thought it would be interesting to start a thread on this subject as it fits the mold of wine making / beer making.. though not quite as fun ha.

I've been struggling with some winter eczema and googling led me to articles on the varied benefits of sauerkraut, as it can be a powerful probiotic and immune system booster if done the right way and not pasteurized.

Because I'm not a huge fan of yogurt I've realized that probiotics are for the most part missing from my diet. Lots of articles on the net but here is one:
http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/05/...nd-sauerkraut/

I also got this book for xmas which is pretty sweet:
http://www.amazon.ca/Fermented-Veget.../dp/1612124259

Just wondering if anyone other cp'rs are 'fermentologists'? Think I'm looking to buy an airlock type system (mason jars with a valve basically). Anyone know where to find these in Calgary or on the net that are decent? Currently I'm buying non-pasteurized 'kraut at co-op - they have some next to the cabbages

Cheers

[calumniate]

Oops sorry - this should be in food & entertainment

[rbochan]

I make 10 gallons of sauerkraut every fall. It's dead simple.

Shred the cabbage with a food processor, use 1/4 (or less) cup plain salt per 5 lbs. of cabbage. Pack in a 10 gallon crock, put a trash bag full of water on top to keep it weighted down and keep light out. 8 weeks later it's ready to go.
To quote the old Polak who taught me how to make it, "It's good for yer innards."

[northcrunk]

I've just started getting into making vinegar at home and preserving food. It's a whole other world of cooking when you start diving into pickling, making vinegars and preserving. I just started a vinegar mother from Red Wine so when it grows and gets bigger you just cut off pieces of the mother and give it to friends and family to make their own vinegars. A vinegar mother will last forever and it's pretty cool when it gets handed down generation after generation.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

I've just started getting into making vinegar at home and preserving food. It's a whole other world of cooking when you start diving into pickling, making vinegars and preserving. I just started a vinegar mother from Red Wine so when it grows and gets bigger you just cut off pieces of the mother and give it to friends and family to make their own vinegars. A vinegar mother will last forever and it's pretty cool when it gets handed down generation after generation.

Was any of that English?

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by Locke

Was any of that English?

lol sure was. Don't have access to youtube but search 'vinegar mother'. Craziest looking thing. Looks alien. Basicly this jelly fish type thing that grows from the bacteria in the wine.

When I showed my wife what it was she laughed cause back where she was born people would 'rent' these things to families and say it was the blood and body of christ. She said she remembers people praying to it, eating some and drinking the liquid lol the whole time it was vinegar mother.

[calumniate]

Nice.. is a vinegar mother similar to a kombucha mother? That stuff looks super intimidating! I'm gonna start off with 'kraut lol

I just bought this today to start off with mason jars:
http://www.cookinggodsway.com/eshop/...-air-lock-kit/

Was the only thing I could find that shipped to canada without ridiculous s&h charges.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by calumniate

Nice.. is a vinegar mother similar to a kombucha mother? That stuff looks super intimidating! I'm gonna start off with 'kraut lol

I just bought this today to start off with mason jars:
http://www.cookinggodsway.com/eshop/...-air-lock-kit/

Was the only thing I could find that shipped to canada without ridiculous s&h charges.

Not quite the same but pretty similar. Vinegar mother is easy to make, next time you have some left over red wine stick a cork in it and put in in a dark place. The key is not having any light hit it. Once it's developed a bit put it in a large mouth container and stick cheesecloth on the lid. Just feed it every couple months with almost expired fruit and it will keep growing. The liquid on top is produced by the mother a pure vinegar.
The large glass lemonade pitchers with the spout at the bottom are good for filtering the vinegar for use.

It looks a lot like the Kombucha Mother but you just leave it alone and dont have to add anything to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_vinegar