Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[jvls1942]

it seems to me that at 3 days it is barely starting to ferment.
I make sauerkraut. it takes weeks to finish.
If I were to ferment grains, I would do it in a wide mouth jar or a crock. weight it down with a plate to keep the grain tightly packed. and keep it covered with an inch of water just to keep the air from getting to it..

 

[Chopper923]

I did watch about 5 different videos and read a few articles on fermenting feed, and what I gathered was it takes about 3-5 days, but I find 3 days gets the feed to have that certain smell and look to it. (I should have mentioned that in my 1st post....maybe it depends on the air temp? ) Plus, if you are reusing your liquids, the feed ferments quicker. Here's a video from someone who does the 3-day method.

I also read about someone using a food-grade 5-gallon bucket, and everyday, they just added more feed and added more water when needed. I think that was the peron who had it going for 6+ months at a time.
My hubby just made sour kraut using a method somebody told him about. Chopped up the cabbage, rubbed salt all over it until a liquid started to form, put it in a wide-mouth mason jar, added caraway seeds, and weighted it down. He then put the lid on. Each day, he carefully opened the jar to let the gases escape, and after a week, we had crunchy, yummy sour kraut.

 

[Debbie292d]

it seems to me that at 3 days it is barely starting to ferment.
I make sauerkraut. it takes weeks to finish.
If I were to ferment grains, I would do it in a wide mouth jar or a crock. weight it down with a plate to keep the grain tightly packed. and keep it covered with an inch of water just to keep the air from getting to it..

Just put some wheat or oats or some grains in a quart jar up to a 1/3 full, cover that with unchlorinated water, cover the jar with cheesecloth or a flour sack or something that breathes, stir it and sit in a shady spot on your kitchen counter. Stir it at least once a day and keep water covering it. By the 3rd day you will see it bubbling.

 

[jvls1942]

actually, light kills the enzymes needed for fermentation. I do my kraut in wide mouth gallon jugs inside ice/beverage coolers
4 to 6 weeks.
I use less salt than the recipe calls for.
I pack it in very tightly.
I know someone who does kraut in a 5 gal plastic bucket. He packs it in with a baseball bat.. in the gal jars, I use a wooden dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon ,, by doing that, you don't have to hand rub it.

 

[Chopper923]

actually, light kills the enzymes needed for fermentation. I do my kraut in wide mouth gallon jugs inside ice/beverage coolers
4 to 6 weeks.
I use less salt than the recipe calls for.
I pack it in very tightly.
I know someone who does kraut in a 5 gal plastic bucket. He packs it in with a baseball bat.. in the gal jars, I use a wooden dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon ,, by doing that, you don't have to hand rub it.

Do you can it after 4-6 weeks? Or how long does it last? My hubby does most of the food storage - canning, dehydrating, etc - so I'm not very knowledgeable in this department.

 

[jvls1942]

Do you can it after 4-6 weeks? Or how long does it last? My hubby does most of the food storage - canning, dehydrating, etc - so I'm not very knowledgeable in this department.

Yes. you can can it at any stage of fermentation. canning will stop the fermentation. what you can is what you get
I do some quarts and some pints.
there are just the two of us.

 

[growanstede]

I really want to do kraut this year. I haven't yet since we've been here (five years already!) because my fella hates sauerkraut and so do half of the kids. They're horrible German descendants But it is nice to can and I can do enough in one summer to last three years. Okay, this'll have to be the year. Mmmmmmm......

I woke up with a hefty headache today and now I have the pleasure of sitting at work again trying to stay sane and caffeinated. Lots of plates in the air right now with kids, farm, work, and home. We're waiting to hear back about a HELOC so we can get moving on some repairs, and an NRCS irrigation/hydrant grant, and my youngest's support from the county (he's special needs) and I can't even get into work stress out loud. Sigh.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

This spring like weather has been nice.
Looks like it may stick around.
Ill probably start seeds in the next week

 

[Debbie292d]

This spring like weather has been nice.
Looks like it may stick around.
Ill probably start seeds in the next week

I thought so too, but hubby just gave me the forecast and we get some 30's for highs coming again. BUT, I too am going to start seeds.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I thought so too, but hubby just gave me the forecast and we get some 30's for highs coming again. BUT, I too am going to start seeds.

I saw the 30s coming in this weekend. But i think after we shall be ok.