GOOD 'OL HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

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You'll need enough salt to equal about 2.5% of the weight of your cabbage. It's safe to figure that a 10-gallon crock will hold about 80 pounds of shredded cabbage . . . which would require two pounds of salt. In such a case, just place your cabbage in the crock in eight 10-pound layers . . . and add 1/4 pound of salt per layer. (If you're using a five-gallon container, you can cut the amounts—and layer sizes—in half.)

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP

As each cabbage/salt level is completed, the mixture must be tamped or "stomped"—with a wooden mallet—to release the cabbage's natural juices . . . and to mix the salt with the vegetable liquid in order to form a curing brine.

When all the layers have been added and stomped, the container should be filled to within three or four inches of the top . . . and all the vegetable matter covered with brine. Then place the plate on the mixture and weight it down with a rock. (Any cabbage that's not held under the brine will soon rot.) Top the crock with a clean cloth—to keep out insects and debris—and store the vessel for the fermentation period.

Kraut will cure nicely on a warm back porch or in a cool basement . . . but the environment will influence the flavor of the finished product: A warn curing temperature will speed up the fermentation process, while a cooler area will result in a longer curing time. Short fermentation tends to produce "sweet" kraut . . . prolonged, cool pickling results in "tart"—really sour—sauerkraut.

While your kraut's fermentation is progressing, inspect the crock every day or two and skim off any mold or scum that may form on the surface of the brine. Such layers are created by airborne, yeastlike bacteria that utilize the vital lactic acid as a source of food. While harmless in itself, the mold can lower the concentration of lactic acid below the point necessary for preservation.

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