My kraut turned to mush until a guy at the farmers market in Asheville showed me his trick.

I was at the River Arts District market last month and my kraut was just a wet mess. He told me to pack it down hard with my fist for a full five minutes before adding the weight. Has anyone else tried packing for that long, and does it really make that big a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_grant331mo agoMost Upvoted

My buddy had the same problem with his last batch. He tried that long pack down and his cabbage stayed crisp. It seems like the extra pressure really gets the brine going fast.

julia_fisher281mo ago

Pack it down hard, it makes all the difference.

karenm4922h ago

Are you supposed to really lean into it or just press it down firm? @wesley_grant33 mentioned his buddy got his cabbage crisp with that long pack down, so I'm thinking you gotta put some real weight on it. I usually just use my hand to tamp it, but maybe a wooden spoon or a jar would work better. The brine kicking in faster makes total sense, because that's where all the good fermentation happens. I'm trying this on my next batch for sure, thanks for the tip!