Formula · Formulas
Sauerkraut (NCHFP)
Printed from https://gourmetgastronomer.com/recipes/sauerkraut/
USDA/NCHFP fermented cabbage: 25 pounds cabbage and 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt, about 9 quarts — optional boiling-water canning from that page only.
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This is the National Center for Home Food Preservation sauerkraut formula, adapted from USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, AIB 539 (revised 2015), not a house recipe 1. Mechanism and temperature live on Sauerkraut. If you cut the salt, you are no longer on this process. See Food safety.
Quality: firm fresh heads; shred and start 24 to 48 hours after harvest 1.
- Work with about 5 pounds of cabbage at a time. Discard outer leaves. Rinse heads under cold running water and drain. Quarter; remove cores. Shred or slice to a thickness of a quarter 1.
- Put cabbage in a suitable fermentation container. Add 3 tablespoons of salt per 5-pound batch. Mix thoroughly with clean hands. Pack firmly until salt draws juices. Repeat until all cabbage is in. The rim should sit at least 4 or 5 inches above the cabbage 1.
- If juice does not cover the cabbage, add boiled and cooled brine: 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt per quart of water 1. Add plate and weights; cover with a clean bath towel.
- Store at 70° to 75°F while fermenting. At 70° to 75°F, kraut is fully fermented in about 3 to 4 weeks; at 60° to 65°F, 5 to 6 weeks. Below 60°F it may not ferment; above 75°F it may go soft 1.
- If you weight with a brine-filled bag, leave the crock until bubbling ceases. If you weight with jars, check 2 to 3 times each week and remove scum 1.
- Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months, or canned. Hot pack: bring kraut and liquid slowly to a boil, fill jars firmly, 1/2-inch headspace. Raw pack: fill jars firmly with kraut and juices, 1/2-inch headspace. Process in a boiling-water canner from Table 1 on the NCHFP page (hot pints 10 min at 0–1,000 ft, and the rest of that table) — do not copy the whole table from memory if you are not looking at the source 1. Canning owns the jar.
At a glance
- Yield
- About 9 quarts
- Safety
- fermentation
Formula
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cabbage | 25 lbs |
| canning or pickling salt | 3/4 cup |
Prerequisites
Related topics
Ingredient
Connected from
Sources & further exploration
Cited in this article
- Sauerkraut — National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia — USDA-linked sauerkraut fermentation temperatures and optional boiling-water canning process times. Safety numbers only from this page, not invented.
Updated 2026-08-27. gg:recipe:sauerkraut · CC BY 4.0
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Gourmet Gastronomer. "Sauerkraut (NCHFP)." Updated 2026-08-27. https://gourmetgastronomer.com/recipes/sauerkraut/ gg:recipe:sauerkraut.
Chicago
Gourmet Gastronomer. "Sauerkraut (NCHFP)." Gourmet Gastronomer. Updated August 27, 2026. https://gourmetgastronomer.com/recipes/sauerkraut/.
APA
Gourmet Gastronomer. (2026, August 27). Sauerkraut (NCHFP). https://gourmetgastronomer.com/recipes/sauerkraut/
Talk
This encyclopedia is editable like a wiki. Notes stay on the talk layer until they are merged into the page. Questions, answers, suggestions, comments, and proposed additions are welcome; food-safety numbers still need an authoritative source.
Add a quality checkpoint
A short quality checkpoint could name aroma and texture while keeping the process and safety instructions visually distinct.
Connect brine to osmosis
Add a bridge to brine and osmosis so readers understand why salt changes the cabbage environment before they interpret the texture.
Fermentation is a set of signals
The recipe becomes more adaptable when it teaches what changes to look for and clearly marks which questions require process authority.
Keep quality and safety in separate lanes
The recipe can invite observations about acidity and texture while directing readers to the tested process for safety. That separation is part of good fermentation teaching.
Observe change without guessing safety
Cloudier brine, a developing sour aroma, and changing texture describe the ferment's progress. Safety still belongs to the recipe's tested boundaries.
Which change signals fermentation?
Before a fermented cabbage recipe is judged ready, which changes are useful to observe in smell, brine, texture, and acidity?
Which signal comes before the kraut is ready?
The recipe would be easier to use if the reader knew which sensory change is expected first: brine cloudiness, sour aroma, or softening cabbage. Please keep the safety boundary explicit and avoid replacing tested process guidance with a timer.
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