Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I am going over the border to buy my cabbage in Wisconsin on Thursday. I will be at Kendall College (Chicago and Halsted) on Saturday morning.

A bag of fresh picked cabbage weighs 50-60 pounds. When I bought it last, I paid around $8 or $9 for a bag.

If anyone wants a bag or wishes to share a bag with others, I can bring it for pick up on Saturday.

Regards,
Cathy2

No bananas?

Note on bananas: Every once in a while, Woodmans sells a grocery bag filled with bananas for $1 or maybe a bit more.

What with stocking supplies for post-St Patrick's Day Reubens, sauerkraut's on my mind. I am curious, Rene G and others, what do you think of the idea that you can Bring Pasteurized Sauerkraut Back to Life? It sounds reasonable on the surface, but then I remember we discussed whether one could effectively pickle fresh cucumber slices in leftover juice from naturally pickled pickles, so I'm skeptical.

Someone is sure to reply, it's so easy; why don't you make it yourself? So I'll say in advance, thanks, but that wasn't my question.

So, are you asking ' will this be safe' or are you asking 'will this be good'. I don't know the answer to safe. I am fairly certain it will not be as good as originally made.

Hi, Lou. Sorry I wasn't clear enough. It wasn't either safety or taste I was wondering about. It was whether its probiotic (gut health) properties can be restored by this method, i.e., whether lactobacillus in the liquid from an unpasteurized sauerkraut can be used to produce (or colonize or whatever) lactobacillus in a pasteurized sauerkraut.

Katie, I would strongly predict yes. Bacteria would quickly colonize a new substrate.

Geo

Thanks, Geo! That is encouraging. I am curious and eager to give it a try.

Report back on your results, Katie! I was a winemaker for quite a while, and we used lactobacillus on our reds. Once they get going, they're pretty robust.

Geo

Katie wrote:What with stocking supplies for post-St Patrick's Day Reubens, sauerkraut's on my mind. I am curious, Rene G and others, what do you think of the idea that you can Bring Pasteurized Sauerkraut Back to Life? It sounds reasonable on the surface, but then I remember we discussed whether one could effectively pickle fresh cucumber slices in leftover juice from naturally pickled pickles, so I'm skeptical.

Katie wrote:Hi, Lou. Sorry I wasn't clear enough. It wasn't either safety or taste I was wondering about. It was whether its probiotic (gut health) properties can be restored by this method, i.e., whether lactobacillus in the liquid from an unpasteurized sauerkraut can be used to produce (or colonize or whatever) lactobacillus in a pasteurized sauerkraut.

Geo wrote:Katie, I would strongly predict yes. Bacteria would quickly colonize a new substrate.

But already-fermented sauerkraut is effectively an old, spent substrate so I wouldn't expect a lot of growth to occur. The pasteurized kraut (Kühne brand) has no preservatives so it won't actively kill the bacteria from the transferred brine, but most of the fermentable sugars have already been consumed so there shouldn't be much for the bacteria to feed on. Also the pH is likely low enough that it's inhospitable for growth. Both krauts are presumably in end-stage fermentation – thus low in sugar and high in acid – causing the bacteria to more or less shut down. It seems unlikely to me that vigorous fermentation and bacterial growth would resume after a little brine is transferred to already-fermented sauerkraut because conditions are quite suboptimal. I suspect you'd get nearly the same dose of probiotics by simply drinking the leftover brine and eating the pasteurized kraut separately.

Back at it again!
5l Harsch crock is filled and no additional brine required.
Harsch is no longer in business and the 5l and 20l crocks I have are invaluable.
Tried using a friends old old cabbage shredder and but the blade would not stay at a fixed angle, Kitchenaid food processor works great.
Will give this batch a few days and then fill the 20l with the remaining heads.
Took 2 heads to fill the 5l crock.