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Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:50 pm
by agdodge4x4
Sorry for the abrupt post. I just finished a gallon of sauerkraut and I am putting it in bottles. While the kraut itself is not slimy, the juice is definately 'thick', stringy and slime like. I made it exactly like I did last year but for some reason its different now.

Is this stuff spoiled? The cabbage is crunchy and does not feel slick or slimy. The cabbage was literally 30 minutes old fresh from the garden when i made it and I used what I thought was MORE than the standard amount of salt, although it doesnt seem as salty as I thought it would be. The juice in the bottom of my 1 gallon jug was like syrup. Still tasted alright though. Help please!

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:03 am
by Christopher Weeks
If it tastes good and doesn't make you sick, it's not spoiled. (I tell this to myself every time a ferment does something unexpected -- about half the time :)

I don't have specific experience that would help reassure you about your kraut. But if it's good, it's good.

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:12 am
by Rutabagagirl
Did you shred the cabbage? I am wondering if some cabbage particles broke off and sort of linked into a bacterial culture. I am no expert but have seen kombucha make strings, never sauerkraut though. Can you rinse it?

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:32 pm
by fermented-vegan
Hello Agdodge4x4, :)

Not likely unless it both smells and tastes bad. I've had one jar of sauerkraut make a slimy brine. I think it's just the luck of the draw as far as what organisms get into the ferment. I wouldn't worry about.

Peace & Love from a vegan :)

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:40 pm
by agdodge4x4
It was shredded, but when I put it in the jar, it certainly seemed to taste alright. The brine got thicker near the bottom of the jar, which is odd if it was spoiled. Spoilage usually occurs from the top down. Maybe ill eat a bite again and see if I feel funny. Thanks for the help!

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:02 pm
by asharpknife
Hm, yeah, I'd eat it. It reminds me of the time a batch of water kefir went inexplicably thick and viscous. It wasn't too pleasant.

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:49 am
by slpaok
Did you ever determine if this was spoiled or not? Very interested as my batch seems to have done something very similar...getting a bit slimy at the bottom of the batch. Thanks for responding.

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:46 am
by Georgia
I wouldn't eat anything slimy. Properly fermented sauerkraut is not slimy!

But be aware - too little salt can lead to spoilage and food poisoning. Don't go below three-tablespoon-per-five-pound limit, and never eat sauerkraut that is slimy, excessively soft, discolored or off-flavor.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02021/Dr ... kraut.html

Re: Sauerkraut help needed ASAP

PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:40 am
by Georgia
Here is an interesting web page. It checks the bacterial count in fermenting sauerkraut as the ferment progresses. The slime causing organisms should be gone by the time the kraut is ready. By day 14 of fermentation, leuconostoc organism should be too few to count. According to the site below, this is the organism that is responsible for causing the slime. So something went wrong with your ferment as the slime causing organisms should be at a very minimum when the kraut is ready to use.

See chart A and B in the link below to see the level or organisms as the ferment progresses.

http://www.jlindquist.net/generalmicro/ ... kraut.html

"The total slime-forming colony count based on the count of slimy colonies on HIAS. Count only the relatively large, almost milky or watery-appearing colonies. This count represents the level of Leuconostoc in the sauerkraut."