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While I have only vinegar pickled vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots,onion mix), I have made a bit of sauerkraut over the years.

It had always been a chore to make sauerkraut, as you had to daily skim the foam off, and be sure that there was still enough juice to cover the cabbage, and it always added an odor to the house. You had to have a plate or board that just fit the opening and you put a rock or something heavy on it. So, for about 25 years, I didn’t make any.

Then two years ago, I saw an article that piqued my interest. (Before I broke my leg) They used a bag of water to seal it. The article said there was no smell and no evaporation and no scum to skim. I made a 5 gallon batch (in a 7 gallon crock I had. It worked just as they had said and was great! Between my cousins and their spouses and kids, daughters and their families and all, I hardly had any left for us... So I made 3 batches last year. I may have 12 pints of canned left - that’s all.

It is really simple to make. If you have a large crock, you can use it, or two of the batches I made in 6 gallon food grade buckets.

First clean the crock/bucket really well, using bleach first then washing it out and rinse a couple of times to remove any chlorine residue. Shred the cabbage in whatever cut you want - I have a mandolin just for that and it makes the job much easier. You put about 3 inches of cabbage in the crock/bucket and sprinkle salt on it. Add another 3 inches and again salt. Each time you add a layer, mash it down really well - when they say pack it, they mean it. Use a fist, or anything you can put real force on it with. Keep adding cabbage and salt till you are about 6” from the top.

By now you should see some liquid accumulating and you need to keep packing it down till it is covered with that liquid - (cabbage juice brought out with the aid of the salt). Once it is covered fully by the juice from the packing, fill a food grade bag (I used 2 - one inside the other) with water to come up to about an inch of the top of the crock/bucket. Tie off the bags and wait 6-7 weeks at 60º-70º. You should avoid disturbing it - as exposing it to the air will cause it to go bad. You will see a few bubbles coming up around your bag - when they slow to an almost stop, it is done.

The only ingredients are cabbage and salt.
You should use 1# of NON-IODIZED salt - like canning salt -
for each 40# of cabbage. That is the same as 2 oz. of salt to every 5# of cabbage Note: there are 5 teaspoons per ounce.

You can put it in the refrigerator in sealed jars (even zip lok bags work) after it has finished fermenting and you can keep it like that for months. This way, you maintain the ‘live’ lactobacillus enzymes - many swear by the beneficial effects of this.

You can also can it. This does kill the enzymes but nutrients and taste are great. Clean and sterilize canning jars and heat the sauerkraut and pack into the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top and cover with the juice - also to 1/2 inch. Wipe the top edge of the jars, put on simmered jar lid and band hand tight - hot water bath process it for 10 minutes. (primarily to make it seal) Keeps almost forever...

Most everyday pickles use vinegar to pickle, this is acetic acid pickling.
Fermentation pickling uses the lactobacillus enzymes which are present naturally in many vegetables to produce lactic acid to do the pickling.

One of these days I will have to try doing the fermentation pickling of other veggies, and if any of you have, would appreciate your suggestions/methods.