Interactive lesson

Sauerkraut brine and fermented juices, step by step

Interactive lesson: nothing from the crock goes down the sink — what brine is, how to take it, drink it and cook with it, fermented beetroot, carrot and cabbage juice, bran sour and storage.

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The whole lesson as text

1. What brine is

When the sauerkraut in the crock has been eaten, the brine is left: a second product from the same crock, without a single extra kilo of vegetables.

Liquid from fermentation — Shredded sauerkraut brine is sour, salty and “cabbagey”. It is drunk and goes into soup and marinades.
Salt and acid — Brine holds roughly 2 g of salt per 100 mL. Mature brine has a pH of 3.4–3.8.
Kinds of brine — Whole-head brine is milder and saltier. Cucumber brine carries dill and garlic, and brine from mixed pickles with beetroot is pink and mild.
Vinegar isn't brine — The liquid from pickles in vinegar is vinegar, salt and sugar. It isn't drunk and isn't a starter; only for a salad the same day.

Why: Brine is the liquid in which vegetables have fermented. It holds salt, lactic acid, vegetable juice and lactic acid bacteria. Its flavour depends on what it came from.

True brine comes only from fermented vegetables. The liquid from pickles in vinegar isn't drunk and isn't used as a starter.
Cloudy brine and white sediment at the bottom are normal.

2. Brine from the crock

The brine is part of the kraut's protection: while the cabbage is in the crock, it must stay covered.

When the kraut is finished — Only 4–6 weeks after filling. Brine from cabbage that is still fermenting is weakly sour, cloudy and salty.
Only the surplus — 2–5 cm of brine must stay above the board in the crock. With whole heads you can take more and top up with 25 g/L brine.
Tap or pipe — Take it through the tap, a recirculating pipe or with a clean long-handled ladle. Never by hand through the cabbage.
Muslin and bottles — Strain through muslin into swing-top bottles or PET bottles, to 3 cm below the neck. Keep in the fridge.

Why: If brine is drawn off too early or too much, the cabbage is left dry and spoils. So it is taken carefully, at the right time, and only the surplus.

In spring, as the crock empties, the most brine is left. Fill bottles for a month and freeze the rest in PET bottles for soups.
The best brine comes from a crock with whole heads and a layer of shredded kraut: the shredded kraut gives acid and flavour, the heads more liquid.