It came with a recipe book, but the Eastern European recipe was different from how my grandmother did it, and I stayed with the recipe I recalled from my childhood.
The recipe called for four tablespoons of salt for one large cabbage; my grandmother did it by weight. The salt amount is 2% of the weight of the cabbage.
The recipe called to add 2cm of brine (salted water) to the bottom of the crock. My grandmother did not add any brine; she just let the natural juices generate the brine.
The recipe called for caraway seeds; my grandmother only used cabbage and a carrot for some color.
The instructions on how to use the crock are not very detailed. The instructions were missing some key points.
1) I wash the cabbage and save a large outer leaf to put on top. This helps to keep small pieces from floating up when juices build up in the crock.
2) Remove the core and thread the cabbage. Weigh the cabbage and any other vegetables you might be adding, like carrots. Weight the cabbage and add 2% salt. So, if you have 1000 grams of vegetables, you need to add 20 grams of salt. I use grams because it is easier to calculate, and most scales have unit options that allow you to change from oz to grams.
3) After adding salt, I pound the cabbage + salt mixture with a pounding stick. You can also squeeze with your hands if you prefer. You want to see the juices starting coming out of the cabbage.
4) After I see the juice, I transfer the cabbage into the crock, cover it with a large leaf, and place the stones on top of the leave.
5) Some recipes call for adding brine at the time (say 5 grams of salt and 250 grams of water), but my grandmother did not do it, and neither do I.
6) As a final step, I add water to the water well and put the cover on. Do fill the water well to the rim, as the cover will display some water and spill. You need to make sure the water well has water for the entire period to form a seal. Note that my grandmother used a plate on top of a regular pot, which held a big round rock. The plate sat on a cloth to prevent insects from entering the pot, but the air could enter the fermentation pot.
7) After five days you can see if you like the taste. The flavor will get more intense with time, but the cabbage will lose its crispness with more time. You will have to find your favorite combination. Attached video shows results after 7 days.
10) When the ideal flavor is reached, refrigerate the cabbage, and this will stop fermentation.
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Ali Julia review ★★★★☆
