I've never heard of adding sugar, although - now that I think about it - perhaps there might be something to it. As I have been "experimenting" with a lot of fermented foods (thanks to this forum), I found sugar added to certain things - like sourdough bread culture/starters - will feed the fermenting agent.

Other than that, the added sugar would be a taste preference, as far as I am aware.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Bejay, what is your method of making kraut?

Actually, it isn't my method. I found the recipe right here a few years ago. Perhaps it has "run" off the "Search" by now.

However, here it is - and it seems to be working quite well for me:

Sauerkraut in a Jar.

Shred cabbage with a mandolin - long thin shreds.
Pack firmly in jars - I've used pint or quart sized canning jars (Kerr or Harvest types), or larger glass jars with wide openings.

One reason for the method is because I grow my own cabbage, and it comes ripe in small amounts - so I make it whenever I have enough.

With each pint add 1 tsp of salt (Kosher for mine), for a quart, use 1 tbs of salt.

Pour boiling water over the salt in the jar to fill. At this point, I fill a "baggie" made of salt brine to put on top of the jar - to close the top, it can also be used to replace any loss of brine later.

The jar is then placed in my pantry to ferment. I usually close off the light. It is room temperature in my pantry.

Depending on the weather and temperature, the kraut will ferment. I had a jar working in my pantry since July 3rd and decided I'd put it into the fridge today to stop the ferment. A taste test told me it needed a bit of vinegar, which I added to my taste.

At this stage, I sometimes can it, and will refer you to the "book" for this, so you can decide on your method, as it can vary as to the "preferred" way.

In the past, I decided to:

Drain the kraut (stainless steel collander).

Boil the juice. Pack the kraut in sterilized jars and pour hot juice over kraut. Process in a BWB.

I suggest that you consult the newer information on processing - as there are several ways to do it, depending on what you want the end result to be. (Ball Blue Book and National Center for Food Preserving).

Just my 2 c's

Bejay

Thanks, Bejay. I'm going to try some for myself and don't want to do the huge amounts that a lot of other people do. This sounds perfect for me.

This method works out for me on several levels. Like Bejay, I don't have a lot of cabbage at once to make a huge crock full. Second, I have a dog in the house and this is KS, always windy and dusty. I just couldn't feel right about having a crock sitting somewhere with the dog's hair flying all around plus the dust. I have 6 pints and one quart of kraut in the back room working right now. I did add the sugar, so I will report on how that tastes. Lori