Sorry, not sure I understand the problem? We make kraut in mid-summer when it's much hotter than 80s. Do you mean that you have no cooler place to put it while its fermenting?

Dave

Not particularly, no.

The basement gets pretty warm because of the dehumidifier I have to run down there all the time.

The beginning 80 degree temps are usually fine, so it will start an active fermentation. Unless you get a few weeks of warm weather, you might want to wait a while. If you havew AC indoors, that can help too. The last few days I have gone from heat to cool several times, and my garden as all been cleaned out.

OK, I"m dying to do kraut - but seriously I don't understand the brineing party. Do I have to go and get one of those old crocks, do I keep it covered and is it really for 2 months?????

The crock is not needed. A good FOOD GRADE plastic pail is fine, with lid. They do not need a tight fitting lid as they need to expel gases druing fermentation. Suggest that you search through the many 'kraut' threads for more info too. You do need pickling salt and a way to shred the cabbages. The fermenting is long if its in a cool environment, and can take up to that length of time. Eventually the fermenting will slow and stop. Some use water locks attached to tight fitting covers. This is the same device used in fermenting wines. You don't want bacteria to go into the cabbage. The water seal locks allow gasses to escape, and prevent any from getting in. But thats a bit too much for some. A big plate and weight to hold the cabbage under the brine, then a towel to cover it will suffice.

The first time I did kraut I shredded the cabbage with a chef's knife. 15 pounds of it. A pain in the butt, but it worked.

Last year I got a Boerner V slicer from Amazon. It worked like a champ.

I don't use pickling salt for my kraut. It can be VERY hard to find here in Northern Virginia for some reason.

I use kosher salt that I put in the food processor and spin it until it's a lot finer.

My kraut bucket is a 2.5 gallon food grade pail that my Mom got from Dunkin Donuts. It was a bucket for chocolate donut icing.

It has a very tight fitting lid. I sacrified another lid, cutting out the center flat portion, to make my plate to keep the cabbage under the brine.

The kosher salt will still measure differently even after its run through a spinning FP blade. Breaking up the kosher in a food processor will dull the blades, and will still give variable crystal sizes. Many butcher supply houses have meat brining salt, which is the same as pickling in its texture and granule size. Virginia is a home for cured smoked hams, and I bet that there are several locations that can supply the brining salt, but be sure it doesn't contain any nitrates. I bought a 10 pound pail from a meat procesing supplier and it will last years. The cost was about $20.00, but at that time, shipping wasn't as high as it is now. When do home canning especialy pickling, I always prefer to have enough of each and every ingredient, so I don't run out or go crazy looking someplace in a panic. There are also 2-3 pund jars from Ball and Mrs. Wages. I just want to make usre your adding the proper amount of salt to water. Because the brine is supposed to do both fermenting and also preventing the cabbage from spoiling, its very important to get it right. Another option is to figure out the weight needed for the brine salt and then compare its weight with your kosher. You may be surprised that it could be a lot less or a lot more. Once salt is overdone, its not easy to get rid of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brining salt

Chinese and Japanese restaurants are also good sources for big, food grade plastic buckets. They get their soy sauce in them and generally have such a stack of them in the back that they don't mind parting with one or two. You need to fill them with water and dump some baking soda in to soak to get the smell out, but I like them because they're just big enough to be useful and not too big to lift when full.

I am waiting for the weather to cool just a wee bit more before I start. One batch turning into ick because it's too warm will cure one of wanting to start too soon. :P

Ideally you'll aim for 70-75 degrees. That's optimal for fermentation. Anything higher and there's a risk of spoilage or softening. I'm not particularly patient but I force myself to wait. It's just too much work to see it go to waste because I was in a hurry.

Anyone interested will find good information on Food-grade plastic buckets and how to clean them/remove odors/santitize at the site below.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Grade Plastic Containers FAQ