Sauerkraut Reveal 2020

On day 29, I opened up the kraut crock.  The temps for the April fermentation period were pretty close to ideal.  Early in the month it got into the mid-70s, but was otherwise mostly in the targeted range of about 66-72.

I had profound troubles with the sauerkraut tide again.  At times the water in the moat almost disappeared, then hours later (after more water was added) it would overflow and run down the sides.

The picture shows one of the low times.  There were a few occasions when it dropped below the notch in the lid, making me wonder if the air seal had been broken.  I tried shifting the lid around a bit but nothing ran out.  Nonetheless, the seal apparently stayed intact.

When I finally opened it, the view was pretty similar to last time:

That isn't mold on the top, just petrified foam.  Once again, it became apparent as I was trying to lever the glass weights out of the crock that 7-8 pounds of cabbage is the maximum this crock can hold.  Although I was maybe a pound lighter than last time going in, I got about the same amount when the jars were filled--a little over 1.25 gallons.

The Cool-Whip container at the left holds some, as well, although not much--less than a pint's worth.

The pH is about 4.0, as near as I can tell; the red tinting of the cabbage makes it hard to get a good read.

The flavor is outstanding, though the texture is much different from thin-sliced sauerkraut.  And the core pieces aren't objectionable.  This one was a success... and with the temps expected to be in the upper 80s for the first May weekend in north Georgia, this will definitely be the last batch until fall.