storing sauerkraut without canning

[Kelly Dietz]

Does anyone have a good method of storing kraut without canning?

I've made a great batch of Russian sauerkraut, and would like to move it from the crock to jars so I can start another batch. I've probably got enough to fill 4-6 quarts. I'd rather NOT can the kraut (via water bath), so that the lactobacillus remains alive and therefore the kraut remains as healthy as possible. 

Given our rate of consumption, the kraut doesn't really have to last that long... 6 weeks at the most. I was thinking of putting it in sterilized jars with some fermentation liquid, and then storing it in our root cellar or back porch (which is uninsulated so is cooler than the root cellar this time of year, closer to a refrigerator).  I don't think I have enough fermentation liquid to cover all the kraut in the jars, but it would probably cover most of it.

Thanks for any advice....!

[Alison F]

I'm no expert, but this resource from Penn State (see the PDF file below) says "Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for several months, or it may be canned and frozen."

I've made sauerkraut a few times and when it was done fermenting, I took it out of the brine, put it in jars, and left it in the fridge for about 4 months before we finished it. I wasn't sure whether or not to leave it in the brine, but it was fine without -- there was plenty of moisture.

Hope that helps!

[Carol Clarke]

I face this dilemma every year (and I keep moving, so I have different space to solve it in every year)! Refrigeration (around 38 degrees F) is the safest way to keep it - I've had real digestion consequences from eating sauerkraut I made myself and didn't store at a low enough temperature in the past. This year I'm going to use a refrigerator that is turned off in an unheated barn - should be cool enough but keep it from freezing. Just put a thermometer in the space where the kraut is and keep an eye on it.

[Kelly Dietz]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. It sounds like the root cellar might be a bit too warm (I don't want 'digestion consequences!). I wound up sterilizing jars and filling them with kraut and made extra brine to make sure it was all covered.
Thanks again!