Are my sauerkraut and kimchi fermenting yet?

Cooking and Baking

Posted by thatgrrl, October 14, 2009 at 10:32 AM

I got a huge (10-12 lb) head of cabbage at the farmer's market and I'm on day 3 of my first attempt at making sauerkraut and kimchi. My kitchen is about 60-65 degrees, with a little more warmth for a couple hours when I've been cooking. Everything's been sitting for about 3 days. Both are doing some of the things that they are supposed to- the amount of liquid in the sauerkraut jars is steadily increasing, the cabbage in both is getting wiltier and a bit translucent- but I can't tell if actual fermentation is happening. There's no scum on top of the sauerkraut brine, no bubbling in the kimchi. So how do I tell if stuff is fermenting, and if it isn't, can I still get it to?

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