Whey to start sauerkraut?

[jawnn]

For almost a year I have been taking too much antibiotics for a perpetual bladder infection. Hopefully the surgery removing the stone holding bacteria has cured the problem. But now I may have a disease from side effects of taking so much antibiotics.

So I am trying to get as much good bacteria in me as I can. I just found this excellent kefir,
Is Lactase enzyme a by product of live cultures they grow in the kefir? Or where does it come from?

I also need to start fermenting vegetables, like Sauerkraut and Kimchi.

Is it possible to ferment mincemeat?


Is always better to eat raw sauerkraut if there is no mold or yeast?

Is it possible to use less salt in sauerkraut if I use whey from draining yogurt?

[jawnn]

Are all my questions just too abstract? Or too for beyand everyones experience?

[Christopher Weeks]

I don't know about lactase or mincemeat.

I consider it better to eat saurkraut raw, and that's got to be the case if your goal is to inoculate your gut with the microflora in the kraut, since cooking it will kill them.

It is possible to ferment with less salt but it seems a little finicky. You might want to read up on the process. It isn't something I've engaged in, but you can search here (and I'm sure elsewhere on the web) and Sandor talks about that subject in both of his books. I don't know specifically if using whey (or other cultures) to kickstart the fermentation helps, but that makes a certain sense. My experience with whey-cultured fermentation is that the end product doesn't taste as good, but I don't know what leads to that.