Fermentation Support Forum

Hello,
I'm making my first batch of sauerkraut. I am using a crock with a water seal. The temperature fluctuates between 65-72 degrees. It's has been four days and I have no bubbles or noises or any sign that anything is happening I have not opened it since I sealed it because I don't want to let in air. I have been making sure to keep the water moat full every day. But shouldn't something be happening by now? Shouldn't I be getting noises or something?

Four days often is just the beginning of the process. And sometimes the bubbling at this point will be minimal. If it’s still not doing anything after a week, pop the top and give it a sniff to see if it’s starting to ferment.

Thanks for the reply! So I popped it open yesterday to have a look since it had been a week and there was no bubbling. Inside everything was still submerged. A couple small pieces floating that I pulled out. The brine still looks nice and clear. No mold or scum or anything. A bunch of clumps of bubbles floating around on top. I sniffed it and it has a clean slightly vinegar smell. So I guess something is happening just maybe very slowly and not very energetically. I closed it back up and filled the water seal. My only concern now is that I let air in when I checked on it. Hope that won't mess it up

My krauts occasionally bubble, but mostly don't. They always ferment. Also, I consider three weeks to be just the beginning of the ferment. You can eat it then, but it's not really ripe for another couple months.

Great thanks! I thought maybe I did something wrong because it wasn't bubbling out the crock water airlock

My first two ferments (anaerboic), saukerkraut and green tomatoes, were really a lot. So much that there was water leaching out of the through the rubber. But that didn't happen in any subsequent fermentation and I was having same thoughts as you.