Hi, Mike;
Yes, that's definitely an inexpensive way to go.
Regarding fermentation time:
mikepdx wrote: The main difference is that it only takes about 5 days in the Sauerkraut Maker. In the Harsch crock, the sauerkraut is ready to eat in about 7 to 10 days, and you have the option to let it sit and culture for up to 4 weeks. It becomes more sour the longer it sits.
Based on my own recent experience, and some of the great feedback on this forum, it seems to me that fermentation time depends on temperature, the degree of salt content, and whether or not one uses a probiotic starter. I'd bet that even the
Harsch crock could produce decent enough sauerkraut within five -- or even fewer -- days, if one were to use a probiotic starter and ferment at a relatively warm temperature. My
Spielmann Fermenting Vessel works on the same 'moat-as-airlock' principle as used in the
Harsch crock, and although I let my sauerkraut ferment in it for six days, I could easily have cut that to three days and had a really good product. There are sites that advertise a fermentation time of 24 hours -- my guess is that it's all a matter of the amount of starter, the fermenting temperature, and how one likes one's sauerkraut.
Happy fermenting!
Michael