Fermented Foods

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, smallblueplanet. I assumed it wouldn't be possible to import them from the UK. Never even thought to look. Thanks again.

[ameno]

I think like with sauerkraut the bacteria doing the fermenting is 'stronger' than any 'bad' bacteria might be and so it isn't ever 'off'. Now that might not be quite true, but then off milk is yogurt? You'll get what I mean when you've watched some more videos and read stuff. Basically I think like with sauerkraut it is nearly always safe but you easily know when it isn't.

It's the lactic acid the bacteria produce which preserve it, combined with the fact that it's under water and thus there is no oxygen.
The salt in the water is not enough to actually prevent the growth of bad bacteria, but what it does do is slow their grow long enough for the Lactobacillus (which are more resistant to salt) to proliferate and produce a decent amount of lactic acid, which then halts the growth of the bad bacteria.

And yeah, you can pretty much always tell when any fermented veg has gone wrong, as it smells bad (like rotten veg).

Great. Does it matter what sort of cabbage? Are some better taste wise in these than others?

In theory you can use any cabbage, but I would recommend something crisp rather than leafy, as it produces a better texture in the final product (flavour changes little).
White cabbages are the normal one for saurkraut, but red cabbages or Chinese cabbage also work well (Chinese cabbage is also used for kimchi, of course, which is effectively like a spicy, garlicky saukraut.

[peanut]

I've made Michael Mosley's purple sauerkraut, its really nice.