how to make cultured sauerkraut

so here it is. a step-by-step guide to making sauerkraut with salt brine (not vinegar), so the tasty result is a crunchy, yummy sauerkraut teeming with live cultures. i'm using sandor ellix katz's recipe here from his popular book wild fermentation. next week i'll make another batch with my fancy german crock. see below for pics of the process.

what i'm using:
1 gallon ceramic crock, a plate that fits inside, 1 gallon jug filled with water, pillowcase or towel

cabbage, salt, caraway seeds

1. cut or shred cabbage into small pieces. this can vary. i like my kraut chunkier, but some people prefer smaller pieces. the amount of cabbage you cut up depends on how much you are going to try and make, usually you'll need around 10 -15 lbs of cabbage.
2. in small batches, coat the cabbage with salt, preferably using good sea salt. as a general rule, use about 2 teaspoons for 2 1/4 lbs cabbage.
3. place a layer of cabbage in your ceramic crock. in this batch of kraut i'm using a crock i got at ace hardware for $30.
4. (now for the hard part) press down on the cabbage with your fists or a mallet until the the salty juice starts to extract from the cabbage. this takes a lot longer than you think and demands a lot of weight and persistence. the first time i made kraut my friend dan who's 6'4" tall did most of the work and still it took a long time. you want to do this until the liquid starts to seep through your knuckles.
5. add other ingredients like carrots or caraway seeds to the briny layer, then add another layer of salted cabbage and repeat the above process. do this until you are done filling the crock.
6. place a plate and a heavy weight on top of the cabbage (make sure they're nice and clean) and press down to see how much liquid comes up. if there's less than 3-4cms of liquid above the plate you need to add extra brine. to do this, boil 3 teaspoons of salt in 4 cups of water. allow water to cool before adding to the cabbage. it's a good idea to make this ahead of time.
7. cover everything with a clean pillow or towel. allow to sit in your kitchen somewhere in a cool, low-light area. after a couple of days, store in a basement if you have it.
8. allow to ferment for 4-6 weeks. check the kraut every day or two and remove mold if it's there. wash off the plate and weight and replace.