If you love fermented foods, you'll know that there's plenty about them to appreciate. In addition to the unparalleled tartness and flavor they can add to any dish they're included in, there's also the fact that they're associated with things like the improvement of digestive health and a lowered risk of heart disease. There's also the preservative qualities of the fermentation process, which was a huge deal — especially before refrigeration.
Sauerkraut has long been a great way of extending the longevity of cabbage, but what does that mean for that jar of sauerkraut that you opened the other day for some delicious Reuben-style brats ? The straightforward answer is that there are two ways to make sauerkraut; pasteurized and unpasteurized (raw). Once opening a shelf-stable pasteurized bottle you only have three or four weeks to use it (from the fridge), while an unpasteurized sauerkraut will last four to six months. That might sound counterintuitive, but there's good reason.
Since there are plenty of surprising ways to add more sauerkraut to your meals — including fun ideas like using it to make a unique grilled cheese or salad — you'll have plenty of opportunities to use it up before it goes bad. But what about when you're approaching the cut off? Sauerkraut is a little funky by nature, but fortunately, there are some telltale signs that you should probably think about throwing it away and opening a new jar. Here's how long that sauerkraut lasts Let's start with unopene.