Yeah. The kraut needs to be submerged in fluid. The best I can tell is when the cabbage is sliced (or put in food processor). A person adds the salt and squeezes the juice out of the cabbage and then lets it set for a few hours to let the salt draw some of the water out of the cabbage as well. When it's all said and done when the kraut is packed in the fermenting container the fluid is just about there to totally immerse the kraut. It gets pretty close. I add maybe a cup of water. I think others are able to et enough water out of the kraut to immerse it completely. But, with that method it gets close. I use a place to push the kraut down and put two mason jars full of water as weights to keep the kraut down. You could use anything really. Rocks if one wanted. If you can use some organic sauerkraut as a starter then it will finish in about 3-4 days. Personally I think the 2 gallon fermenting bucket probably would be better unless you go thru a huge amount of sauerkraut. My kraut just fnished lastnight and I have 8 mason jars full of kraut now. It's really overkill. The bucket is huge. Plus with the smaller bucket one could try different recipes with smaller portions until you get one you like. My kraut tastes the same as last time and I'm not really looking forward to eating it.

The bad thing is the kraut can make one acidic. So, I am drinking lemon juice to try to make my system more alkaline. Then the acid can wear the enamel on a person's teeth if they are sensitive. So, there are some things to be cautious about. Buying the smaller bucket is a cheap alternative to buying it at the store. Boy it's expensive..
David