Sauerkraut... finally

Bottled up two quart jars of sauerkraut yesterday and now I can finally get the fermenting/eating system going. This amount came from a single cabbage.

I decided to experiment with a smaller batch after an unfortunate mishap with the first batch. Something I neglected to report on.

Yes, within only two weeks I managed to smash the lid on my !!! brand new !!! Harsch crock while taking a typically impatient peak at the progress. I should've just left it alone. Air can be an enemy to fermentation.

Although I tried to cover it all up with a plate, the air found its mark and a bloom of mold took over.

I've read on other blogs that you can scoop off the mold and dig out the perfect sauerkraut beneath, but since this was my first homegrown batch I didn't want to chance it. Instead I disposed of the whole operation, sent away for a new lid, and began anew. Miracle Exclusives sells authentic Gartopf lid replacements, if anyone else out there needs one.

I'm really looking forward to mashed potatoes mixed with homemade kraut tonight. Comfort food. Yum.

Getting a Head

Gardeners come in all stripes from Prince Charles to Appalachian homesteaders. We all speak the same lingo and tend to find each other. People are part of your harvest. You grow your community. 

It was a lucky day for me when Louise here asked to see my vegetable plot.

She surveyed the sad state of affairs in the cabbage patch, "Water from the top," she commanded, "The leaves will close up."

I obeyed and so did they.


Look at this monster! A full fat head of cabbage. This is the first time I've planted cabbage and it is delicious. So sweet and flavorful. Entirely different than the store bought variety. Thank you, Louise! Now I can make sauerkraut.

I have a spanking new Harsch fermenting crock I've been dying to use.

Nutritionists are reporting that there are physiological benefits to eating fermenting foods. They contain the good bacteria we need in our gut for digestion. I already make my own yoghurt and sourdough starter for bread, so fermented cabbage is a next step. 

I actually abhor the Korean version, Kimchi, (and reconfirm this annually) but I came to love sauerkraut after living in Germany for a year.

Sauerkraut is fairly easy to make... with a little elbow grease. Cutting the cabbage is no picnic but punching it down in the crock was a good tension reliever. You sprinkle each layer with a little sea salt.

Sauerkraut needs three things: cabbage, sea salt and time.