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NEWSROOM * CIRCULATION * ADVERTISING
Tuesday
February 2010
9
Community Blogs
Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.
Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.
An Ode to Kraut - Or The Odious Cabbage
I was determined to make sauerkraut.
The recipe called for a pail (or crock), shredded cabbage and Kosher salt.
It's easy. Simply layer the cabbage in the pail, sprinkle with salt and repeat. And allow the thoroughly natural process of decomposition to commence.
As an aside - I would remind my 46 readers that you can do this yourself at home with little risk of injury. Other than chopping with a big, sharp chef's knife you will run no risk of burns from exploding pressure cookers.
Anyway - the bucket was placed with great care in the laundry room (seeking a uniform 65+ degrees of temperature) and the kraut-to-be was relegated to fermenting along with the socks and underwear.
What? Food preparation accompanied by dirty unmentionables?
To be clear - I am fastidious about hygiene so the cabbage was sealed from the pungent atmosphere of the baskets of sweaty laundry by placing a plastic garbage bag filled with water on top of it. This ingenious and simple air-lock sealed the bucket yet allowed the fermentation gases of the rotting cabbage to escape and mingle with the other assorted laundry room odors.
Trust me. You don't want to keep the bucket in say - your bedroom.
Really honey - it's the kraut.
I digress.
I had been thinking that the stuff had to fester for upwards of five weeks or more - at least that's what the internet said to allow. But a reader suggested I check it sooner.
This last weekend I checked on it and sure enough it had stopped bubbling. A signal that the putrefying cabbage was ready.
I tightly packed it in jars, topped-off each jar with kraut juice from the bucket and processed it for about 25 minutes in the canner.
I have to tell you that this stuff is fantastic! I've already served it with a meal of Jaeger Schnitzel and spaetzle and again with frankfurters. No more bland, uninspired, factory made, store bought kraut for this Gärtner.
Hence forth - home-grown laundry room kraut is the rule.
I have even had visions of a vast, cabbage-centric meal at deer camp this fall. The boys will be ecstatic.
I am genuinely mirthful over the fact that I really hit one out of the park with this first-time attempt. So I am positively tickled to present you with a carefree musical tribute...
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Mine turned out great also! I didn't cover the cabbage I let the natural bugs in the are have at it. The salt kills off the unwanted "bugs" and lets the good ones in. I bagged mine and froze rather than processing that way it is still crunchy when eaten raw on brats or whatever. I even did a couple of ziplocks with juniper berries in them.
Next time you want to do this let me know I have a million year old wooden cabbage cutter made for slaw or kraut. Saves a lot of time.
The canned kraut actually is still crispy (although not like fresh crispy) .
Juniper berries? Does it taste like gin?
The next time I do this I'm going to can a batch with plenty of caraway seed - Bavarian style. I'm also thinking about doing red cabbage.
All of the red cabbages we raised got snapped-up at the Farmer's Market last weekend. I'm going to do a batch this winter with store-bought reds and see how it turns-out.
Is your cabbage cutter a wooden bowl with a double-bladed chopper? I've seen them in antique stores.
I initially thought about running wedges through the food processor - on further reflection that seemed like more work. Whacking at it and slicing it with big old chef's knife resulted in plenty of variety. It looks more authentically homemade.
If your chopper is available we can probably arrange a barter transaction on the rental.
The cabbage cutter looks like an old wash board with 2 blades in it. With store bought cabbage you might have to add water to them. Do not use tap water, chlorine is death to fermentation.
The stuff is hard to pick out of the keyboard, though. . .
Hmmm. I was thinking.
At first blush I had some trouble pinning-down what you were talking about.
After-all, I don't eat kraut-laden brats over my computer keyboard.
Then it occurred to me that you were referring to the perky young Fraulein with the accordion.
I can only hope that you danced a wee little jig to the kraut polka.
My new slogan is Sauerkraut ist Sehr Gut!
Finally! A subject that lives up to this blog's name!
Actually, I was eating kraut at the computer. . .shocking, I know.
Tags: Dangerous Kitchen Experiments : Gardening : : Popular Culture
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