Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A New Approach to Sauerkraut

I had a beautiful experience making sauerkraut.  And I thought the outcome would be beautiful, too.

cooking 005 (Sea salt, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, and dulse)

And I was going to teach you how to make this lacto-fermented dish that aides in digestion. 

cooking 006 Such as, chop up a head of cabbage. 

cooking 008 (Pulverize any fresh vegetables.)

cooking 009 

(Sprinkle dulse {seaweed} and sea salt on the cabbage.)

cooking 011 (Pound ingredients down to release natural juices.)

cooking 016(Cover with a plate, apply weight to top of plate to keep oxygen from entering underneath the plate, and store in a remote and dark location for 2 weeks.) 

I heart sauerkraut . . . as long as it is made the old fashioned way.  Don’t give me the stuff from a factory.  I want your cabbage that has sat around for days, if not weeks.  I typically dump some blue corn chips on a plate, add a whopping dollop of sauerkraut, pour some pumpkin seed oil on top, and sprinkle on some sea salt.  It makes for a GREAT lunch.

But something went awry with my last batch. 

I had planned on letting it ferment 23 days, the perfect duration according to my friend, Bridget. 

cooking 017 After 2 weeks, check on your sauerkraut.  I’m not sure what I was looking for . . . but it wasn’t . . . .

saurkraut 001 some sort of weird mushroom that I had managed to grow. 

Sigh.

And the kraut SMELLED bad!

saurkraut 003

Well, my mom has since stepped in and is seeking to act as the Health Department in charge of micro-organism control. 

I’m going to start over.  But this time, I am going to use a REAL sauerkraut crock.  (Thanks Mom!)

saurkraut 079

Isn’t it cool?  A 2 gallon crock.  The stomper is on its way.

saurkraut 081 

I won’t have to use towels this time to create a dark habitat.

saurkraut 082

Even the lid is cute.  Is it wrong to admire my new crock so much?  It probably is a little sick.  I sooooo need to be a pioneer or live on a farm.

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