I had a beautiful experience making sauerkraut. And I thought the outcome would be beautiful, too.
(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.
Such as, chop up a head of cabbage.
(Pulverize any fresh vegetables.)
(Sprinkle dulse {seaweed} and sea salt on the cabbage.)
(Pound ingredients down to release natural juices.)
(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.
After 2 weeks, check on your sauerkraut. I’m not sure what I was looking for . . . but it wasn’t . . . .
some sort of weird mushroom that I had managed to grow.
Sigh.
And the kraut SMELLED bad!
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!)
Isn’t it cool? A 2 gallon crock. The stomper is on its way.
I won’t have to use towels this time to create a dark habitat.
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.