Fermenting foods

[Victoria Pich]

I love fermented foods, and they love me. I also love the fact that they require no electricity (no pollution!) to make. Our favorite is sauerkraut. We use a three-gallon crock and 10-12 heads of cabbage. Our crock has a lid with a water seal, so gas can escape, but outside air can't get in. We shred the cabbage (I'm so old-fashioned I just use a knife) and put a layer in with some kosher salt and smash it down, then another layer with salt, etc... When you have enough, put a stone weight on the kraut. There should be enough liquid to cover the stone at least by one inch. If there isn't enough, add some more brine. You don't want cabbage sticking out of the liquid, as this can get moldy. Keep the crock nearby (indoors, so it's warm) and keep the water seal filled. We have to keep ours in a closet in the kitchen, or else our big 25-lb cat Huckleberry drinks the water out of the water seal trough, and I don't want cat germs anywhere near my sauerkraut! We just keep our kraut upstairs and use as needed. We don't can it. When you open the crock, sometimes there is a skin floating, or some mold on the crock walls. Just remove that and wipe away the mold. Also remove any unsightly leaves. We use it for at least 6 months. Delicious.

[Victoria Pich]

Or, what if I tUght you first? Just a thought. You just need a little equipment, the process is very easy.

[Victoria Pich]

I could do that. We can talk this Saturday about a time. I would need to organize it some, since I've never taught such a thing.

[suzanne sanders]

Vicki would you be interested in teaching a group on how how to make sauerkraut.  This is something I have not done yet and would love to learn.  Fermented foods are a wonderful edition to add to our diets.  Thank you so much for posting.