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Thursday, September 10, 2009

Saurkraut-It's a Family Affair

Tis the season for Saurkraut. Hubby grew a truck load of saurkraut this year. He had dreams of making saurkraut....lots of saurkraut. I'm not sure why; we still have several jars left from last year. I think the real reason is he just enjoys growing the vegetables and making the kraut. The last several years, my folks and I made the kraut while he was at work. So he missed all the fun.
For us, the process of making kraut is a group effort, kind of a family affair. We begin by cutting off all the heads and bringing them in to be washed and soaked in salt water. Hubby sorted through the heads, cutting off any bad spots and quartered them. I ran the pieces through the Kitchen Aid shredder, while our son-in-law stomped. Hubby monitored the stomping and added salt as needed. That requires a little tasting as you go!
Silly Son-in-law stomping saurkraut (say that 3 times!)
We covered the crock with a few large cabbage leaves and placed a bag containing just enough water in it to serve as a seal around the edges. The crocks were covered with some netting and set on the porch until they were ready to jar- about 3 weeks.
Three weeks later and its time to pack the jars and begin the canning process. But first the cabbage leaves and the top layer of the saurkraut must be removed. And once again we work together to get the job done. Hubby packed the jars on the porch while I juggled the process inside of preparing jars and monitoring the pressure canner.
We packed only one crock, the larger of the two, and ended up with nearly 40 jars of kraut. The other crock was set aside and my sister-in-law claimed it. She got 20 jars from that crock. We shouldn't need to make saurkraut again for a really loooong time!
So all in all, I'd say God blessed the fruits of our labor abundantly this year! The freezer is full, the pantry is full, and so are our tummies!



Where am I going to store all that saurkraut!?

Have a blessed day!
Tammy

2 comments:

  1. The kraut sounds wonderful, I remember my mom making it when I was a kid but my husband and children don't like it so I never bothered to learn. I love how you bring the family in to make it. You are creating wonderful memories.

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  2. Love the pics! It is such fun when families work together! I think that is one thing we are missing these days when everyone is out working there own jobs. It brings in a pay check but it doesn't give the satisfaction of pulling together for a common good.

    I made sauerkraut when we first got married and had enough for years. I'm out now and maybe will try making it again this fall.
    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Gina

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