sauerkraut

[happy acres]

This batch is much better! Still somewhat crunchy, and has a real good flavor! I didn't put the carraway seed in this batch.

The jar with the white cap is for eating now. The others I processed for later use.

 

[baymule]

YAY!!! Looks delicious!

 

[happy acres]

It is!

 

[happy acres]

Well, I'm embarrassed to say, that first jar of sauerkraut is gone! It was soooooooo good! I'll have to try to ration the rest!

 

[Smart Red]

Ration? Why ever? Kraut is good for you.

Don't ration, increase plants and process more.

 

[happy acres]

Good idea! Wonder if I've got a bigger crock stashed somewhere?

 

[JimWWhite]

If you want to try something a little different then try making kimchi or Korean sauerkraut. We made a small batch of 24 half pint jars last year and it was 'da bomb'! I took in eight jars to my co-workers (also known as cubicle rats because they'll eat anything when you bring in free food). Within minutes after giving out what I had there were people lining up outside my office door demanding their fair share. If you're like me and enjoy a hotdog with kraut, then you've got to try it with kimchi. Outta this world. There's no standard recipe for kimchi because every family in Korea has it's own recipe and no two are the same. But it's basically made like sauerkraut but with some extra ingredients. True Korean kimchi is made with leftover fish parts, like the heads, tails and certain innards. But for the American palate you can use seaweed or kelp and get a little flavor of the deep in the kimchi. Some garlic, hot dried pepper flakes, salt of course and caraway seeds. You can add all kind of spices and herbs to it. I've even seen recipes where they use beer. In Korea they make it in a crock like was recommended above but they bury it in the ground for a few weeks. This is probably because they don't want to smell the fish and stuff fermenting in the house all that time. I once had a neighbor in Denver, CO who was a Korean lady and she'd make it the traditional way her Mama taught her how. One day I came home and went out into the back yard and was hit full on by a horrific odor that was a cross between a fish cannery and a glue factory. Looking over the fence I saw May, the neighbor, carrying a crock back to the house. When I asked her what the smell was she said 'Kimchi', which I probably interpreted at the time meant it was a dead body in a crock. But if you make it the western or American way it's a lot less smelly and super good on hotdogs and spareribs. We made ours chopped up finer than kimchi normally is, more like sauerkraut so it wasn't so chucky and would go on a hot dog better. Good stuff. And it's a good side condiment too.

 

[so lucky]

A few years ago I bought a jar of kimchi at an international market in Nashville. It smelled so bad, right through the glass jar. I kept putting it in more plastic bags, in a cooler, in the trunk. It still stunk so bad! I did try to sample it when I got it home, but just couldn't. I'm pretty sure that not all kimchi smells that bad.

 

[JimWWhite]

I think the key word was 'International'. I've tasted the real stuff and like you I don't think I'd try it again on a bet. But find a good, simple recipe online that does not use fish or fish parts and try making it for yourself. The way we made it it was like sauerkraut but with a kick from the garlic and pepper flakes.

 

[baymule]

Fish heads.....fish guts.....rotten ones at that.....what's not to like?