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Cabbage Patch

cabbage patchThe cabbage patch is bursting with nice heads of cabbage.  We like cabbage, but still one can only eat so much cabbage at one time.  The outside leaves are a beloved treat for Agnes and Bob.cabbage cowAgnes deserves some treats as she is such a good Mama Cow and the little girls are doing remarkably well!cabbage twinsWith cabbage on hand, I was feeling adventurous….and so I decided to try to make sour kraut.  The ingredient list took me by surprise…ready?  Cabbage and salt.  Good salt, not just salt-salt, so I sprung for a big box of ‘good’ salt.cabbageAn impressive knife helps and good hand-washing supplies, because the directions included ‘massaging’ the cabbage until it begins to release its liquid.cabbagesSmashing is also an important part of making sour kraut, as you have to smash the cabbage down tight into the jar.  As you can tell this is a fairly high brow kind of thing…it takes cabbage and salt, you massage it, smash it down and after a couple of days you burp it.  Seriously!  As the cabbage naturally ferments, it creates a gas and every few days, you must release the gas (burb the sour kraut) so it doesn’t explode.sour kraughtWe love sour kraut and I am planning on making more, after all…I have the salt!

Here’s my shout out to my friend gardener/cook Mama P, who I thought would be most impressed that I made sour kraut…at least until she saw the ingredient list!

{ 4 comments… add one }
  • Miriam August 1, 2015, 3:53 pm

    So were there perhaps any Cabbage Patch Dolls in your garden?
    And when you “burp” the kraut, is it a vocal burp? Or a silent, but odeferoius burp?
    These are questions a city girl asks….

    • Ellen Walton August 1, 2015, 10:51 pm

      The burping is a bit of both, believe it or not. Like releasing a jar of pickles or jam the first time…. No Cabbage Patch Dolls, but Gladys can just barely keep her head about the pumpkin patch this year!

  • Christa Peitzman August 1, 2015, 2:35 pm

    Ok you got me on that one! I would have guessed vinegar too! I have a new neighbor friend who chose to celebrate HER birthday by taking the day off ( she’s a big time banker) to can peach butter and apple butter with me!! So pleased to have found another dear friend who enjoys the simplicity of life. Keep me updated on the kraut!!! The girls look like they are thriving well! And those cabbages… Glorious as they should be on Glory Farm! Xo

    • Ellen Walton August 1, 2015, 10:49 pm

      Glad to hear of your new neighbor! I am excited to make more kraut! I burped it today and it seems to need a few more days! My kind of cooking…does not have to be exact!

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