It has been an interesting day. About twenty minutes before I left for work, I started sneezing. Allergies. By the end of the day, my head was woozy dizzy from the allergies. So woozy dizzy that I did not think I would be able to balance my bicycle on the way home. My Beloved picked me up from work.
Monday evening, I broke my bone H crochet hook on Papaw's "kitchen" floor. Most people would call it the breakfast area but in Papaw's house that is probably not the right word. There is a room that is big enough for the whole family to sit down for Sunday breakfast. One of the grandchildren said it needed to be built so it was. My Beloved picked me up an aluminum crochet hook in his travels and I am using that one currently because the bamboo one just has too much friction. I splurged on ordering a fancy one that is handmade so I will see if I like that.
The allergies are starting to get bad again so I am going to see if I can write faster then I sneeze and swell. Sometimes witch hazel is my friend.
Before I left for MotoGP, I finished making kraut. It was a request. I was rushing to put it into the refrigerator before I left.
The first I made was senfkraut. It was much easier then I expected. Reading about making kraut is almost as mystical as reading about sourdough so I should have known better. I also have better ideas about how to can it after talking with a cousin. So many tricks can be learned around food with that many women cooking in a family!
My Beloved has been eating it on fish tacos. One of the boyos has just been eating it. There are brauts waiting to be cooked for it too. Happy bellies. Now, I admit it is not my cup of tea but I do not mind making it for happy bellies.
senfkraut
Note: I used the recipe from Taproot It was one of the most straight forward and unmystical descriptions I have read. It worked well.
1 purple cabbage, rinsed, cored and thinly sliced. Save about four of the whole outer leaves
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
3 - 6 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 tablespoons dill weed
3 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
1/4 cup filtered unchlorinated water
6 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoons peppercorns (I used multicolored because it was what I had)
In a large bowl, put the cabbage. Add the salt and massage into the leaves with your hands. The cabbages should start weeping brine. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Mix thoroughly with the cabbage.
In a blender, mix the mustard seeds and water just enough to break up the seeds.
Add the mixture to the cabbage bowl and massage with your hands. Taste for salt. Add a bit more if you wish. No more the 1/2 teaspoon. There should be enough brine to cover the ferment but if not, cover and set aside for 45 minutes. Massage again after this time.
In a quart jar or 1/2 gallon jar (or two pints like a used), place a few bay leaves on the bottom and the peppercorns. Add the cabbage mixture a bit at a time. Tamp down. Brine should be coming up and there should be no air pockets.
Top the cabbage mixture with the outer leaves. Weight down. I used sarann wrap and lots of rice. I tamped the rice down too and made sure the brine came up into the space around the rice. A ziploc of water would work too. Cover with a cloth and let sit in a cool shaded spot for 5 to 7 days. Check daily to make sure the vegetables stay submerged. It is done when it tastes pleasingly sour and like kraut and mustard.
Store in the refrigerator or can.
Like I said, happy excited contented boyos. Not my cup of tea but an easy make.