Making Sauerkraut

A batch of Tex-Mex sauerkraut fermenting.

I have always liked sauerkraut, usually as in with brats. Well, as an older adult anyway. As a kid you wouldn’t have been able to get me to touch the stuff. Now, it’s German potato salad, brats, and sauerkraut, yummy! With a nice German beer, of course.

With my hermit lifestyle, I’m doing a lot more experimenting and have discovered a whole wide world of sauerkraut. My eldest daughter, Elian, has been preaching the gospal to me for years about “fermented” foods. I had ran later across an article in Mother Earth News on fermenting not too long ago. When I used to think about “fermenting,” it was about beer, wine, and such, not cabbage and other veggies.

Then, just a few months ago, attending a continue education workshop for counseling (mental health) on the gut-brain connection and health, the speaker brought up fermented foods for their pro- and pre-biotics, and their many health benefits., both mental and physical health. The universe was trying to send me a message maybe?

Then, several months ago, Elian brought me a pint of jalapeño sauerkraut. She and her business partner, Lance, own and run the Clemson Area Food Exchange, which is an internet farmers’ market specializing in locally grown, mostly organic produce, meat, eggs, and crafts. Someone had ordered the jalapeño sauerkraut but not picked it up. She had plenty of fermented sauerkraut on hand already. Plus, she likes a little spice, but honestly, jalapeños? I tried it. It was indeed “spicy.” I loved it!

(more…)

Continue ReadingMaking Sauerkraut

Peach Chutney

After collecting mainly beans and tomatoes from the garden and doing a little mowing Wednesday morning, I decided to make peach chutney. I had several pounds of peaches that needed to be used and used the last of my plum chutney a couple of months ago. I especially like to put the chutney, which has a little red chili pepper sweet-sour bite, on egg rolls. I had fixed egg rolls and had nothing to put on them. Do you know how bland egg rolls are without sweet/sour sauce of some kind. I’m using a Thai substitute right now while the new batch of chutney ages. You have to let chutney age for several weeks for optimum flavor. Well that little effort took till that night before the chutney had cooked down enough.

My summer canning station this year.
My summer canning station.
(more…)

Continue ReadingPeach Chutney