Kraut Sunday

Some may think this is Palm Sunday but I beg to differ. It's actually "Kraut Sunday". You may say, how can sauerkraut top Jesus Christ? Well, let's take a look at how lowly old kraut has nourished us over the centuries. In China, it kept the laborers who built the Great Wall from starving. Who could have guessed that one of the only man-made monuments you can see from space was fueled by fermented cabbage? In the Hundred Years War in Europe the only thing that assured victory was whether or not either side had an ample supply of sauerkraut. In the U.S. civil war, barrels of kraut were commonly seized to nourish troops. Sauerkraut was also on a list of patriotic foods to make at home during World War II.

Most importantly, sauerkraut is highly prized in eastern European cultures for it's digestive properties. Made in the late fall and early winter, fermented cabbage's beneficial enzymes supposedly help the digestion of heavy winter diets laden with sausage and smoked meats. Apparently, they really take this point to heart. We recently overheard our Slovak waitress loudly chastising her co-worker for eating sausages at lunch without kraut.

Not surprisingly, the sauerkraut you get in stores lacks digestive enzymes. The high heat canning process kills all the good cooties. This is probably what inspired my sausage-loving German husband to spend his day off making homemade sauerkraut. Like many oldie timey foods, I assumed that there was some sort of magic that goes into making it. Amazingly, it's pretty easy. Basically, all you do is slice up some cabbage, salt it, and smash the crap out of it with a potato masher (or whatever you have available). Then let it ferment, covered, for about 3 weeks at 60-70 degrees and hope like hell that your entire house doesn't smell like rotten cabbage! I'll report later on how it turns out! Here's a simple recipe if you're interested: http://www.kitchengardeners.org/sauerkraut.html