Sauerkraut!

caraway seeds are my favorite spice to add. i'll throw in some juniper berries too, sometimes some cumin seeds. i think i put in some coriander seeds in this current batch

i'm gonna have to eat this kraut everyday to finish it up by spring. it came out to about 4 quarts of kraut total, something like that. 2 quart jars and one of those big spring-top jars that looks like 2 quarts. i love all kinds of fermented foods year-round but i do find that in winter i tend to really crave them, they provide brightness and intensity and fire when i really need it, i do attribute a lot of my more positive outlook this winter to eating a lot of fermented foods and getting into the rhythm of making them with fall harvests.

i enjoyed listening to this podcast recently:

http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/podcasts/adventures-in-the-global-kitchen-the-art-of-fermentation

Awesome, thanks for that link!

yea great podcast. sandor katz is such a great speaker. the momofuku guy less so. i keep noticing him say something that needs explanation and then katz explains what the other guy is talking about so much more clearly.

(i also have kind of an inherent distrust of momofuku and david chang despite them doing so cool things with food)

jaq, when will the kraut be ready and can i invite myself over when it is? <3

It is making little blurpy noises in the kitchen now! (the crock has a water sealed lid) - should be ready in 4-6 weeks!

yay! also (off topic) we have raspberry canes if you want some, jaq. next weekend?

Oh! Yes! And I have some new bitters for you to try - Power Pink Sour: cranberry, hibiscus/sorrel/flor de Jamaica/pink grapefruit!

oh boy, those are some of my favorite flavors, so i accept the offer! <3

Opened the lid on the crock for the first time today - 21 days is tasty and crunchy, but I think in 3 more weeks it will be even more delicious

it is so good already! thank you for sharing. raspberries are on their way as we speak!

Packed the finished kraut into jars just now - so tasty! I got three quarts and one pint and two bowls worth from those 3 heads of cabbage. Carrots or kimchee will be next.

cool! last batch i made (mentioned upthread) turned out kind of weird -- one smaller crock was a little *too* ripe and had kind of a funky taste, the larger crock turned out very crispy and tasty and had a brighter sourness with less funk. both had quite a bit of kahm yeast on the surface that was very persistent over the 7 or so weeks of fermentation. i think the yeast and other surface molds penetrated deeper in the smaller crock, resulting in more unpleasant funkiness.

I was surprised to not have any mold form on this batch! The other thing I read was that the smaller the batch, the quicker it ferments - which I guess makes sense.