Rave: A family who 'krauts together stays together.

Got sauerkraut? Do you even know what it is? In my family, it's more than a food, it's an adventure. Kraut is an experience that brings my people together (to make it), splits people up (you have stinky-breath ... get out!), and separates us into 'those who like' and 'those who don't like' it. There's always one 'kraut-quitter in the batch.

Sauerkraut has made a big impact on my family. Once when I was little, my big sister MT ate it raw. Not a big deal, usually, but it is when you have a gallstone passing. Poor MT. She screamed bloody murder (I can still hear it) with pain. I ran down 2 flights of stairs (I was playing in the attic, she was in the kitchen), saw her doubled over, and quickly called my dad. He got her to the hospital. She had her gallbladder removed. (I'm telling you, don't be messin' with 'kraut!) That was in the old days when they ripped you open from belly button to 'heart' level to take it out. She still has a scar. She still eats sauerkraut.

My old roommate told me she wanted to learn how to make sauerkraut, so would I please ask my cousin over sometime to help us make it. Ohhhh, yeah, she had a crush on my cousin, too. Perfect, crush cabbage while crushin' on my cuz. Niiiiice. (It worked. They're celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss-or something like that-this month.)

In my Joy of Cooking cook book that I inherited from my mom, there's dried 'kraut. Yup, right by the braised pork hock recipe. I'd clean it up, but I dunno, there's something about that stain there that adds the "this is a good recipe" seal of approval.

One of my dad's besties was named Mr. Kraut. Short for Mr. Krautkramer. I loved him. His pockets jingled. He brought stinky cheese and Ritz crackers and pickled herring. Sometimes he'd bring us 'kraut. But our 'kraut was better. We didn't tell him that though. He played cribbage and drank whiskey with my dad. He taught me cribbage rhymes: Cut'em slim you're bound to win. Cut'em think you think you're slick. Cut'em in the middle you'll play'em like a fiddle. Mr. Kraut was an icon.

So hey, you get the idea. Loving sauerkraut is a way of life: you either get it or you don't. When people tell me they don't like 'kraut, I just sigh and drop my head. If they'd had Uncle Leo's sauerkraut they'd like it. Uncle Leo's is crunchy, tangy, mellow. Other 'kraut is mushy, stringy, stinky. Yuck. People who've been abused by bad'kraut? I try to save those people from a 'krautless life. I invite them over and share some of Uncle Leo's with them. If they actually eat it, they reach the 'kraut mecca. If they don't, well, they don't reach the mecca, they don't learn to love 'kraut and most likely, they'll continue living a 'krautless existence. So sad.

Sauerkraut is cheap. It's cabbage, water, salt. That's it. You can, however, screw it up pretty badly if you don't know what you're doing when you let it 'rest'. If you don't get the scum off right, it'll all go bad. Skimming the scum is work. But you have to do it and mind how you do it. No spreading bad bacteria. Bad sauerkraut is one of those smells you never forget. So at least you never screw it up twice in your lifetime.

These pictures are from when I was with my cousins making sauerkraut, Uncle Leo's Sauerkraut to be exact. Uncle Leo grows his own cabbage so you know it's going to be good. Uncle Leo also has been making 'kraut for over, oh I suppose 80 years, so you know it's going to be made right. If you listen. And you want to listen to Uncle Leo. He'll tell you if you're messing up with a not-so-gentle 'hey, hey, that's not nice now'. You want the nice "Nice" from Uncle Leo.

Here's the recipe for how we make it:
Cabbage . . . Nice Cabbage
A shredder
Salt
A crock/bucket
A pounder/club
A plate
A perfect 'kraut rock or a jug of water
Water

Layer it: cabbage, 3 small hand fulls of salt, water (pound it), cabbage, 2 small handfulls of salt, water (pound it) ... etc. 'til crock is full. Press it all down and add a little more water so it's juicy. Leave room for the scum to bubble up. Place the big outside cabbage leaves on top. Press plate down on it *upside down*. Top plate with perfect rock. Let sit in cool, dry place for a while. Skim the scum. When it's ready, can it. (And if you're not sure if it's ready, it's not ready.) Eat it. It's nice!

Enjoy!