My First Canning Experience
I just finished canning (why don't they call it jarring?) my first batch of sauerkraut. Or more appropriately, cabbage, in the hopes of it becoming sauerkraut. Okay, don't laugh, but it's a big deal for me. Not just the canning/jarring thing, but I never even considered eating sauerkraut before now. It was on my "don't bring that stuff anywhere near me list". But because I'm making known the unknown, even in these simple acts of providing future food, I want to be open. I want to step outside my potato, carrot, and tomato neighborhood.
This experiment all started when I went to visit a friend yesterday, with the main purpose of picking up a shirt I had left behind several weeks ago. I came home with a carload of fresh produce from her beautiful garden and a bantam chicken from her coop. The produce included four massive cabbage heads, the kind you could carve out the inside of and wear as a hat, as part of a Halloween costume-an original for sure; and a recipe for sauerkraut. So out came my never used canning paraphernalia. One head of cabbage and four jars later-the humble beginnings of an awesome food supply for the days to come. The other three heads will have to wait another day.
I never did get my shirt.
HERE ARE SOME EASY RECIPES
Sauerkraut by the Quart - An Easy Recipe
Make sure you've sterilized your jars, lids and bands. You can do this by placing them in a large pan of water, enough to cover the jars. Boil for 10 minutes. Cut enough cabbage for several jars, or as many as you'd like to make. I cut the cabbage into thin slices, or shreds.
When enough cabbage is cut, pack and press the cabbage into each sterilized jar. Keep pushing/packing down the cabbage until the juice begins to show. Continue to add cabbage and press down until 1 inch of space is left at the top of the jar.
Add 1 tsp. of salt and ½ tsp of honey to each quart jar. Fill slowly with boiling water. Let things settle for a few moments. Insert a knife blade to the bottom of the jar and against the sides to allow air bubbles to escape. Leaving about ½ inch of space at the top, put the lids on and screw down tightly.
Wipe the jars off, set them in an old dish pan in a cool corner of a garage or outbuilding and wait. Inspect the jars every few days. The lids will begin to bulge, which means the kraut is fermenting properly. It can get messy as the juice seeps through the lid. Wipe it off and tighten the jar lid more. DO NOT loosen the lids at any time. You should know that there will be plenty of kraut odor. At least that's what I'm told. I haven't gotten to the smelly part yet. But the "experts" say this will continue as long as the kraut is working.
After about 6 weeks the kraut will have cured and the jars can be washed and put with your other canned foods.
Kim Chee
A relish served with almost every Korean dish.
Makes about 3 quarts.
Choose firm, white heads of:
Chinese Cabbage (about 4 ½ pounds)
Cut into 1 ½ inch lengths and sprinkle with:
1/3 cup salt
Let stand at least 4 hours until cabbage is wilted
Drain off excess water and combine with:
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ cup chopped green onion
1 or 2 small red hot chili peppers, minced
(Appx. 3 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. of paprika
Fill sterilized jars with mixture up to 2 inches from the top, add
cold water to top of relish and cover, but do not seal. Let sit at
room temperature 2 or 3 days until fermentation begins. The second day check for saltiness, adding more if needed. Bubbles will rise to the top when relish is fermented enough.
Tighten lids and refrigerate indefinitely.
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