
Once when my mom was visiting we were talking about fermented foods and how our family used to make lots of sauerkraut. Of course they did, we are German! My question is, why did we stop???? Anyway, my mom was telling me about how someone in the family used to line the bottom of the crock with bell peppers and pack the cabbage on top of that. She said she looked forward to getting to the bottom of the crock for those peppers.
This story has stuck with me and was the inspiration for a jar of kraut that I made this summer. I packed red and green bell peppers on the bottom and filled the jar with cabbage, onions, kale, and...I'm not sure what else was in there but it sure was good (I'm working on getting better at writing down the ingredients so I have a chance of recreating it). We have been enjoying the kraut and I have been patiently waiting to get to the bottom. This evening as I was packing up fermented foods to take to a class at the library I decided that the this half full jar was too big to travel with and I needed to downsize. This means that the peppers from the bottom, were now on the top!!!
I have been waiting 7 months now to taste those peppers! I could not believe the pop of flavor and beyond that...the crunch! It is no wonder that this was my mom's favorite part of the kraut, these peppers are fantastic. This is going to be a staple in my home for now on and I hope that one day, as I share this story with my kids, that they will continue on with this delicious tradition.
Do you have any family traditions that have influenced your ferments?
This story has stuck with me and was the inspiration for a jar of kraut that I made this summer. I packed red and green bell peppers on the bottom and filled the jar with cabbage, onions, kale, and...I'm not sure what else was in there but it sure was good (I'm working on getting better at writing down the ingredients so I have a chance of recreating it). We have been enjoying the kraut and I have been patiently waiting to get to the bottom. This evening as I was packing up fermented foods to take to a class at the library I decided that the this half full jar was too big to travel with and I needed to downsize. This means that the peppers from the bottom, were now on the top!!!
I have been waiting 7 months now to taste those peppers! I could not believe the pop of flavor and beyond that...the crunch! It is no wonder that this was my mom's favorite part of the kraut, these peppers are fantastic. This is going to be a staple in my home for now on and I hope that one day, as I share this story with my kids, that they will continue on with this delicious tradition.
Do you have any family traditions that have influenced your ferments?