Autumnal Kraut

Thanks to David Conklin for the photo of Solomon planting tulips for next spring!

October is filled with change – the dramatic dwindling of the sun, cold mornings and hot days and everything in between. All the crops and fields on the farm reflect and respond to these shifts. As a part-time employee, these changes are exaggerated and measurable to me, especially after frosts. I enjoy being in relationship with the changing seasons and learning how to adapt and respond to the unpredictable.

Fall prompts us to consider what we’re ready to let go of and what we want to embrace in the months to come. On the farm, we’re tilling some plants back into the soil, and planting others, intending them to remain through the winter as slow-growing but hardy and delicious sustenance. Working with seasonal changes has taught me how to stay resilient and adaptable through the bigger changes we are experiencing all around us, on both micro and macro levels. 

One fall ritual is making sauerkraut with other people. I enjoy making kraut with others because everyone has different skills, and everyone enjoys different aspects of the process. It feels nourishing to be doing this with others!

How to Make Sauerkraut
This is a great time to make sauerkraut, since our hearty cabbage is in abundance now. The simplest way to make it requires, jars, cabbage, a knife and a cutting board. Begin by cutting out the core of the cabbage, then choose how to shred the cabbage. You can use a knife and finely cut the cabbage into thin slivers and small pieces, you can use a mandolin (if you’re brave), and you can try grating it. I think it’s fun to have different-textured cabbage in a the kraut.

Next, combine the salt and cabbage. You want a ratio of about 2% salt to cabbage by weight. Massage the salt into the shredded cabbage and let it settle in. After about 15 minutes, massage the cabbage again and squeeze the liquid out of the cabbage until liquid begins to accumulate in your bowl.

Next, gather clean mason jars or any other glass jars you have been saving. Begin packing the kraut firmly into the jar – the less air the better. You want the liquid to remain above the cabbage for a safe and flavorful ferment. You can buy glass jar weights to do this, or you can use an outer leaf of the cabbage and place it on top of your kraut to make sure the kraut stays below the liquid. I am sure there are other creative ways to create weight on top of your kraut.  

Now it’s time to store the kraut in a cool dark place for a couple days. Keep tasting the kraut for 2-3 weeks until it reaches the desired taste, then stick it in the fridge to enjoy for weeks to come! 

As someone who is new to fermenting and food preservation, I love how accessible, ancestral and intuitive this process feels. You can follow your creativity and add herbs, garlic and other root veggies. To me, fermenting is not only an act of creativity and connection, but also of food security. It answers the question of how we can have delicious, nutrient-dense food in the winter. I hope to continue fermenting, cooking and preserving food in community, and I hope you do to! 

With gratitude, 
Isabel