 With care, sauerkraut can be made in a jar
Late summer is harvest time, of course, and there's plenty of produce left to keep backyard gardeners busy for several more weeks. Even the strange Rogue Valley weather last month -- thunderstorms, cool temperatures, snow, for Pete's sake -- hasn't lulled local crops into a false sense of autumn. This month's questions reflect the busy pace of the season. For more answers than I can give here, try the Master Gardeners' Food Safety Hotline: 1-800-354-7319. Master food preservers from the Lane County Oregon State University Extension Service staff three phone lines, offering accurate answers about everything from applesauce to zucchini bread.HELP! We are raising some cabbages and I would like to make sauerkraut. All of my efforts to do this in a crock have spoiled. Recently I saw a recipe in the Mail Tribune for making sauerkraut in the jar, but I can't find it, nor remember who had it. I would very much appreciate your help in this matter. -- Jenny H., Medford Making sauerkraut can be a tricky business, Jenny. Although it's essentially a simple solution of cabbage and salt, sauerkraut is formed by fermentation, and therein lies the difficulty. If conditions, timing and temperature aren't exact, the stuff bubbles quickly into a noxious mass.Preventing that from occurring is simple, according to Donna Crosiar, one of the master food preservers who staffs the hotline listed above. Following are Crosiar's directions for creating fool-proof sauerkraut in a jar: Get a one-gallon glass jar. It can be a large pickle or mayonnaise jar, for example. Wash and dry it thoroughly. Slice 5 pounds of cabbage into thin strips. Combine the cabbage and 3 tablespoons of pickling salt in a large, food-grade plastic container. Knead the salt into the cabbage; let sit briefly, until the cabbage releases its liquid. Pack the cabbage and the liquid tightly into the bottom of the glass gallon jar. Make sure there are no air pockets visible. The cabbage will fill the jar half to two-thirds full. Clean the sides of the jar above the level of the cabbage thoroughly. Now, mix together a brine of 1 tablespoons salt to 1 quart of water. Bring the brine to a boil, then cool to room temperature. Pour the quart of brine into a 1 gallon self-sealing plastic bag. (The reason to use brine instead of water is to ensure that the salinity of the sauerkraut will be maintained even if the bag breaks, Crosair says.)Make sure the cabbage is completely covered by its own liquid. If not, add brine to just cover the cabbage. Place the bag of brine atop the cabbage to hold it below the surface of the liquid. Pull a brown grocery bag over the top of the jar to shut out light. Place the jar in a dark place where it won't be disturbed and where it can ferment at a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees F. Check the jar frequently -- every day or two -- for signs of scum or yeast. Remove any spoilage immediately. Wash or replace the brine bag every time; clean the sides of the jar each time as well."After three to four weeks, it will look, smell and taste like sauerkraut," Crosiar says. But she warns, storing the kraut at temperatures above 75 degrees F could cause spoilage. "If it gets much hotter, it will rot," she says. Once the sauerkraut is complete, it can be used in a range of dishes from sandwiches and salads to soups and, believe it or not, desserts. Following you'll find a recipe for Creamy Reuben Soup, a dish that combines the flavors of the favorite sandwich in a bowl. Creamy Reuben Soup
In a large saucepan, cook onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add corned beef, kraut, half and half and 1 cup cheese. Cook 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.Ladle soup into eight oven-proof bowls. Top each with toasted bread and 1/2 cup cheese. Broil until cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Send cooking questions to JoNel Aleccia, The Mail Tribune, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Call 776-4465, or send e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com |
