Sauerkraut Taste Test

About three weeks ago I did a sauerkraut canning experiment.  I needed an alternative to the old-time tried and true method of fermenting sauerkraut in a crock and then canning it.  The recipe I used called for packing shredded cabbage in quart jars and adding a teaspoon each of canning salt and sugar to each jar and topping them off with boiling water.  Then the lids and rings are put on the jars loosely and they are left undisturbed for three days.  After that time any film that has developed on the sauerkraut is skimmed off, lids and rings are applied more tightly and the jars are run through a water bath canner for 20 minutes.  The directions say to let the jars sit for three weeks before using.

The three weeks is up.  I opened a jar yesterday.  I found that it tasted good, but much more mild than store bought sauerkraut.  It doesn't have that pucker up quality of commercially canned sauerkraut.

I buttered a casserole dish, drained the sauerkraut and dumped it in.  Then I topped it off with a pint of pork roast I had canned earlier and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so.  I have to say that it was pretty good.  It tastes more like a cross between regular cooked cabbage and sauerkraut.  I like cooked cabbage as a side vegetable dish, so I liked it.  I only made three quarts of the stuff, so I am going to leave the other two on the shelf for another month or so to see if there is any difference in the taste.

I will probably experiment with other similar recipes to see if I can find one that is a bit more sour.  I know that I could just go to the store and buy a can or two, but I really like the idea of making my own.  I'm funny that way.  The more I can do for myself without running to the grocery, the better I like it.  This experiment hasn't turned out exactly as I would have liked, but it isn't a dismal failure, either.  Live and learn.  And keep on trying.

Day of Rest

While I was growing up, I remember that my mother was quite insistent that Sunday be a day of rest.  So today I honored her beliefs.

I rested.  I read.  I played with the pooches and shared a bit of my popcorn with them this evening.  I napped in my recliner with Kizzie the cat.  I stayed away from the news, both mainstream and alternative.  I didn't read any blogs or watch any videos that had anything to do with the insanity in our world.

Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed.  It seems that every day brings a new scandal or crisis, either real or manufactured, in our government.  The Democrats are busy blaming the Republicans for whatever their agenda of the day is, and in turn, the Republicans and busy blaming the Democrats.  Sometimes I just get tired of the whole mess.

So today I just unplugged from it all.  It was wonderful.  I think Mom had the right idea.  After all, God rested on the seventh day, and so should I.

The Great Cranberry Marathon...

has come to an end.  Started out with 50 lbs. of cranberries and ended up with 84 quarts of juice.  Number one son will pick up his share the next time he is in town.  I'm still trying to find space to store mine.  I have tried other recipes before with less than spectacular results, but this one makes a delicious drink.  I don't know where I found the recipe, so if it is yours, let me know and I will give credit where credit is due.

Cranberry Juice

4 quarts (4 pounds) cranberries
Water
3 to 3-1/2 cups granulated sugar  (I used 2-1/2 cups sugar)

Bring cranberries and 4 quarts water to a simmer in a large pot. DO NOT BOIL. Simmer 5 minutes, or until most berries burst.
Pour berries and juice into damp jelly bag or a colander lined with four layers of clean cheesecloth. Let juice drip into a large bowl. DO NOT squeeze the bag.
When you have extracted as much juice as possible from the pulp, return pulp to pot with 2 quarts water. Simmer 2 minutes.
Pour this pulp and juice through jelly bag again to extract remaining juice.
Place the 2 batches of juice in a large pot.
Add sugar to suit your taste and 1 more quart water. Heat to dissolve sugar completely, but do not boil.
Quickly pour into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace; seal.
Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Yields 6 to 7 quarts.
Note:  I did not use cheesecloth as that is really time consuming and I had so many berries to process.  I used a strainer, which leaves a bit of pulp, but that doesn't bother me in the least.  The juice is for family consumption, not for entering at the fair.  It doesn't have to be perfectly clear to taste wonderful.

I hate to see anything go to waste, so I am dehydrating the leftover cranberry pulp.  When dried, it can be ground into small bits and added as flavoring for muffins, quick breads or cookies.  I dehydrate the peels when I am canning apples, and when mixed with the cranberry bits and a little sweetener, they make a really lovely tea.

I think I have just enough jars left to can up the butternut squash that Son brought me from the Farmer's Market.  And then I will give it a rest for a while.  Unless, of course, I find another really good sale...

You Know You're Getting Tired...

when you can't figure out why the pot of cranberries on the stove hasn't come to a boil after 20 minutes, and then you discover that it really helps if you have remembered to turn the burner to the ON position.

I think it may be time for a short nap.

Past the Elbows and Up to the Neck

I wasn't planning to do much more canning this season.  But, the best laid plans, etc.  Number One Son went back to the Farmers Market yesterday.  Last year I had bought a 15 lb. box of cranberries and made them into juice.  Between Son and me, it didn't last long.  With that in mind, he brought me two 25 lb. boxes of cranberries.  I was glad that he found the same vendor, for the berries are beautiful.  Not a bad one in the entire box.  Makes the cranberries in the store look like they belong in a dumpster.  As I take a break here, I am about finished with the first box.  There are jars of cranberry juice covering the table, my wee bit of counter space, the top of my freezer...

And he brought me half a dozen butternut squash.  I had tried canning some last year and liked it, so those will go in the pressure canner after I finish the cranberries.

After Son hauled the cranberries and five more cases of quart jars up the stairs, we sat and talked for a bit.  I mentioned to him that my local grocery has pork loin on sale again, along with boneless beef roast.  He said that he needed to do a bit of grocery shopping and would take a look at them.  He did more than look.  He brought me 30 lbs. of pork, at least 50 lbs. of beef and 10 lbs. of bacon ends and pieces, just for fun, he said!  I dice the bacon, brown it and can it in half pint jars for adding to scrambled eggs or egg and potato casseroles or beans or any number of dishes.  The meat is in the freezer until I finish with the great cranberry marathon.

Even though I hadn't planned to do any more canning other than the juice, I was really glad to get the squash and meat.  Son said that it was easier for him to bring it to me rather than my trying to haul it all home via the bus.  As he only has two days off from work every two weeks, and as he lives at least 45 minutes away from me, I really appreciate his time and effort.  And a good share of the time, he won't
let me pay for what he brings me.  He says it is worth it because he doesn't have the time to do the canning and he gets to go shopping from my pantry shelves!

I love it when family works together, sort of like my parents and grandparents did things.  That's the way it should be.

Say It Isn't So

Our weather forecast for the coming week.

I was really hoping not to see the word "Snow" in our forecast for a while yet.  Yes, I know that it is too warm for snow to stay and it will melt right away.  But there is something about seeing white flakes falling from the sky this early that is just depressing.

I know that I have nothing to complain about.  Those poor folks in the Dakotas who lost so many of their livestock in the recent blizzard are the ones that have something to complain about.  They are the ones who are tough.  They bury their losses and keep on going.  I admire their pioneer spirit that is still alive and well.  We need more like them.

So if I see a few flakes in the air in the next few days, I will keep my whining to a minimum.  I just would like to see the leaves finish turning from green to red and gold before I see the ground covered with white.

Mother Nature seems to have a mean streak.

Wake Up Call

As much as I joke about Kizzie the cat's supposed reaction to running out of food, that incident served as a bit of a wake up call.  I have been faithfully shopping sales and canning and dehydrating everything I can lay my hands on.  But after taking an inventory of my food storage, I find that there are gaping holes that need to be filled - mostly items that I can't make at home but have to purchase.

I have no idea what our government is going to do.  They may come up with an eleventh hour temporary solution - or not.  What I do know is that those in power have done their level best to inflict as much pain as possible on our citizens.  It is a level of meanness that I didn't think possible in my homeland.  And along with those acts of cruelty come the threats to the most vulnerable of citizens.  I don't care what your opinion is of those relying on the EBT program to feed their families or of those who rely on Social Security or of those receiving veterans benefits.  These people should not, under any circumstances, be used as pawns by those who are supposed to have the best interests of all Americans at heart.

So I have some decisions to make in the next few days.  Do I hold on to the wee bit of cash I have been able to put aside so that I will be able to pay my rent for a while should my Social Security check not arrive, or do I fill the holes in my food storage.  Can't do both.

I think what irritates me the most is that I have worked hard my whole life without making use of government welfare programs.  Even when times were tough, I refused to give in, but worked harder and made do with what I had.  And now my very survival is being threatened so that some politician can blame some other politician for the fix we are in.

God help us.