Living just south of Lancaster County and in an area where Amish farms abound, I have no reason to try to beat them at their own game, although my wife makes a killer potato filling. ;D What I enjoy the most is the abundance of fresh meat and poultry available, awesome is all I can say.
Stopped by the farmer’s market today and picked up a bunch of stuff, including some cabbage to make kraut. I’ve got a little over 5 lbs of it going now in a 3-gallon plastic bucket I got from Tillamook creamery a few years ago for a dollar. :) 5 lbs is not that much in a bucket that size. The recipe I used has onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, cumin seed, dill seed, and cloves. I hope the recipe turns out ok . . .
I’ve got another cabbage to do some smaller batches and test out some other spices, including a faster one that has szechuan peppercorns, soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin. Should be good. I might do some kimchi too.
I’ll also be fermenting some cucumbers, and doing some fridge pickles. My wife likes beets and picked up a lot of them, so I’ll probably pickle the ones she doesn’t roast.
Here’s the kraut . . . the liquid level is still rising, not quite where it needs to be yet. The pics don’t really show much, but here they are anyway.
Yea…it’s about that time to make some kraut again. I need to pick up some cabbage heads and prepare it…maybe next weekend.
Hey Tom…did you weigh your cabbage to salt additions?
For best results weigh the cabbage and the salt using a ratio of 40 pounds of cabbage to 1 (one) pound of salt.
Here’s some tips I learned over the years.
This was taken from an online recipe but I certainly agree based on my experiences with kraut.
During the curing process, kraut requires daily attention. Remove scum as it forms and wash and scald the cloth often to keep it free from scum and mold and wipe the side of the crock. Fermentation will be complete in about three weeks. The kraut should be kept in a place where the temperature is in the mid 50s to low 60s. It needs just enough warmth to keep it working during the fermenting process. Yet not so hot that it will spoil.
Kraut works from the top down. To check to see if the kraut is ready wait about 2 weeks and dig down in the center of the kraut about 5 or 8 inches. Take a little out and taste it. The kraut should be firm but not crunchy and should have good kraut flavor. If it is not ready let it sit for a few more days and then taste it again.
The following is for canning the sauerkraut. As soon as kraut is thoroughly cured, pack into clean canning jars, adding enough of the kraut juice, or a weak brine made by dissolving 2 tablespoons salt to a quart of water, fill jars to with 1/2 inch of top of jar. Put on cap, screwing the band tight. Process in water bath for 15 minutes. This method cooks the kraut.
We use double bags (one bag inside of another) to pack the kraut in and then we put it in the freezer. When using this method to store the kraut you need to leave some space in the bags because the kraut will continue to ferment until it is frozen. (We learned this the hard way. Had Kraut spill out into the freezer. It really smelled.) By freezing the kraut it is fresh when taken out of the freezer and has not been cooked. I find that cooking the kraut with the pork chops on a low temperature for three hours it turns out the best. Kraut tastes good raw too.
It is not often that we add any sugar at the end of the cooking time but, sometimes if the kraut seems too sour we will add a little sugar.
The main thing is to measure your salt and weigh your cabbage. The ratio of 1 pound of salt to 40 pounds of cabbage is very important. To little salt will make the kraut spoil and to much salt will make the kraut to salty.
Hints: Weigh cabbage and salt to get the correct ratio. This is important. Keep in a temperature where the kraut will work yet not spoil. Check the kraut often and keep it clean. When the kraut is ready remove about the first inch of kraut from the top and throw it away. The top inch of the kraut usually is kind of soft. You may find that at some time during the fermenting process that there doesn’t seem to be enough juice. Just add some plain water. Don’t put any more salt in the kraut. The good thing about homemade kraut is that it does not have the preservatives that store bought kraut has.
I weighed the cabbage, but measured the salt by volume. I didn’t do so much that I can dig down 5 or 6 inches, and removing the top inch or two would remove a lot of what I made. :) If I’d used two or three times as much cabbage there would probably be enough liquid, but as it is I’m going to top it up with some brine. I left it in the house overnight to kick off the fermentation, put I’m moving it to the garage tonight to finish.
Hey, guys
You’re making this kraut process way to complicated IMO. I just bottled mine and it is perfect. IMO, leave out the spice! Traditionally, simple is best, add spice as per the dish. Use the ambient heat to your advantage. Stomping the kraut is of prime importance. Get the juice, break the fiber. Medium handful of salt, no iodine, per three or four nine inch heads of late cabbage. Use Danish Bald etc. Use a kraut cutter. You can find these at any second hand store or antique shop. I go six weeks. Clean it every week or two. Just get off the scum. I have never had to add water. Some at canning if need be. Use a weight on top. It must have down pressure. This keeps water on top and a place for the scum to live. That is about as simple as you can get. I prefer to cold pack as opposed to freeze. You can always start another pot this time of year and just leave it through the winter at near freezing. Again, I prefer it cold packed. This allows twice cooking. Personal preference.
Tom,sounds like masala kraut. ;D
I dont measure the salt I just make sure the shredded kraut is well coated my mixing in a tub before packing into the crock. Never had any problems yet.
I never had to add water either, If you are short on juice something else is wrong.
The most important thing is that you get a brine when you compress it. The cabbage has to be covered with the juice.
The spices I use leave very little flavor, but I like it. It is a certain “pickle” note.
One thing I do is take the outer green leaves and back them on top of the grated cabbage. This creates another layer to protect the kraut below.
Another tip is to consider taking some of the nice outer leaves then pack them at the bottom of the kraut. This way you will end up with whole sauerkraut leaves for stuffing. Make some Romanian style stuffed kraut.
Also try deep fried sauerkraut it is fantastic.
It does sound a bit like masala kraut. 
I think the thing that’s “wrong” is there just isn’t that much cabbage for the diameter of the bucket. If it was narrower or if I used more cabbage there would be plenty of juice, but the bucket is 9.5 inches across and the cabbage is only 3 inches deep. I don’t need to add much, there’s about 3/4 inch of liquid over the cabbage and I’d like it to be more than an inch (just based on stuff I’ve read).
Sounds like the same way they make Tabasco sauce, which I failed miserably at a couple of years ago. I didn’t quite understand the whole brine/scum thing.
I’ve made a quick lactic fermented hot sauce before. I used jalapenos, and it had a little vinegar and salt added pre-ferment. Ground it all up and put it in a jar. I let it sit for three days on top of the fridge and a little layer formed that I stirred into the sauce, then I put it in the fridge. It was excellent.
Yeah, mine didn’t end up with “a little layer.” It ended up with a layer of mold that was on the verge of evolving sentience, electing a government, and plotting a crusade.
I used a similar technique, though. Next time I’m going with the “weighted down in a crock” method.
My father’s side of the family are Pennsylvania Dutch (German). There are many recipes I could post.
Here’s one of my favorites.
WHOOPIE PIES
MAKES 3 DOZEN COOKIES
Cookies
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk (see notes below)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Seven Minute Cream Filling
2 large egg whites
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the cookies: Preheat oven to 400° F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; beat until well-combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing after each addition until combined. Drop batter onto sheets by heaping tablespoons, about 3 inches apart, as they will spread. (I use a small scoop that is about a one tablespoon capacity. It makes dropping the batter much easier and more uniform.) Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies spring back to the touch. Let cool slightly before removing to a cooling rack topped with parchment or waxed paper. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling.
For the filling: Place the eggs, sugar, salt, corn syrup, cream of tartar and cold water in a medium heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer just until combined. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water, being very careful to make certain that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Beat with the mixer on high speed for 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and add the vanilla. Beat again until combined. To speed up the cooling process, place the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and water. Continue to beat until the filling is thick and cool.
To assemble: Spread cooled filling, about 1-1/2 tablespoons per cookie, on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top each with the remaining cookies. Sandwiches may be served immediately. If storing, wrap individually with plastic wrap or waxed paper, then place in storage bags. Store in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze in freezer bags for several months.
Here’s an image I found on the internet but looks exactly like the kind my grandmother used to make when we were kids.
I will make some and post pics some day. :)
Whoopie Pies? That image has singing Southern Culture on the Skids’ “Camel Walk”…
“Little Debbie, Little Debbie…”
Or Moon pies…
But that’s a Southern thing (I think).
Nah! Moon pies are graham cracker-like covered in chocolate, best consumed with RC Cola!
Those appalacians run farther north than most people think…
Looks like a Devil Dog to me.
A little history I found on the web…
A whoopie pie is like a sandwich, but made with two soft cookies with a fluffy white filling. Traditional whoopies pies are made with vegetable shortening, not butter. The original and most commonly made whoopie pie is chocolate. but cooks like to experiment, and today pumpkin whoopie pies are a favorite seasonal variation.
The recipe for whoopie pies has its origins with the Amish, and in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, it is not uncommon to find roadside farm stands offering these desserts. Amish cooking is about old recipes that have fed families for generations, with no trendy or cross-cultural fusions or mixtures. These cake-like whoopie pies were considered a special treat because they were originally made from leftover batter. According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout “Whoopie!”
Main’s earliest claim is from the Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston, Massachusetts. They first started selling Whoopie Pies in 1925 with the opening of their bakery. The Labadie’s Bakery remains in the same location today.
The Berwick Cake Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts, also manufactured “Whoopee pies” since at least 1931. Some think that Berwick’s pies actually date to 1927. Berwick closed its Roxbury plant in 1977.
I recently was informed that the secret to my grandma’s scrapple was that she used short ribs.