Monday, July 4, 2011

Harvest Monday & Sauerkraut

This week for Daphne's Dandelions we have several things to share. We started the week off with a few more radishes. On Tuesday we harvested the last of our cabbage. On Wednesday we ate up the last of our blueberries and pulled up a few more beets. On Saturday C. James pulled our first red onion.




Total Harvest
radishes 8 oz
beets 1 lb 12oz
Red Delicious red onions 2 lb 8 oz
cabbage 3 lb 8 oz
blueberries 8 oz


We made sauerkraut about 2 weeks ago, and I promised to post pictures with a recipe. So here it is. Finally!

C. James was a very helpful cabbage crusher.




Here's the finished cabbage, 4 cabbage for 8 pounds.




Cabbage leaves form the cover.

The baggy is full of water. We're using it to weigh down the shredded cabbage. A close look at this picture reveals the white scum forming around the edges of the baggy. This is a picture of the kraut after about 2 weeks into the process.
We were happily surprised by how simple the process was. It only took about an hour-and-a-half to make.

8 pounds of green cabbage (we used 9)
5 tablespoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons caraway (optional)

Makes about 8 pints

Quarter, core and thinly slice the cabbage. Then, working in batches (2 lb sliced cabbage per batch) work in the salt 1 teaspoon per batch. Squeeze and kneed the cabbage until its wilted and has released enough liquid to cover the cabbage.  Pack the cabbage into a large container and repeat until finished. Cover the cabbage with leaves and place weight on top to hold the cabbage under the liquid. Let sit for several weeks then water-bath can or freeze.
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15 comments:

  1. Prairie CatJuly 4, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    I love seeing pictures of kids helping out in the garden. It reminds me of not so many years ago when I would tromp outside to help my dad harvest our veggies.

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  2. RandomGardenerJuly 4, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    I love your beets! Mine are still to grow(:

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  3. Malay-Kadazan girlJuly 4, 2011 at 9:46 AM

    Nice radish harvest. I can never grow radish well except for the Japanese daikon. Hopefully we get to harvest some cabbage too this year. Yours are so nice.

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  4. RobinJuly 4, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    I'm sure that your sauerkraut will turn out perfect with the great helper that you had! I really hate the scum part of making sauerkraut! But, it is well worth it!

    You had yet another good harvest week!

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  5. Alicia@ eco friendly homemakingJuly 4, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    Oh your sauerkraut looks awesome! I am really excited to try this recipe. It looks easy enough for even me to fix!! Hope you and your family have a really blessed fourth of July!

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  6. Gingerbreadshouse7July 4, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    A Well deserved harvest and enough cabbage to make some good Kraut! I can't wait to get my harvest of cabbage (what the bugs leave me :o(

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  7. ~TastyTravels~July 4, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Nice French breakfast radishes and beets. My first sowing of French breakfast didn't do well so I'm hoping to try again. The kraut looks delicious!

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  8. LeighJuly 4, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    I love your kraut making help! Very clever to use cabbage leaves to cover. I must try that. There's just nothing as tasty as good homemade sauerkraut.

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  9. Dave @ HappyAcresJuly 4, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    It's been a long time since I made kraut. Seeing your photos bring back memories. I still have my big crock, so maybe some year I will try it again.

    Your beets looks lovely too! I need to pull some of ours.

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  10. kitsapFGJuly 4, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    I am planning to do kraut this year - passed on it last year but was wishing I had some this past winter. Love the pics of your helper! Just darling. :D

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  11. The Apple Pie GalJuly 4, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    You make it look pretty darn easy. I may have to try this out if I ever get enough cabbage. Another one bookmarked!

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  12. The Sage ButterflyJuly 4, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    My mother makes homemade sauerkraut. It is always such a treat and with so many dishes. Great post!

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  13. Daphne GouldJuly 5, 2011 at 4:37 PM

    I wish I had planted some successions of radishes so I'd still have fresh ones. I never do though.

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  14. JodyJuly 5, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    Prairie Cat, I remember my mom's garden too. It's all a part of the good things that make us who we are.

    Hi RandomGardener, thanks. Last year we had a terrible time with beets. We're very excited about them this year.

    Hello Malay-kadazan girl, Sorry about that, but I bet the diakons make up for it! Thanks on the cabbage, we've really enjoyed them.

    Robin, thanks. We scraped our first mess of scum today. The kraut looked like it was doing well, fingers crossed.

    Alicia@ecofriendlygardening, thanks for the compliment. We really hope the kraut turns out. Happy Independence Day to you too.

    Ginny, I can't wait to see your cabbage. Please post some of your recipes. We could use some more ideas.

    Holly, I've never heard the term French Breakfast being used to describe gardening vegis. Can you explain it to me? Thanks for posting.

    Leigh, we liked the cabbage leaf idea too. There is a catch though. You have to change them when they begin to brown, or else they'll ruin the batch.

    Villager, glad to revive your interest. I've never had homemade kraut myself. We're hoping for the best.

    kitsapfg, thanks about the helper. We really love him and his brother.

    Hi Apple Pie Gal, when it comes time to do kraut, remember that you have to change the cabbage leaves every week or so. Otherwise they'll spoil the batch.

    Hi sage Butterfly, thanks.

    Hi Daphne, I wish this were our second succession of radishes. The truth is we were late in planting; this is our first harvest. At least we got a second succession in the ground for later in the summer. Thanks for doing Harvest Monday. It keeps you busy I'm sure.

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  15. thyme2gardenJuly 6, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    I still can't get radishes to grow in our garden, and they are supposed to be one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Yours look great and very well sized! And thanks for the sauerkraut recipe. I had no idea it was that simple!

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