What do you eat sauerkraut with?

[Carmella]

My (huge) batch of sauerkraut is virtually finished (yay!) after one failed attempt and it's looking goooooood! Thanks to the many suggestions and tips I got from this board.

OK, now my next question is: What to eat all this sauerkraut with? I think Alissa's got a Reuben sandwich recipe in her book but I'm still waiting for it to (finally!) arrive in the mail...

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks a bunch

[Veganforlife]

I usually use a fork.



:rolleyes:



seriously, I will eat a big bowl by itself, or with a green smoothie. It's making my mouth water!!!

[Carmella]

Veganforlife,
I knew this thread was gonna get you out of lurking mode! Hi! Hi!

Tonight is mexican night and I was just thinking in might be lovely with the guac and all... I think the sauerkraut isn't totally ready as it's still making bubbles. It's been 8 days but then again, our house is pretty cool.

Do you think I can take some out and put the cap back on without affecting the process? As you might have gathered, I'm using Mike's sauerkraut maker and am loving it! Am having lots of fun watching the brine and bubbles come out...LOL

[Nini]

I eat it with diced tomatoes.

[Veganforlife]

Carmella, I think it would be okay to scoop some out. You got one of the jars? Cool! I love mine! WOW! Eight days huh? Mine takes about three - max and my house is about 62-65 degrees F.
Let us know how it turned out...

[tvillemom]

OK...I gotta check into this saurkraut maker. I have been wanting to make saurkraut for about a year. I am SOOOO afraid of mold and such and eating that. BLECH! I don't remember ever eating SAD saurkraut, so I'm afraid I won't know if the "kraut" is "good".....how would a NON-kraut eater know if kraut is good??? What kind of "insurance" does the kraut maker insure??? HELP...I've got cabbage, ready, waiting to become kraut, but I'm the chicken here!!!
Wendi

[Veganforlife]

tvillemom - Check this out:
http://store.therawdiet.com/pisaandkimch.html
__________________

e-mail Mike Snyder - he'll answer any questions you may have...
I know my first batch turned out awful - I had to pitch it. It was soft - 'kraut should not be, and it was very hot, like seasoned hot. EEwwww!
I added a probiotic (a good bacteria) in the second batch and it turned out PERFECT.
Sauerkraut should be crisp and pleasantly salty.
But e-mail Mike - he'll help you. He's a good guy.

[Bobbie]

I made some with red cabbage and really didn't like it.
This is probably a stupid question, but is it supposed to taste sour?!
I was so looking forward to it, and didn't like it at all. I thought it would be vinegary but it was just sour.

[Carmella]

Veganforlife,
I couldn't resist so I had a few spoonfuls. The "vinegry" taste was there but it seemed to me to still be a little "immature". This might sound like I know what I'm doing but, believe me, I haven't got a clue! I think I had sauerkraut only once before 20 years ago...

I know that, with this system, the kraut should be ready in 3 to 7 days at 60-70 degrees. Our house gets REAL cold at night... sometimes down to the 40s so the kraut gets to be at the recommended temp only for 10 hours or so.

Because of how cold it can get at night, I've noticed that when I check on the kraut in the morning, there's still water in the airlock but the little tube is empty and the liquid no longer covers the kraut. We think it's due to the fact that contraction occurs at low temp. I know the kraut should always be covered but I'm figuring that it's still sealed because of the airlock. Anyway, I've been adding water that I've pre-boiled for 20 mins. or so (as I don't have readily access to distilled water) and salt to fill the jar back up. As it warms up, the brine starts coming out like crazy again.

OK, having said all this, after dinner, I didn't feel so well at all. I had major gas in my stomach. The thing is, Don was fine, but then he didn't have any sauerkraut! So, I strongly suspect that the kraut is the culprit. Why exactly, I'm not sure. Could it be that it really wasn't ready to eat? Or could it have gone bad? I've made sure to use a fair amount of salt... Or perhaps I just had too much at once (I've got a really sensitive tummy!)

Let's hope it's the latter as I wouldn't want to lose this batch as well...

BTW, I just posted a pict of the sauerkraut in the making on the Photo-Only thread. I used a huge green cabbage and a little red. Isn't the color just gorgeous though!?!

Oh, one last thing, how many caps of probiotic do you put in? I used 3...Don't know if that was enough...

[Biscuit Grinch]

someone who doesn't mind.....


.....gas.

[Carmella]

Biscuit Grinch,
I thought that sauerkraut was one of the few ways one can enjoy cabbage without its windy repercussions... I guess I'll soon find out if it's true! LOL

[Bobbie]

Oh Oh Oh! I just made another batch and it's so good! I can't stop eating it. Last time, I chopped it into little pieces in the food processor, and it went very soft and very sour. This time I just sliced it with a knife, into big shreds, and its still crisp, and vinegary and a bit sweet. It's gorgeous. The answer to your question what to eat it with - your fingers!! By itself. yummy.
I served it with a meal of gordon's fish patties (dehydrated rutabaga, garlic, oil), and a salad made from chinese beansprouts (those long things used in stirfries), celery and brazil nut/nori sauce. It was delicious.
I'll be serving for Christmas dinner with unturkey, stuffing, sausage, mash and gravy.

[Bobbie]

(Mine's bright red, perfect for Christmas, I love the translucent colour sauerkraut goes)

[Carmella]

Bobbie,
Glad you've given it another try and it turned out so good!

Mine, too, is a gorgeous color, somekind of dark pink/purple. You can see the pic on the last page of the Photo Only thread I.

Unfortunately, it gives me stomach burns! ;-( Major bummer! I thought this stuff was supposed to be easy to digest! Oh well, I have a very sensitive stomach.

So much for my great plans of making sauerkraut...