Pink sauerkraut

We make sauerkraut every year, anywhere from two to six gallons' worth. Last year, we tried making it with some of the tougher, greener leaves from the outer portions of cabbages. It worked, but the sauerkraut was a little chewy. Still, it was flavorful and good. This year, using the lovely five-gallon ceramic crock that my parents gave us, we made another batch, but for the first time, we used purple cabbage as well as the regular pale green stuff. The result? Pink sauerkraut.

We decanted it last night, scooping off the bits of mold and bacterial colonies that had developed on the surface of the very salty water, scraping off the top bit of the sauerkraut just to be safe, and then Hans rinsed it and I stuffed it into a bunch of 12-ounce jars. Hans added water to some, red wine to others, and to a couple rice wine vinegar. Quite tasty. Photo to come.

I really love having food to put by for the winter from our garden.