I went to my Parent's for birthday dinner last night!<<-- This is me with my 3rd youngest sister. (Clearly I'm the small-boned one of the bunch).
There was plenty of "accidently vegan" yumminess for me too! Tons of fresh garden produce, salad and stuffed mushrooms. Yum!
Later, as is our family "tradition", we watched/helped/offered profound advice as several of my sisters made sauerkraut on the back porch. (I'm sure they'll be happy that I've posted a view of their backsides all over the Interwebnetworld)We do this every year (make kraut, that is) - our whole family LOVES the stuff! Wow. My folks grow some HUGE cabbages!
See the flat board with the big blade thingy? Kind of like a huge mandoline slicer. They shred the cabbage with this - being careful not to slice fingers of course! (That would make very un-vegan sauerkraut, after all!)
After we're done shredding/slicing and everyone has offered an opinion, the cabbage is packed into a huge pickling crock. Can you see the dog? He kept eating the cabbage that dropped.
OK. Then the fun part! We stomp the cabbage down in the crock (with very clean bare feet, seriously!!) until it gets very juicy.
The only way to get "genuine" German kraut my Dad always says. I personally don't do the "stomping" part any more. I leave that for the younger folks. I just sit on the porch and offer advice like the old fart that I'm turning into...
All the leftover cabbage leaves are then ceremoniously fed to the neighbor's cows. This is as much a tradition for all of us as the actual sauerkraut-making, I swear. The cows LOVE the cabbage.
The smashed, stomped cabbage is then packed with salt and covered in the crock and allowed to sit for .... well... I don't know how long.... a long time, until it turns into sauerkraut. Then it's packed into quart jars and distributed to all of us girls.Not to fear, there's so much salt, I doubt any foot germs are going to hang around. Can't wait for Vegan Reuben sammies and sauerkraut soup later this winter...
