Fermentation is an interesting process. It is also one that we started a little tentatively. Since then we have really appreciated the knowledge that we have gained from it.
It can be a little scary, in the modern food climate, where we are informed how food needs to be refrigerated, otherwise it will go bad. I can remember a time when I was profoundly confused that refrigeration, in the methods we use today, have only existed since electricity became widely available. I knew that canning was a often used preservation technique, and that some food remained stable at room temperature; but there were so many things that, according to my understanding, required refrigeration. I remember asking myself 'How was it possible for previous generations to keep food from rotting without this essential tool?' Over time I have learned that there are many methods of food preservation that most of us have never heard of. Some of these are smoking and curing meats, brining, salting, and you guessed it, fermenting.
All of these methods have become more interesting to us, as we have been learning to be more self reliant. When we started fermenting we experimented with several different foods. We started in small batches, so we would be able to get the process right. A few of the foods that we prepared through this process were kimchi, homemade soda with a ginger bug, and sauerkraut. Eventually I'll have to post about our explosive apple beer...
After experimenting a bit, until we got it right, we learned how good homemade sauerkraut is. It's delicious! It has been quite a while since we've made it. This year, however, we grew lots of purple cabbage, and needed to preserve it. We really haven't heard of anyone making sauerkraut from purple cabbage before, but we decided that we would give it a try. (We are getting a lot of purple out of our garden this year.)
Now that I'm done pontificating, lets get to how it's made.
When making sauerkraut, it is important to note that normal city tap water can ruin the fermenting process. Because of the chlorine content of the water, the bacteria cultures that are needed to cause fermentation can be killed by rinsing the leaves of the cabbage. Because of this we will peal away the outer leaves of the cabbage, and will directly process it without washing the produce. Any foreign material is wiped away to avoid contamination. The vinegar that is produced during fermentation also will kill harmful bacteria, so it is safe for consumption. Well water is typically alright though.
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