Today it rained for the first time in a month, so we decided it was a good day to cross off one of the “to do” items off out list – making sauerkraut old school style.  This is the way my grandmother and great-grandmother made sauerkraut.  It is quite simple and the product is much better than the (sour) kraut you buy in the store.  

First, the history lesson.  We use the same tools to make sauerkraut that were commonly used before there was refrigeration and electricity  which includes a cabbage shredder and a stoneware crock.  My grandmother used this particular cabbage shredder at the turn of the century.  It is the No. 672 T. & D. Special.  It was made by Tucker and Dorsey Manufacturing.  The company was established in 1865 in Indianapolis, IND and became one of the largest household and business products companies in the world.  The shredder has stainless steel blades inlaid in a wooden box. Another box, to hold the food, sits atop the blade box. The user glides the wood box, lubricated by bees’ wax, along the blade box to shred cabbage. 

This Tucker and Dorsey design was much safer than shredding by hand and was even marketed as a “sanitary” slicer. Although the Tucker and Dorsey Company had a patent on the design, there were still many copies.  These devices were originally marketed as Kraut Slicers or Cabbage Slicers, but became known as Mandolins in 1930 when it was observed that French chefs “played” their food slicers in the same way a musician plays a Mandolin.

Lets begin!  Using old No. 672, shred 1-3 heads of fresh cabbage from the garden, pack the shredded cabbage into the crock one layer at a time.  Over each layer sprinkle a little salt (1-1.5 teaspoons per pound of cabbage) and press it into the crock a clenched fist. The salt will draw out the moisture from the cabbage and form a layer of juice over the cabbage in the crock (option – add 0.5 teaspoons of sugar per pound of cabbage). When you are finished layering the cabbage in the crock, place a ceramic dish over the cabbage/juice and weigh it down with a clean weight (we use a heavy rock).  Place a lid or cellophane over the top.

Keep the crock in a warm location (room temperature) for about 2 weeks and allow to ferment.  Scum will form, so don’t be surprised – this is normal.  Remove the weight and plate,  dip out the scum and discard it.  Test the cabbage for texture and taste.   When the flavor and texture are satisfactory, transfer the sauerkraut to jars.  You can then use the water bath canning process to store your sauerkraut or you can simply take an amount you will eat at a meal and then reseal the crook.  The latter process has a much shorter shelf life.

That is all there is to it!  One note:  Originally, sauerkraut was not sour at all, but was naturally sweet.  The German word sauer refers to the fermentation process and kraut refers to cabbage.

Enjoy!