Making Saurerkraut

The Cabbage Family who lives at our farm

Harvest  firm solid heads of cabbage from the garden.  Wash thoroughly.

add 5 pounds of shredded cabbage,

3 tablespoons of salt

into a ceramic crock, food grade bucket, or a large glass jar;

Fit a clean plate and weight inside the container on top of the cabbage.  Press down firmly.  This weight will force the juices out of the cabbage.  Put a clean towel over the container.

Over the next 24 hours periodically press down on the weight forcing out the liquid.  If after a 24 hour period the juice does not cover the cabbage, add salt water

 (tsp. to 1 cup water) until it covers the cabbage entirely.

Place the container in a cool dark place for 2 to 6 weeks depending on your preference.

Skim off the film on top.  Taste.  The first couple of weeks it will taste tart and tangy, but will mellow the longer you leave it.  When it is to your liking, place in glass jars and refrigerate, or to keep it longer put in sterile jars and process.  Check a good canning book for instructions.

 Variations: Try adding shredded beets, carrots or apples to the cabbage.

SECOND GROWTH CABBAGE

Harvested the last of the cabbage from the garden. 

 Cabbage can take a light frost, but when the teens are predicted you had better bring it in. 

Cabbage can be harvested in the spring, summer and fall.  The early or short day cabbages are harvested as soon as the heads are full and firm around 60 days after transplanting.  Mid season cabbages are harvested 70 to 90 days after harvesting.  My preferred cabbage to grow is the Late Flat Dutch.  This cabbage takes an entire growing season to mature, however the heads will produce over 20 pounds of cabbage each.  I plant all three varieties (early, mid, and late) and begin harvesting

 in early summer. 

new growth of smaller cabbages on the parent plant after harvesting the main head
this plant produced 6 additional heads.  Each head was about 6 inches in diameter.

The main head of this cabbage (early Dutch) was harvested in the early summer.  Cutting the cabbage head off just under the base and leaving the root and several bottom leaves in tack allows small new heads to develop on the leaf nodes.  This particular cabbage grew and additional 6 heads. 

 The second growth heads are much smaller than the initial head.  This method allows you to harvest cabbage throughout the season until winter frost kills the plant. 

 If you wish to store cabbage for use during the winter, uproot the whole plant (single original head) with as many roots intact as possible and hang it up in a root cellar or cold basement.  The heads will keep this way for several months.  If you have room in your fridge, you can store them in a plastic bag on the bottom shelf, they will keep for several months.  Check often for mold.

This is a picture of  second growth cabbage from a harvested plant.  They are small and tender.

click here for

Additional information

Give Cabbage a second chance

I plant several varieties of cabbage, the smaller early cabbage,  an early flat dutch, and my absolute favorite, late flat dutch.  I harvest the late dutch for a good crop to make sauerkraut.  Most of them grow to over 20-25 pounds per head!  They keep well into the winter in a root cellar or wrapped in a plastic bag and put in  the refrigerator.

  In the early summer, harvest the head of the early cabbage, leaving several of the bottom large leaves on the root stock.  Continue to water and tiny cabbages will form at each leaf node.  These small cabbages are sweet and tender and can be used in many ways, even on sandwiches.

I harvest the Early Flat Dutch during the summer and the Late Flat Dutch in the fall. 

 They can withstand several late and early frosts.

EARLY SPRING GREENS:

 For those of you who are fond of cabbage greens, in the spring you can have plenty of them by saving the cabbage root stocks from the prior season.  Dig up the stocks and roots, leaving the roots intact as much as possible.  Set them in a deep trench to keep them from freezing.  Mulch heavily.  If you live in areas with cold winters I would suggest holding them over in a root cellar, in a  box of moist sand.  In the early spring, plant the roots with a small portion of the stock above ground and soon you will have tasty, early, leafy greens.  Cover with a plastic covered hoop or box to encourage early growth,

try using wall of waters,

 or simply plant into a cold frame.

I also use black buckets (with the bottoms cut out) to collect heat during the day for better growth. 

 Covering at night with a plastic bag keeps the cabbage plants from freezing back.

 grow early cabbage greens in a green house:

Mid way through the growing season, plant cabbage seeds of a 60-80 day cabbage.  I like to use a purple cabbage.  Harvest the head just before the frosts kills everything in the greenhouse.  Leave the stock in place, but remove all leaves.  Now place a bottomless bucket over the stock and then fill the bucket with  straw or leaves packing them in tightly.  If your winters are severe add additional mulch around the outside of the bucket and cover with an old blanket.  In the spring, as soon as the green house warms sufficiently remove the bucket, leaving the mulch around the stock.  Water and cover at night to prevent freezing.  Little heads will form at the leaf nodules, or just harvest the  leaves as they grow.

After harvesting the main head, this cabbage produced 6 additional heads for harvest. 

 Each head measured about 6 inches in diameter.

SECOND GROWTH CABBAGE

more info here

The cabbage family who live on my little sustainable, bio-dynamic farm!

Make this Tasty CABBAGE STEW

using the fall harvested cabbage

it is absolutely delicious!

Fixing supper in my little vintage camp trailer "ROSE'

The cabbage pictured above is a second growth cabbage.

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Tasty Cabbage Stew

Harvest cabbage in the fall and make this warm, comforting, tasty stew

CABBAGE STEW

1 pound sausage
1 large onion diced
1 medium cabbage sliced thinly
3-4 large carrots sliced
4 medium red potatoes
2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
1 20oz. can drained black beans
32 oz. chicken broth
1 quart water

Boil carrots and potatoes in 1 quart water
Cook sausage in a skillet.  Remove sausage and brown onions 
in a small amount of sausage grease.
Remove onions and slightly wilt the cabbage in the hot skillet.
When potatoes and carrots are about done add tomatoes, beans,
and broth. Do not drain off the water.
Add sausage, cabbage, onions, salt and pepper to taste. 
Cover and simmer on low for an hour.

This is absolutely DELICIOUS!

after cooking the potatoes and carrots I pour the soup into a crock pot

adding the canned, stewed tomatoes and  chicken broth

brown the sausage, cook the onions until transparant and wilt the cabbage

then I add them to the crock and let it simmer on low until supper.

 make a stuffed bread filled with diced cabbage, onions, spinach, chard,

 (or whatever green you have in the garden)

 grated cheese

to accompany the meal

Roll dough and place the seam down on a lightly greased baking tray
that has been sprinkled with corn meal
drizzle olive oil aver top and add seasonings of choice

The Brassicas Family

Brassicas----this family of vegetables takes it's botanical name  BRASSICACEAE from the genus-Brassica.  This family group contains Annuals, Biennials, and Perennials.  All produce the same characteristic flower, with the four petals arranged in a cross (another name for this family is Cruciferae).  They are grown for their leaves, buds, roots, stems or shoots.  They thrive in cool, moist climates.

Members of this family include:
Arugula
Asian mustard
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chinese cabbage
Cress
Kale
Kohlrabi
Minza greens
Radishes
Rutabagas
Seakale
Turnips
Upland cress

Brassicas prefer a moist, firm soil (they do exceptionally well in my clay soil, and cool weather).  They are heavy feeders so plant in an area precluded by a crop of peas or beans that have fixed nitrogen in the soil.  Brassicas make up a large portion of your garden so it is important to keep track of plantings and rotations to avoid diseases.

Here is a picture of the Brassicas family that lives on my beautiful, sustainable farm.

the CABBAGE family

papa cabbage

mama cabbage

and little junior