SNOW MELT
The main topic of discussion for the past week has been the melting of the snow. I know I sound like a broken record on this subject, but for the first 55 years of my life, snow was something that was very insignificant. Nowadays, it is very significant and I find it hard to wrap my head around just how significant it has been this winter. I'm very happy to report that we have had much warmer temperatures the past two weeks and the snow has melted a great deal in most places. Where the sun doesn't hit we still have white stuff piled up, but melting nonetheless. Today (Wed) the high is supposed to be in the 50's, so I expect more of it to go down the drain.
SAUERKRAUT
This week's cooking project was to make some sauerkraut. This is a very easy process and there are quite a few tutorials and recipes out there on the web. I have made this two or three times before, and the last time I put caraway seeds in it. I found out I did not like the taste of caraway seeds and wound up throwing about half a quart jar away. This time, I just made a pint sized jar of regular sauerkraut and a half-pint sized jar of sauerkraut with dill seeds. I like the taste of regular sauerkraut, but I'm always up for something new in the culinary world. Sauerkraut consists of nothing more than regular green cabbage and salt, which is then allowed to ferment. You can add in other things if you wish, but that's all you need to make your basic sauerkraut. I used a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs,
the Kitchn.
Here are my pictures of the process of making sauerkraut. As you can see, it's pretty easy.
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| Finely shred the cabbage and put in a ceramic or glass bowl |
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| Massage in the salt, squeezing the cabbage to release water |
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| Pack cabbage into jars and put a weight on the top. I used smaller jars filled with water for the weight. |
That's all you do, then you place it in a cool place for about a week or so and voilá, you have sauerkraut! I usually add a tablespoon or two of vinegar if it doesn't have enough of the vinegar taste for me, or if it tastes a bit too salty. If you like to try new things in the kitchen, I recommend giving this a try.
BIG DEAL FOR THE RETIRED
One thing that I have found to be a big deal for the retired is making a trip to Walmart. Now, you may say that this isn't such a big deal. But let me tell you, when you have been cooped up in the house for basically two weeks because of copious amounts of snow and ice everywhere, it's a big deal when you get to go somewhere there are actually other people! And shopping, there's that as well. Linda and I made a trip to Walmart last weekend and we actually enjoyed it. We got to get out of the house and also got our steps in for the day. I know, sometimes going to Walmart can be an absolute chore, but you have to learn to go at the right time, which is early in the morning. Especially if you are going on the weekend. I have found the noise level to be almost unbearable in the afternoons on the weekend. And that brings me to something else I've discovered about being retired...
THE WEEKEND
Now that I am retired, I am constantly recalling one of my favorite lines from the TV series, Downton Abbey. This line was spoken by the Dowager Countess, exquisitely delivered by the incomparable Maggie Smith. When Matthew Crawley is explaining about his new job and how he will still have the weekends free, the Dowager Countess replies, "Wha...what is a weekend?" This was meant to point out the fact that to the idle rich of the day, every day was the same because they did not have to report to a job five days out of the week. Being retired is the same way, and I often find myself having to stop and think about what day it is. Only difference is I'm not part of the idle rich.
This isn't the weekend but it is Wednesday, so it's time for me to say goodbye and get this blog posted! Have a great week...and weekend.
4 comments:
Glad to hear the snow is starting to melt! I know you are very happy about that! Was wondering, how much salt and vinegar do you originally put in the sauerkraut, if any? I am clueless because I've obviously never made any. We do like it, especially Susan, so I thought, if I EVER get caught up around here, we could try it out!
Funny, you mentioning the " Wha...what is a weekend" line. One of my customers said that to me the other day. That's exactly how she feels since retiring!!! Who would have thought that 2 people would point out the same exact line from the same show, to me, so near together?!? Closing with: Do do do do do do do do... da da da da, LOL! 🤔
The amount if salt is a tricky thing. One recipe I saw said to use 3 Tbsp salt for each 5 pounds of cabbage. For this recipe, I only did 1 pound of cabbage so I used 1 1/2 tsp of pickling salt, which if a finer grind than table salt. If using table salt you might want to use a bit more. This amount of cabbage made 1 1/2 pints of sauerkraut, which would be a good amount to start with to see if you like it. I think it is awesome on a hotdog or sausage. I will report back in a week or two and let you know how this batch comes out. One thing to note, though, is you have to do this when it's cool or it won't ferment. But if you keep your house cool, you'd be okay. 60-65 degrees is optimal, 80 degrees is too hot. Hope this helps! ~~ Peg
Where's my picture?
LOL, sorry, I will put one on next week.
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