The day after Christmas, I spotted some likely red cabbages at the store, bought four, and carried them home. That night I sliced them thin on the mandoline. The kid helped me pack the crock, adding salt between layers of cabbage. It has been going for a bit over two weeks now.
The other night I pulled some young kraut out to eat with nachos. I like how the acid and salt and vegetable energy of the kraut balances out the rich earthiness of the corn chips and black beans and cheese. This kraut clearly will keep getting better. But it’s already yummy: crunchy, cabbage-y, lightly sour, with a complex flavor.
When we took it out, the kid said with pride: “We made it, and no one else.”
(Real ones will remember that the third issue of Lightplay, back in May of 2020, was titled simply “Sauerkraut”.)
