Food Adventures in Germany!

When first arriving in Germany, I wanted to start my own kombucha (a fermented black tea drink). It took awhile to find my starter (scoby), but now I continue to enjoy the yummy freshness of my kombucha! Sometimes, I flavor it with carrots and ginger and usually let it ferment until it is nice and sour. My neighbors think it is a little too sour! :)

 While kombucha is my favorite, a friend from Colorado inspired me to try some new fermentation. So, I made my own beet kvass which is a fermented beet drink from Eastern Europe. My principle, Joy used to serve in Russia where the original fermented drink is brown bread kvass. Beet kvass takes a bit to get used to. The kvass has an earthy beet flavor and can be as energizing as a couple of dark chocolate squares! 

 Along with fermentation is the Farmer's Market where I am finding yummy turnips, onions, pumpkins (you can cook and eat the whole thing, skin and all!), tomatoes, zucchini, lots of kohlrabi, parsnips, carrots, beets, radishes, butternut squash, raw dairy, fresh apple cider, honey, plums, apples, cherries, strawberries, and so much more!! There is a small meat market there as well. The last couple of weeks, I found some rutabaga and wanted to dance a jig!! 

 My newest venture in fermentation is making sauerkraut! I looked up some recipes and found a great informative video on YouTube. My first two tries had me using too much salt but now I have it down and it has turned out yummy! I made my third successful batch today. Below is the photo of half of my cabbage cut up with a tablespoon of salt. I let it sit for a few minutes then began massaging it. As it decreased in size, I added the other half of the cabbage sliced into thin strips. 

 Here is what it looks like just before I pack it into a jar. The salt pulls water from the cabbage and creates a brine. Massaging the cabbage and creating the brine takes some time and one must be patient. This is the German lacto-fermentation method of making sauerkraut and it is yummy! One of my favorites is cooking a few German brats and frying some kraut in some butter. Might want to catch that drool before it drips! ;)

 Here is my finished product packed into my Norge jar! I let it sit in a warm sunny place for 5-6 weeks before placing it into the fridge. An important tip is to make enough liquid brine with the cabbage and the salt so there is enough brine to cover the cabbage as it ferments. Let me know if you are interested in trying this at home and I can give you more details! My next challenge is kimchi!