Farmers market to crock

[brewerpaul]

It is that time of year to eat well in season from the farmers market and plan for the winter by canning and freezing. My saturday mornings involve picking up Jennifer and heading to our two farmers markets. Both are great markets serving up everything from range fed beef and lamb to veggies and flowers to eggs to knife sharpening to river trout to baked goods. The list goes on and on. This year I have been going kilted, Ill have to get a photo taken this next weekend for proof, which has gotten me some nice compliments and looks.

Jennifer and I eat in the season but also spend the summer investing in the winter food stocks. I buy from one farmer, Kenny Anderson of Anderson Produce, who always makes me a great deal on everything he grows. This past weekend he had purple cabbage, yeahhhhh. He has tried to grow it the past 3 years and this year it worked. Well 10 cabbage later Im in the kitchen making my kraut. I make regular green cabbage kraut so this year the addition of the purple will be a treat. I put one large cabbage aside for the week to make slaw and stir fry and proceeded to chop up my cabbage. I cut it course and it stays wonderfully crunchy.

Sink full of 3 chopped cabbage




Photo of the other 6 ready to chop up




After shaking the water out of the cabbage it goes into my crock with a scientific measured handful of pickling salt, then pack down into crock. This is done in layers so it packs well

Crock full of 9 chopped and brined cabbage



This whole crock weighed 50lbs when full so there is about 40LBs of cabbage in there. Next it is taken to my cool basement, a large plate put over the cabbage and a half gallon jug filled with water put on the plate. The jug is the weight that presses the plate down as the salt pulls the water from the cabbage. Ill make some trips down to press the plate down till the whole mess is covered by brine. From there it is lactic fermentation for 3-4 weeks to make the kraut. I keep a large cheese clothe over the top to keep out flying critters.

The next photo is of the 5 large cauliflower I bought to make pickled cauliflower. It is going to be a great summer and up coming winter.




If your community has a farmers market support it and enjoy some of the best tasting food you will eat. The summer has a variety from the early cabbage, root crops, leafy greens to the tomatoes, squash and other goodies winding up with winter squash, kales, hearty greens and much more. It is always a treat to eat in the season and locally and you support the ever important family farms.

Next week Ill update this with my green cabbage, enough to make 3 five gallon crocks of kraut, and Ill get a photo kilted with Kenny, my farmer friend.