Sauerkraut with my new weights

A few weeks ago, I went to the Jean Talon Market in Montreal – normally a big market full of local produce, but more than doubled in size towards the end of harvest season. Among the treasures were cabbages, each much bigger than my head. What a great excuse to use the sauerkraut weights that Tosten’s Pots had made for me last year! I have made sauerkraut before, and wrote about it Here  and  Here and Here among other places. I like sauerkraut a lot!

This time I used a relatively modern recipe for brined sauerkraut, from Stocking Up, a book from 1977. The recipe is very traditional, made with brine and cabbage in a big crock.

Mix your finely shredded cabbage with salt (3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp of pickling salt for each 10 quarts of cabbage). Pack the cabbage firmly, but not tightly into the crock, pressing own with a wooden spoon or paddle. Lay a clean cloth over the cabbage, then put on the sauerkraut weights. My weights were not heavy enough to ensure that the liquid woul reach the botto of the cover, so I added a container fille with water and two more weights. I allowed the cabbage to ferment at room temperature for about 9 days, changing the cloth each day and checking for scum to scrape off. Fermentation has ended when bubbles stop rising to the surface. It tasted good, so last night put it into jars and processed for 20 minutes, with a little leftover to eat fresh.

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Apple Jelly Candy

The last of the apples from last week’s apple harvest went into this recipe. I was totally lazy so I simply use the redacted recipe in The Medieval Kitchen by Redon, Sabban and Serventi. The original recipe is from Libro di cucina del secolo XI edited by Ludovico Frati. The recipe is as follows:

Peel and core 1 3/4 lb of apples then grate or purée them in a food processor, then put through a fine strainer to yield a very smooth puree ( I didn’t get a super smooth puree). Combine with 2 1/3 cups honey in a heavy saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula, for an hour or 70 minutes.  
Add 1 tsp sweet spice mixture (which is made by combining 2 rounded Tbsp ground ginger, 2 rounded Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 heaping Tbsp powdered bay leaves, 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves) about 15 minutes before cooking is complete.

The jelly mixture is done when it is a translucent amber in colour and when a drop of the mixture holds its shape when spooned onto a plate. When the jelly mixture is done, spread it out in a rectangular glass baking dish in an even layer a scant half inch thick. Cool, then leave to cure for several days covered in waxed paper or plastic wrap. When it is dry, cut it into diamond shapes and serve on a bed of fresh bay leaves.

It took mine several days to dry enough to even consider cutting. Eventually, I was able to cut it and remove the pieces from the baking dish. It is very sweet!

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