A Quart of Sauerkraut

Ye are the salt of the earth.... Matthew 5:13a

This week at God's Two Acres I've made sauerkraut. Not a churn full like Grandma used to make, but a quart or a 1/2 gallon at a time. A medium head of cabbage that weighs about 3 pounds will make about a quart. I took off the outer leaves and quartered the cabbage. After I removed the core, I shredded it in my food processor but I could have used the slicer side of a four-sided grater or simply used a knife. 

Then I added the salt and worked it into the cabbage until the cabbage began to wilt. A wooden spoon was useful to pack the wilted cabbage into a wide-mouthed quart jar. Then I filled a jelly jar with water, added a lid and set it on the kraut to weigh it down. A clean cloth and a rubber-band will keep the kraut clean and allow the air-borne bacteria access to the salted cabbage. After 3 days the kraut is ready to use or refrigerate. I like mine a little more tart so I will allow the fermenting to continue, tasting every day until it's just right for me and my family. I can then send it to the cellar or refrigerate for fall/winter munching. I'll probably be making a few quarts every time I have a nice head of cabbage.  

Making kraut is a lot like making a Christian. The outside, our skin color is of no importance to God. All He is concerned with is the inside. At our core is a sinful heart that has to be removed. God gets the wrong man out and puts the new man in (the Holy Spirit). He changes our whole being so that we become a new creature. All our old ways are shredded and God's new way begins. 

Salt is important to the mixture of making kraut. God says we are the salt of the earth. So, just what does salt do? Salt adds flavor, it draws out moisture, it creates an environment in which bad bacteria has difficulty growing and good, beneficial bacteria flourishes. It preserves the cabbage so it is not only an edible food but a beneficial food. Lots of vegetables, cucumbers and green beans for example, can be preserved with salt in much the same manner as cabbage. Even meat is salted to preserve it. 

So how are we as Christians the salt of the earth? We should add a different outlook to the world with which we come in contact. We draw people to Christ, to a changed life. We should be creating an environment where evil has a hard time sustaining itself and goodness and love flourish. We should be leading people to life everlasting. We should be useful instruments in God's kingdom. 

We have an awesome opportunity and responsibility to be salt every day, but especially in this time of elections. We need to be outspoken, being the salt that will preserve our marriages, families and nation. If we are not that beneficial salt, Christ says we may as well be thrown to the ground and stomped under foot. 

So, what are some ways we can be salt for the benefit of our homes and our country? Won't you leave your comments below? 

Blessings,

Gail

HEY KIDS! Won't to try your hand at making a quart of kraut? It tastes great with a few hot dogs.

You will need:

a food processor or a four-sided grater, or a knife (be sure to ask for a grown-up's help with these pieces of equipment).

a large bowl

a wooden spoon

a sterilized wide-mouth quart canning jar

a jelly jar with a lid

a clean cloth

a rubber band

1 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt or any salt that does not contain iodine

a medium cabbage

The temperature of the house needs to be in the 70's to make the best kraut.

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage.

Slice the cabbage in quarters.

Remove the core

Shred the cabbage into a large bowl

Work in 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt with your hands until the cabbage wilts. (It may take 5 -10 minutes).

Pack the cabbage tightly into the quart jar, packing it down with the wooden spoon.

Add the juice from the bowl to the jar. 

Add water to the jelly jar and screw on the lid.

Place the jelly jar into the quart jar and mash down.

Place the clean cloth over both jars and tie it on with the rubber band.

Check daily, mashing down on the jelly jar. 

If juice runs out of the quart jar, set it on a saucer. 

If the juice does not cover the cabbage in 24 hours dissolve 1 tsp of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to cover the cabbage. 

After 3 days, the kraut is ready if the tartness pleases you. It may be left up to 6 weeks. Refrigerate at your preferred tartness or place in a cool cellar. Enjoy!!