I used this recipe http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut to start my sauerkraut. It sounds so easy, but today I scooped the bloom off of the top of the sauerkraut.....GROSS! As I was gently scooping away this white scum off the top of my brine I had a fear go through me. What if I give my husband botulism? What if under this milky brine the kraut didn't turn out? what if it's gross? But everything I've read said that surface bloom is totally normal. It's strange to work at something for a month and not know if it's going to work, and it's strange wondering if something I've made could make me sick or not. It's made me realize how spoiled we are with our food!
Everything is so clean, neatly packaged and ready to eat. I can tell you how to check and see if something is expired on a supermarket shelf, but not how to check the food in my own kitchen. I have a fear of home canned foods, a fear of home fermented foods. Part of this fear is because I've never really been exposed to these practices. Besides my Grammy's jam I've never really seen anything canned, and no one in my social circles ferments their own food. (Okay so we have some friends who make beer, but that doesn't count! ) This is all new to me, and I've realized that I, among a generation of people have never been equipped with the ability to be self sufficient for the sake of convenience, relying on supermarkets and food processing plants to provide us with our food in a safe and healthy way.
The only problem? I don't really trust food processing plants! So I have a new goal to go along with my budgeting adventures, to find a way to change my mind about food preserved at home. Having a German style feast for my husband's birthday where I will showcase my home made sauerkraut is the first step. Here is to hoping it's going to turn out...If not lucky for me I can still buy it in jars at the supermarket.
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