by Guest | Jan 4, 2017 | Eat Well, Move Well, Recipes
by Jessica Linnell, PhD, and Anne Goetze, RDN
Eating well and moving well are themes for the Year of Wellness in 2017, so we want to share some tips for eating well and moving well. Whether you are a man or woman, young or old, strong bones are needed to have an active lifestyle. There are two important things you can do to build and maintain strong bones. The first is to get enough of the nutrients that support bone health, which are calcium and vitamin D.
How much calcium do you need every day?
- Children 1-3 years:700 mg
- Children 4-9 years: 1,000 mg
- Children 9-18 years: 1,300 mg
- Adults 19-70 years: 1,000 mg
- Adults 70 or older: 1,200 mg
What foods have calcium? One serving of milk (8 ounces of milk, 6 ounces of yogurt, or 1 ½ ounces of cheese) provides 310 mg of calcium. Other sources are vegetables like kale, bok choi and broccoli. Whole grains also have small amounts of calcium that can add up if you eat them often. Not all sources of calcium are considered equal because the calcium isn’t as available to our bodies in some foods as it is in dairy. To get the same amount of available calcium from one cup of milk, you need 1.1 cups soy beverage, 2 ½ cups broccoli, 1 cup of almonds, 1 ½ cups uncooked kale, 4 cups of pinto beans, or 8 cups of spinach.
How much calcium are you getting? Think about the foods that you eat every day and count the number of servings of dairy. If you aren’t eating three servings every day, consider these ideas to boost your calcium. Start your day strong by drinking a latte, having a yogurt parfait, or making oatmeal with milk. When you need a snack have yogurt, make a smoothie with milk, or a tortilla with cheese. At mealtime pour a glass of milk, add shredded cheese into salads or pasta. You can also make recipes that include milk, like the Year of Wellness recipe for Creamy Mushroom Soup.
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because your body can make vitamin D naturally when exposed to sunlight but the amount varies based on where you live, how long you expose your skin to sunlight, the color of your skin, and your age. How much vitamin D you need every day?
- Children and adults ages 1-70 need 600 IU
- Adults odder than 70 need 800 IU
What foods have Vitamin D? It is found naturally only in a few foods including salmon (3 ounces has 580 IU), mackerel (3 ounces has 550 IU), chanterelle mushrooms (1 cup has 115 IU), and tuna (3 ounces has 70 IU). Vitamin D is also added to milk (100 IU per 8 ounces) and some other foods.
The second thing to do to support bone health is to be physically active. Children should engage in at least 60 minutes of activity every day and adults should do at least 150 minutes every week. In addition to building strong bones there are other benefits of a physically active lifestyle. If you are interested in learning more, please attend the Year of Wellness “Moving Well, Being Well” event. Dr. Kathy Gunter from Oregon State University will be talking about how physical activity can help prevent and manage chronic conditions. Join us on January 20th from Noon to 2 p.m. at the Department of Forestry at 5005 3rd St. in Tillamook. Seating is limited, so please register by calling Stacie Zuercher at 503-815-2062.
Year of Wellness Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Soup
Boost your calcium by enjoying a creamy mushroom soup that incorporates calcium-rich, low-fat milk. Consider replacing the white mushrooms with Pacific Golden Chanterelle, the Oregon state mushroom, which contain over 200 IU of vitamin D per cup.
Recipe adapted from the Dash Diet Eating Plan, and from the Mushroom Council (mushroominfo.com)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1½ pounds white mushrooms, sliced (about 9 cups)
1 can (14½ ounces) low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup white wine or water
1½ cups low-fat milk
Preparation:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and pepper; cook, stirring often, until onions just begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, broth, and wine or water; bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the vegetables; set aside.
In a blender or food processor place half of remaining soup from the saucepan; puree until smooth; remove to a bowl; repeat with remaining mixture; return entire pureed mixture to saucepan; stir in milk and reserved vegetables. Simmer just until heated through, about 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with thinly sliced green onion.
Nutrition Information:
Per serving: 156 calories, 7.5 g total fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 15 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 3 g fiber, 340 mg sodium, 681 mg potassium, 40 mg calcium.
Note: if using chanterelle mushrooms, each serving contains 257 IU vitamin D
by Guest | Dec 5, 2016 | Eat Well, Recipes
By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
“I think it is more important to have fun and spend time with my guests at parties.” The Barefoot Contessa
The festive party season has officially begun. Lovely parties decked out in garlands of cedar and holly berries, beckon to us. Twinkling lights, laughter and rich holiday foods grace warm homes filled with party goers. We might even be so inspired by the season as to deck our own halls and have a party. Whatever the case, going to or having a party, there is a definite art to it so you won’t get stressed out of your mistletoed mind and expand your waist to Santa’s girth.
One of the key components of a stress-free holiday party is easy, healthy food. I know “easy” and “healthy” used in the same sentence with “holiday party” seems like an oxymoron, but it is possible. I assure you.
There are two festive dishes that you can serve at any party that will be received with big rosy smiles; the vegetable platter and the fruit and cheese platter. We’re not talking just any ole platter like you get from a grocery store. (Even those will do in a pinch) We are talking an updated, healthy and sexy looking tray of merry healthy foods! These trays are easy to put together and filled with goodness that we all need this time of year. They can even be elevated to art work, with little planning and prep. Oh, and they don’t require any cooking. Easy, healthy and delicious; check.
First off, when planning the platter of your choice, think textures and colors. Start by choosing an interesting platter to arrange it on. A large wooden cutting board or a bamboo tea tray are my favorite go to containers. I have found some great platters at Good Will or other thrift store that are interesting and affordable too.
Let’s start with the luscious fruit and cheese platters. Pick out an array of different cheeses; a hard one, a soft creamy one, a mild one and a pungent one. Choosing locally made cheeses adds even more interest to the tray and/or try making a cheese log for a kick. Tip: Let your cheeses come to room temperature for a few hours before serving as cheese tastes better that way.
Next, think fruit; colorful, different shapes, and the simpler the better. Choose fruits that are in season and are easy to pick up and eat. Grapes, apples and pear slices, figs and tangerines slices are good choices for this time of year. (To keep your pear and apple slices from turning brown, squeeze the juice of an orange over them and toss till well coated.)
Add some dried fruit, like cranberries and apricots, then some nuts, roasted cashews and almonds are good picks. Choose some sliced breads or crackers for the platter as well. I love nut crackers, like “Blue Diamond Nut Thins” because they are healthy, gluten-free and have great crunch.
Let’s talk vegetable platters now, or in French, “crudités platter,” are equally enjoyable to create. Once again, think colors and textures. Carrots of different colors, sliced in half lengthways, radicchio and Belgian endive cut into little scoops, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, lightly steamed green beans and asparagus, then julienned bell peppers and celery make great choices. Make a dip for the vegetables that is sleek and different. Something like a “Green Goddess”, baba ganoush, or zesty orange hummus dip. (Recipe follows)
Now for the fun part, assembling your masterpiece. Allow your creative spirit to flow here. Pick some herbs, like sprigs of rosemary and sage, to arrange around the platter to add interest. Pine boughs that have been washed work too if you can’t get fresh herbs. Pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries sprinkled around the herbs make a lovely holiday theme.
You can use leaves from the garden to place under the cheese, fruit and veggies. Make sure they are non-poisonous and pesticide free first! Our native salal is a great one to use; completely edible and evergreen. (Holly and mistletoe are slightly poisonous, so don’t use them.) Then arrange the fruit and cheeses or the veggies in a fun and pleasing way. Use your imagination and most of all enjoy the process and the different flavors you are presenting. Your tray will be well visited! There are many people wishing to eat healthy foods this time of year. I wish you a healthy and (relatively) stress-free holiday season!
Zesty Orange Hummus
Adapted from Cooking Light. You can get all the spices, including the smoked paprika from Mother Nature’s. Great served with veggies or pita wedges.
½ onion roughly chopped
2-6 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of orange juice
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste)
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground coriander
¼ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
Or regular paprika
1 15 ounce can of rinsed and drained garbanzo beans
Get down the old processor or a blender on steroids. Add the onion and the garlic to the food processor then whirl till diced up. As the processor is running, add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time till well blended. Serve sprinkled with smoked paprika, a drizzle of a really good olive oil and love.
by Guest | Dec 5, 2016 | Eat Well
By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
December is bake till you pop month. We all know this. Visions of sugar cookies begin to dance in our heads and brainwash us into baking not just two dozen of them, but 6 or 10 dozen of them to spread the cheer. (Or the waist lines.) In my experience, it is very difficult to avoid all the Christmas cookies and other delights, but there is a way to mitigate the spread by baking lighter and with healthier ingredients.
First off, let’s debunk a myth that can be restricting when you start to experiment with changing your favorite recipes — baking is not an exact science. I know, I know, we’ve all heard how you must be precise in your baking but, I’m here to tell you, I am a first class experimenter on baked goods and rarely do they totally bomb. Ok, now that we have that cleared up, let’s get experimenting!
One of my favorite simple ways to make a healthier baked good is to replace white flour with whole wheat pastry flour. It will make a slightly chewier cookie that has a bit of a nutty flavor but I personally like that better. Whole wheat pastry flour is milled from soft white wheat so has a tender crumb, whereas regular whole wheat flour is milled from hard red wheat. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is a good source of dietary fiber; 28 grams (1 ounce) provides 4 grams of fiber per serving and white flour provides only 1 gram. I also like to add 1/4 cup of flax seed meal or wheat germ and reduce the flour by that same amount for even more fiber. Now that we have more fiber, let’s tackle the fat in baked goods.
Most cookies are high in saturated fats with all that jolly butter that they are baked with. It is very easy to reduce that by replacing half the butter with heart healthy light tasting olive or avocado oil to lower the saturated fat content. Neither you nor Santa will notice the difference.
Another option that works great is to replace half the butter with a fruit puree like apple or pear butter. This makes for a moist and tasty cookie but you will see a difference in the oven, they don’t flatten on their own while baking. To fix this, all you have to do is to squash them with the palm of your hand before baking them. (If you lightly wet your palm before doing it the cookie dough won’t stick to your hand.) Fruit puree replacement lends itself more to cakes, muffins and drop cookies but not so much to cut out cookies.
The last tip I’ll leave you with is simple but effective; make your cookies smaller. We are so use to having HUGE cookies served to us that small cookies seem like a rip-off. Adjust your mind set and cut calories by a remarkable amount just by reducing the size of your cookie. I bought a little mini ice cream scoop and use that size when baking so I keep them small. If you are making cut out cookies, use the smallest cookie cutters you have to limit size.
Here is my favorite light sugar cookie recipe that is delicate of flavor and texture. They tend to puff up a bit when cooking so will be a little different when baking but they are so worth it. Have a very merry cookie season
Light and Lemony Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Cooking light
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1/4 cup of light cream cheese, softened
1 large fresh egg
1/2 of a lemon’s zest
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup of wheat germ or flax seed meal
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
First, play your favorite holiday music. (Very important!)
Beat the sugar, butter and cream cheese with mixer till soft and fluffy, then add the egg and beat some more. Next add the lemon zest, and vanilla and mix till well blended.http://tillamookcountyhealthmatters.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=17049&action=trash&_wpnonce=ba4f88b76d
In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together with a wire whisk till happily combined. Add the dry ingredients together with the sugary ingredients and stir together, by hand or blender, till the dough is well formed. Shape the dough into two disks and tuck in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight, to firm up.
When you are ready for the magical cookie making time, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out one disk on a floured board or between two sheets of wax paper, till about a ¼ inch thick. Cut cookies out with your favorite cookie cutters and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes till they are golden brown around the edges and the center is set. Don’t move the cookies for a few minutes while they set, they tend to be a bit fragile when hot. Decorate with icing and festive sprinkles.
Lemon icing
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of low fat milk
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Christmas Sprinkles!
Stir all the above ingredients together in a small pretty bowl till well blended. If it seems a bit thick, add a bit more lemon juice till you get the consistency that you want. Spread the icing on cooled cookies or squeeze through a pastry bag or a small zip lock bag, with a tiny corner cut off. Dust the cookies with your sprinkles immediately so they will stick. Ho Ho Ho!
Nutritional information if you make 20 cookies with icing; calories 125 , fat 3.5 grams, fiber, 2 grams.
by Guest | Nov 21, 2016 | Eat Well, Recipes
By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
It’s turkey season! I just love turkey. It is such a delicious healthy meat that is inexpensive, low in fat and high in protein. Turkey is an excellent source of phosphorus and B6, and a good source of zinc and B12. I think the only bad thing about it is that it has a notorious reputation for being cooked till dry and tasteless. I have discovered the answer to this issue. This is a revelation, it truly is. The turkey turns out tender, juicy and oh so flavorful.
The secret…… drumroll…. is braising. Braising is a French word that means cooking a food with a dry high heat to brown it and then stewing it in water at a low heat. Braising is also referred to as “pot roasting” sometimes but whatever you call it, it can take a meat that normally gets dried out easy and make it succulent. It is the perfect solution for turkey.
You will need to get a turkey that either you cut in half or have the butcher do it for you. With it cut in two you can submerge it in the broth to cook in. It is also possible to cook a bigger turkey for thanksgiving, like I am, you just have to use two roasting pans and possibly two ovens (and of course, up the cooking time). Don’t let the long instructions put you off, it’s actually an easy method to cook a turkey and the results well worth it! The brining process isn’t necessary if you are using a salt injected turkey. This is a turkey to be thankful for and celebrate the season with.
Succulent braised turkey
Serves 10-12. You can use homemade or store bought broth for this. The brining process isn’t necessary if you are using a salt injected turkey.
The brine;
A quart of apple juice
OR 1 cup of sugar dissolved in a quart of water
1 cup of salt (I prefer kosher)
2 gallons of cold water
Sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme
12-14 pound turkey, cut in half
The rest;
2 onions, chopped coarse
3 ribs of celery, chopped coarse
2 carrots, chopped coarse
4-5 big mushrooms, chopped coarse
4-6 garlic cloves peeled and quartered
6 springs of fresh thyme
6 whole sage leaves
1-2 springs of fresh rosemary
4 TBLS unsalted butter melted
1 quart of chicken turkey broth
1 quart or so of water
1 cup of white wine
The first thing to do is to make your brine. Get out a giant pot that you can easily submerge the turkey in. (Some people brine in a medium sized cooler. I brine in a crab cooker pot) Add the two gallons of water, apple juice, salt and herb sprigs to the pot and mix till well blended or the salt (and sugar-water if you are using it) is dissolved. Wash your turkey in cold water and then submerge the two halves in its salty spa. (If the turkey isn’t submerged, add more water) Add a few cups of ice or so to bring down the water temp, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or preferably overnight. (This is where a cooler comes in handy if you don’t have an extra fridge hanging around. Just keep the bird on ice in the cooler and it takes the place of a fridge)
When you are ready to cook your turkey, lower the rack in your oven so that you can fit a turkey in there and preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Prep all your veggies (but not the herb sprigs) and place in a big bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and a little salt and pepper. Layer the veggies in the bottom of a large roasting pan and add the sprigs of herbs. Take your turkey out of the brine, dump the brine down the sink, and pat your turkey dry with paper towels. Take the other two tablespoons of butter and rub all over the turkey skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the two turkey halves on top of the veggies and tuck in the oven for 15-20 minutes to brown it up.
When the turkey is lightly brown, take it out of the oven and reduce the temp of the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the broth, wine, and water around the turkey, the liquid should come up half way up the sides of the pan, add more water if it hasn’t. Place a piece of parchment paper over the turkey (to keep the skin from sticking to the foil) and then cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Tuck this lucky bird back in the oven and cook till the breast temp reaches 160 degrees, about 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the size of your bird. Plan on 20 minutes per pound and 15 minutes per pound on a heritage breed turkey. Take out of the oven and drool, I mean let the turkey cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the bird from the broth carefully and put on a large cutting board, tent it with the foil to keep warm. Meanwhile, strain the veggies and herbs out of the broth and do whatever you want with them. (I put them in the compost or squish them up and add to the broth.) Make your gravy in your normal way with the broth. (You get to make an extra-large batch here!) Save the rest of the broth for soup the next day or freeze. (This stuff is gold! Don’t throw it out!) Cut up the turkey and serve with the gravy. Bon appetite!
by Guest | Nov 19, 2016 | Eat Well, Recipes
By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” ~Robert Caspar Lintner
Here is an historical twist; there were no sweet potatoes at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Nope, none at all. There isn’t any evidence of this South American native being cultivated in North America till 1648. Another interesting tidbit is the sweet potato and the yam are not the same thing. In fact, they are not even in the same family. The true yam is a GIANT tuber that looks like an elephant’s trunk, grown mostly in Africa. It is still a curiosity in our culinary culture that very few North Americans have ever seen here. So, any sweet potato thingy you see or eat here, is just that, a sweet potato.
Sweet potatoes are one of those veggies that everyone should eat once a week or more due to their nutritional power and low calories. They are chock full of antioxidants, beta carotene, Vit. C and fiber, along with copper, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. The darker the flesh of the potato the more antioxidants are present. They go well in most any dish, so sweet potato away!
This recipe has been an added Thanksgiving tradition in our family for a long time now after being introduced to us by a chef, Julie Barker, in Manzanita. I have tweaked it a bit to get the calories down, but it is pretty close to the original. I highly suggest using arugula only, but mixed greens are also good. It perfectly complements all the flavors of the Thanksgiving meal or any autumnal meal for that matter.
You may prepare the sweet potatoes, mapled pecans, and maple dressing a few days in advance for ease. Keep the sweet potatoes and maple dressing in the fridge till you use and hide the pecans from yourself.
Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Dressing
10 cups, give or take, of arugula or mixed baby greens
2 cups of roasted sweet potato cubes
1/4 to 1/2 cup of red onion slices
1/2 cup of mapled pecans, chopped
1/2 cup of feta cheese, preferably sheep or goat (optional)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peeled sweet potato into about 1/2 inch cubes and put in a pan with sides. Spray the top of the sweet potatoes with a olive oil cooking spray then sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss well and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring a few times till pierced easily with a fork. Set aside these little jewels to cool.
Place your greens in your most special salad bowl and toss in the sweet potatoes, and the onion. If you wish to dress the salad before serving, now is the time. Sprinkle the pecans and feta cheese over the salad. Save a few whole pecans halves for the top of the salad for that extra eye candy. Sometimes I place the dressing, mapled pecans and feta cheese in their own bowls next to the salad so folks can add these to their own taste. This recipe makes 6 servings.
Here is the salad dressing we live on all winter. It is so good on every salad but particularly shines in this one.
Maple Dressing
1/4 cup of mayo
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of oil, preferably a nut oil, like walnut or olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
Put all the ingredients into the blender and let her rip! Process for about 1 minute till well blended.
These mapled pecans are so delicious you will want to make extra or you will eat all of them before you get them to the salad.
Mapled Pecans
1 cup of pecan halves
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans in a small bowl and drizzle the maple syrup over them and mix well till the syrup is hugging all the pecans in a sweet embrace. Put the pecans in a jelly roll pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake about 10 minutes, stirring once, till the maple syrup begins to bubble. Remove from the oven and stir once before they are cool, or they will stick to the pan like you can’t believe.
Happy Thanksgiving month! I am so grateful for you, dear readers, and I hope you have a healthy and appreciative holiday.
by Guest | Nov 2, 2016 | Eat Well, Recipes
by Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
Cabbages are an interesting veggie for me. I’m seduced by them, can’t keep my hands off them, but often they sit in the fridge unattended. I finally dig them out and do something with them when they give me enough guilty looks every time I open the fridge. Fortunately for me, and folks throughout history, the storage life of these amazing vegetables is a looooooong time.
Cabbage has been cultivated since about 600BC, where it was brought from Asia to the isle of Great Britain by none other than the adventurous Celts. (I can just imagine big burly Vikings rowing away with a boat full of cabbages) It flourished there and fed the people. Taking only three months growing time, one acre of cabbage will yield more edible vegetables than any other plant and keep all winter long. Important stuff for those days.
For many years, in many places, the cabbage is what kept the human race going nutritionally. It is not a coincidence that just about every culture in the world has a recipe for some sort of pickled cabbage, like sauerkraut and kimchi, which are still wildly popular foods. Fermenting cabbage into kimchi or sauerkraut is definitely the new rage going on in home kitchens. In fact, we have some home fermented kimchi being sold at the farmer’s market occasionally by Henry Stanley. If you see it there, try it! Very delicious and oh so good for you. Because of this, many cooks are breaking out their gallon jars and filling them up with cabbage, salt and spices to create fermented super foods.
Fermented foods are amazing for our bodies and should be augmented into the diet. They have been shown to support the beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract. In our antiseptic world with antibacterial everything, we could use some beneficial bacteria in our bodies.
Here is a recipe for fermenting your very own sauerkraut. It is a process and takes time and patience. If you are into fermented foods you are going to love this! If this looks like too big of a deal to do, then do yourself a favor and buy a naturally fermented brand of sauerkraut to try like “Farmhouse” and “Bubbies” brands in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It is filled with good health and nutrition.
Homemade fermented classic sauerkraut
1 large head of cabbage, preferably green
1.5 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
Equipment that you need;
2 large mouth quart jars, washed in the dishwasher
A large non-metal mixing bowl
2 small skinny jelly jars full of scrubbed clean rocks
Clean cheesecloth or muslin
A couple rubber bands
A muddler or something to tamp down the cabbage
Okay dokey, ready to ferment? Here we go. First off peel the droopy outer leaves off your cabbage then cut it into 4ths, de-core it, then finely slice each wedge crossways to make thin ribbons. Toss the cabbage ribbons into a large mixing bowl, separating the ribbons as you do. Sprinkle the salt over the mix then begin to rub the salt into the cabbage by massaging it all. At first it seems you are getting nowhere but after about 4-5 minutes you will begin to notice that the cabbage is breaking down and getting wetter and smaller. After somewhere between 5-10 minutes of massaging, when your cabbage is reduced to half the size you’re done. Massage in the caraway seeds for a few more minutes and it is ready to go.
Next, get out 2 canning quart sized jars and stuff them with the cabbage mix. Tamp the cabbage down as you go to tightly pack it in the jars. I used a canning funnel and a muddler and it worked great. You can pack it down with a large wooden spoon too. When you have the mixture evenly divided between the two jars and squished down tight, pour what fluid is left in the bottom of the bowl over the cabbage. Take an outer leaf you pulled off from the cabbage and tuck it over the to-be sauerkraut to keep the oxygen from getting to it. Tamp it down again.
Now place your rock filled (I know, it’s high tech here) jelly jars on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged. Cover with the clean cloth, put a rubber band around each of the jars and place in a quiet room, out of direct sunlight at the temperature of 65-75 degrees consistently, to do its magic. If the temperature rises above 75 degrees, move it to a cooler location as hot fermentation can make the whole thing go off. It will taste and smell bad. Cold temperatures just slow down the process but no harm done.
Press the cabbage down every few hours the first day to get the juices flowing. (I just pressed down and the rock filled jar to do this with no need to remove the rubber band and cloth.) The liquid will begin to seep out of the cabbage and cover it. This is your brine. Allow the cabbage to ferment for 3-10 days, pressing it down daily under the brine. ( I found that 7 days was just about right)
While it is fermenting you will see lots of bubbles and activity, which shows it is alive and well. As long as the cabbage stays under the surface of the brine, fermentation will occur perfectly. If any mold or scummy stuff grows on the surface, remove it immediately and then re-submerge your cabbage. The sauerkraut under the brine is fine.
Begin tasting it at day 3-4 and then every day until it reaches the perfect tangy-ness for you. When it gets at your preferred flavor, remove the cloth, the jelly jars and the top cabbage leaf and fluff it up into the liquid. Store in the fridge with a lid on it and it will last months. As long as it still smells and tastes good, it’s good. Put on your salads, with your hot dogs, or anywhere else you can think. It is GOOD for you!
