iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

What's going on down there?

Started by ohsoloco, October 22, 2005, 02:04:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ohsoloco

My dad and I spent last Sunday working on this project for a few hours.  Any guesses as to what's brewing in the basement  ???



The jar and small bucket on top are filled with water for weight (there's some white oak boards just under the surface.



Radar67

Okay, I'll bite! White Oak Whiskey?
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

ohsoloco

Nope...but it's definitely fermenting  ;)

edsaws


Ernie_Edwards


pasbuild

If it can't be nailed or glued then screw it

Tom

That's my guess too, saurkraut.

I've got a story about making saurkraut. ;D

Paul_H

What's your saurkraut story Tom?  :)

I never made saurkraut before so I'm wondering how important it is to have Oak boards in it?
I would have guessed corned beef.
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Tom

Once upon a time.............

My Uncle Pete, who is originally from Wisconsin, saw a big Crock that my grandmother had on the back porch.  This gave him the idea of showing Granddaddy how to make Sauerkraut.  Grandmother told them that she had some more crocks in the garage. (a separate outbuilding out back)

Granddaddy and Uncle Pete went to the store and bought a bunch of cabbage and salt and "stuff".   They got some boards and started cutting up the cabbage and mixing it with the stuff and putting it in the crocks.   They were having a grand old time until they ran out of crocks.  They found some other containers and filled them as well. 

As things go, you know, they didn't get the containers full but had run out of cabbage.  Off to the store the two went to buy some more cabbage....  and salt.....  and "stuff".....   

You have to picture the accumulation of containers and newly purchased crocks as first the ingredients didn't match the containers and then the containers didn't match the ingredients. 

Grandmother finally made them stop.

The back porch was full of crocks of the fermenting cabbage.  They were lined up along the walls two or more deep.  I didn't know what  was going on and didn't know what the smell was supposed to be, but, Grandmom must have.  As the days went by, her nose got higher and higher until finally the two chefs were sent hightailing to the garage with the containers of concoction, and the knowledge that Grandmamma was none to well pleased with the situation.

Some time later, the sauerkraut was dished up and put in jars.  It was eaten almost every day on things that a southern family had never seen sauerkraut eaten upon.   It was stacked in the garage and  in the kitchen and in the cupboards and in the closets of the bedrooms.   

Granddaddy, a biggy in the church, gave thousands of jars away to cornered church members.  Uncle Pete, a builder, gave thousands of jars away to his customers.  Grandmamma used them for Christmas presents and Momma, I'm sure, was delegated to pass on a goodly number of jars. 

I learned to like sauerkraut that year.  But, I got enough to last me until I was in my 30's.   :)

That was the year, in Ft. Pierce, of the Great Sauerkraut inundation.   :D

Don_Papenburg

Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Bro. Noble

My wife used to make turnip kraut.  You shred the turnips and then make it just as you would cabbage.  My Mom was always talking about how they kept from going hungry during dry seasons by making  turnip kraut.  We wanted to try it and ended up liking it and turnips are lots easier to grow than cabbage.

I remember Mom putting the cabbage core in the kraut.  I just loved those cores and ate them like candy bars :)
milking and logging and sawing and milking

Paul_H

Tom,

were those big crocks that your Uncle saw in Wisconsin or Florida? I remember hearing that there are both gators and and a few crocks in Florida but I'm pretty sure there aint any in Wisconsin cause its too DanG cold there.

Of course you mentioned that your Granddaddy and Uncle Pete stuffed them with "a bunch of cabbage and salt and "stuff" so maybe it was in Wisconsin where it's cold and the crocks move slowly.

Do you know if they put any Oak boards in their crocks?

Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Paschale

So what's the oak board do for the kraut anyway?   ???  If that's indeed what's a brewing in the crock.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Tom

Paul,

These crocks were hard and round .....and had a hole in one end ........and.......   Hmmmm


No, wrong kind of crock.   These were ceramic, and as I remember, held about 3 gallons each.  The other kind is made out of uncured leather and holds about two people.  ;D :P

Dan_Shade

I love good sauerkraut, even if I can't spell it....

I learned a trick, In a gunsmithing book, of all places...  put a tea towel over top of the cabbage/salt mix, then fill a big garbage bag with water over that to weight it down.  The water and bag seal up the crock, keeping the smell way down, that is unless you enjoy your house smelling like a cat-litter box for a month  :D

works like a charm, I may have to get me a crock and make up another batch, I have'nt done it since I moved away from home :(
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

SwampDonkey

Grandmother used to churn butter in a sort of crock, they called it a churn. You added your warm cream to the churn. Stuck a paddle that looked like an X on the end into the churn. Then, placed a wooden lid , slipped down over the paddle handle. You motioned the paddle up and down for awhile to get it to curdle, adding some warm water occasionally. Can't make butter with cold cream, by the way. My uncle helped out and used to say 'I churn butter in my sleep'.  Apparently, there is a rythm to it. Grandfather would try to help out, but grandmother would put the run to him because he didn't have the rythm. ;D The curded butter was separated and placed in a wooden bowl to be washed and salted thoroughly. Then a wooden butter press was used to press out 1 lb blocks of butter onto butter paper, and wrapped. The butter was stored a short while in the churn before refridgerators came along, and taken to town to sell at the store. If it wasn't sold, it was stored in shelves out in the ice house. Sometimes folks would come buy the whole lot of churned butter and sell for a marked up price.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Dan_Shade

there's an article in a foxfire book that talks about making butter, if I recall, it has a peom or rthym or something to assist in the motion (it may well have been to keep from being bored...)

my mom has an old jar lid thing with a crank on it that would rotate a paddle to make butter.  long time ago I made her a new paddle for it, but then we could never find a jar it would fit onto the right way... maybe I should find that and put a new lid on it.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Radar67

Dan - I've seen those Jar Churns in the antique stores, anywhere from $125 to $250.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

ohsoloco

Yep, it is indeed sauerkraut  ;D  We had a few dozen heads of cabbage planted, but most of them "broke" so we had to buy it all for the kraut  :(  My dad has two of those 5 gallon ceramic type crocks, but one of them has a crack in it, so we opted for the plastic barrel.  I think it was a forty-some gallon food grade barrel we cut down...got it from the Pepsi plant in Williamsport. 

There's no reason I chose white oak for the top, other than I had a few wide, thick boards that were in my way  :D  Just needed some weight on the top to keep the cabbage covered in juice.  Last year we made a small batch in one of those crocks.  My dad covered it with a towel, and one day a piece of the towel fell down into the juice and sorta siphoned it all onto the floor  :-\  The basement it never really occupied, and we put a large plastic bag over it for the smell, and to keep other stuff out.

There are three large heads of cabbage buried in the middle of the brew...they'll make some FINE halupkies.  Tonight it's just regular cabbage leaves, but we're having halupkies for supper  ;D

Great story, Tom  :D  We usually end up giving a lot of our homemade stuff away  :)

ohsoloco

Well, I just had a nice lunch.  Kielbasa and sauerkraut   8)

Modat22

My mom fixed kraut so often when I was younger that I can't stomach the stuff now. I still remember the smell, texture and taste to this very day.
remember man that thy are dust.

SwampDonkey

I know what it is and I've never eaten it. I'll take my cabbage fresh off the head and grated or boiled in my beef stew. :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

beenthere

Real home-made sauer kraut can't be beat, IMO. The store-bought kraut isn't even close to being as good, and shouldn't even be able to be 'named' the same. But, brings back memories of when I was given quite a few large cabbage heads, and decided to make kraut. The temps were too cold outside, so I set the crock up in our basement of a duplex shortly before I was leaving to go deer hunting. The morning I was to leave, I received a call from dear wife that I would be doing something about that 30 gal of kraut working in the basement OR I wouldn't be leaving.

The temps were so warm it was working fast. I moved it over near the vent stack of the furnace and 'tented' it so the smell would go up the vent stack. Worked, and I went hunting.  Changing the cloths on top of the kraut is a smelly chore, and a bit messy too. The mold etc. that wants to grow on top of the water covering the kraut is not pleasant. But the kraut was fantastic, as far as kraut goes.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

dail_h

   OK,what's halupkies,an how does one fix um?
World Champion Wildcat Sorter,1999 2002 2004 2005
      Volume Discount At ER
Singing The Song Of Circle Again

ohsoloco

dail, halupkies are cabbage rolls.  My dad's side of the family (very slavik) make them with a mixture of seasoned rice (cooked or par-cooked) and ground beef.  A head of cabbage is sunk in a hot pot of water to loosen the cabbage leaves so you can take them off and then roll up the rice/beef mixture in them.  Then they're usually slow cooked with some type of tomato sauce.  I've never had the opportunity to try them made with cabbage that's been fermented with the kraut before (that won't be for long  ;D ).  Dad says that makes the best halupkies ever. 

The scum on the top of the kraut wasn't bad.  The brine dried up off of the top of the boards and some mold was growing, but I just pulled the boards off and washed them and returned them to the top of the kraut, but not before trying some first.  Was that stuff ever good  8)  The cabbage was still really crisp.

Oh man, talk about comfort food  :)

Dan_Shade

I made up a batch of turnip kraut when I was home at my parents over thanksgiving.  My uncles plant their potato patch in turnip seeds, so we went out, pulled about 10 gallons worth, I cleaned them up, and my mother helped me peel them.

I then put them in a food processor, and ended up with about 3 gallons worth of shredded turnips.  I think we ended up adding one tablespoon of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar per 3 lbs of shredded turnips.  I'll report back with how it did at christmas!

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Ernie

Quote from: ohsoloco on November 16, 2005, 11:39:41 AM
Well, I just had a nice lunch.  Kielbasa and sauerkraut   8)

Have you got a good recipe for keilbasa
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

Saki

I'm with swampdonkey on this one. I'm going to make sure and eat my cabbage before it gets a chance to rot :D :D :D

beenthere

Quote from: Saki on December 03, 2005, 05:30:52 AM
I'm with swampdonkey on this one. I'm going to make sure and eat my cabbage before it gets a chance to rot :D :D :D
:D Youngsters, growing up with refrigeration.   ::)
Not rot, it was made to keep the cabbage from becomming rotten. Getting summer-time food preserved for use in the winter months was a lot of work, and even if not done exactly right, was much better than 'nothing'. Canned meat, dried meat, and a lot of other foods were preserved for the same reason. I can still remember apples, where one would have to eat the half rotted ones first, and cut around the spoiled spots.  :)

Now we get fresh vegetables year around. That hasn't been too many years that its been the case. But its great.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

GareyD

Quote from: Ernie on December 02, 2005, 10:43:53 PM
Have you got a good recipe for keilbasa

Ernie, this'un is one of my favorites...

Smoked Polish Kielbasa (From The Sausage-Making Cookbook)

5 lb Pork butt, fine ground
3 T  Salt
1 T Sugar
1 T Black Pepper
8 ea Garlic Cloves, pressed
1 t Marjoram
1 c Water

Combine all ingredients, mix well and refrigerate for 24 hours. Stuff into large hog casing. Cool smoke for 1-2 hours or until the casing is dry. Gradually increase the temperature of the smokehouse to 160F ~ 165F. Apply a heavy smoke until an internal temperature of 140F is reached. Chill the sausage in cold water and hang at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Refrigerate.       
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends, if they're okay, then it's you.

sawguy21

I had moose smokies and home made kraut heated up  for lunch this week. Man, now that was good. Note to self: rinse the kraut first. That stuff is strong ;D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Burlkraft

MMMMMMMMMMM Home made Kraut........................ smiley_clapping smiley_clapping smiley_clapping
Why not just 1 pain free day?

ohsoloco

Ernie, GareyD has a nice recipie there  :)  It's also good if you use some garlic.  Dad and I also tend to use a rather coarse grind, but that may be because our grinder is sloooooooow  ::)

Saki, it's fermented, not rotten...if'n ya got any "rotten" grape juice send it to me and I'll dispose of it  :D

Saki

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA :D :D :D I'll keep it in mind. ;D

Ernie

A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

SwampDonkey

I'll take some of the smoked rotten milk too ;D :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Thank You Sponsors!