Cabbage and Kraut

Some of the Germans, particularly in Pennsylvania, decided to

move south in search of more available land, and many came to the Appalachian Mountains. They found the cool damp climate of the Appalachians well-suited for crops they liked, such as cabbage. Therefore, sauerkraut became an important food, because it was a good way to preserve the cabbage.

Small fields of cabbage once dotted  farms in Watauga County, and at one time the the county was the largest producer of cabbage in North Carolina. In fact the Watauga Kraut Company opened a factory in Boone in 1922. Because Boone Creek, which runs through the town and the campus of Appalachian State University (although today most of it is beneath sidewalks and roads), began to smell like kraut juice, people began calling it Kraut Creek, and that's what it's usually called today.

During the Colonial Period, sauerkraut was made in crocks, but later homemakers began to make it in canning jars. Personally, I like homemade kraut, but I don't usually care for the store-bought cans. Here is my mother's simple recipe:

           Sauerkraut in a Jar

             cabbage

            1 tsp. salt per quart 

            1 tsp. vinegar per quart

1.    Shred or chop cabbage

2.    Put in quart jars, shaking down, but not packing tight

3.    Add salt and vinegar.

4.    Pour boiling water over
5. Cap loosely but do not seal

6.    Place on large flat pan or put towels under.  It will drip for about 3 days as it works.

7.    Will be ready in two weeks and will keep for a long time, but it will get sourer all the time.

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