Cabbages and the magic of sauerkraut

Well hello there summer. We can forgive the soaring temperatures, biting, stinging bugs and the ivy poisoning (well, almost) since you've come bearing the gift of good eating. The long days of summer are such a time of abundance and good flavor but I some days I find myself agonized at the thought of standing over a hot stove. But all this food!!!! It needs to be eaten, processed, put by.... My better judgement can be relentless. Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves and in the meantime stock up on a good stable of hot weather recipes that do not require cooking. Lacto-fermented Sauerkraut is one of my best. Start by draining about 3/4 a cup of whey from a batch of yogurt and set that aside. Shred a large head of cabbage, any variety is just fine, a large head will yield 8 to 10 cups of cabbage. Place the cabbage in a bowl large enough to accomodate a dinner plate. Add to the cabbage on finely sliced onion and two shredded carrots. Toss everything together until well combined in the bowl and sprinkle over two heaped tablespoons of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Now, go find a three year old, give him a potato masher and tell him to pound away. He will do this FOREVER so you can go put your feet up but you might want to lay a towel down first. After a good pounding the salted veggies will have given up quite a bit of liquid.This is when I add other flavoring agents, a little red pepper, a bit of sugar. You can really get creative sampling as you go to get an idea of what your finished kraut will taste like.Once you're set on the ingredients pour over the drained whey a tablespoon of raw vinegar and enough water to cover the baby kraut completely. Drop in a dinner plate to keep the veggies submerged and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place your bowl in a cool spot in the kitchen out of direct sunlight or if counter space is limited in your kitchen you can put the bowl of ferment somewhere else out of the way like say a high shelf in a coat closet. As long as you PROMISE not to forget about it and leave the country for a few weeks. But even if you do.... this is the kind of mistake I tend to make once. Check up on the bowl every other day to make sure that everything is still covered with the fermenting liquid and add a bit more water if needed. Magically in about three to four days you have your own batch of traditional lacto-fermented sauerkraut. Keep in in the fridge for about two weeks, not that it will go uneaten for that long. Sauerkraut also freezes beautifully and thaws with all of its active cultures alive and kicking.  This is definitely one of those foods that once you make and eat your own you will never buy it again.