Sauerkraut

or: "An experiment in culturing bacteria to ensure proper production of lactic acid." or: "How to keep a shitload of cabbage from going bad practically forever." This recipe is from Nourishing Traditions Before you start, read through the recipe and {clean thoroughly with very hot water/run through the dishwasher/otherwise get as close to sterile as possible} all utensils to be used. I have not mentioned this before, either, but make sure to wash your hands, too! Because this is an attempt to selectively culture the right kind of bacteria to preserve the cabbage, you'll want to be particularly mindful about food safety. Shred 1 medium cabbage very finely (I use a knife, but if your knife skills are not good, you can shred it by hand- but it will take a long ass time- or use a food processor. Or, better yet, practice your knife skills on some carrot sticks for a while first). In a large bowl, combine: 1/4 cup whey (see previous post)(or an additional Tb of salt) 1 Tb Salt 1 Tb caraway seeds Stir together, and add the cabbage. Using a meat tenderizer or other food-safe implement of destruction, pound the cabbage against the bowl for 10 minutes or so, or until much of the cabbage juice has been released. I cracked my big white bowl making this tonight, so I switched over to using my stockpot. Whatever you use, try not to cause too much damage to anything other than then cabbage! When the cabbage looks nice and squashed, transfer it to cleaned/sterilized mason jars with a spoon. Push down on the cabbage with the meat tenderizer so that the liquid covers the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should not be less than one inch from the top of the jar. Cover tightly with new mason jar lids that have been cleaned as above, and keep at cool room temperature for three days, then transfer to the refrigerator. It tastes best when allowed to ferment in the fridge for a few weeks first. If it starts to smell *bad* (and you will know the difference between properly fermenting cabbage and sauerkraut gone evil, trust me!), some noxious bacteria has intruded on your little science project and you have to start over.