ode to bubbie's

I know, on Mondays I usually give you an original or reworked recipe from my own kitchen.  But today, I just want to tell you about one of my absolute pantry staples.

Bubbie's sauerkraut.

I have always been a huge kraut fan.  I love sour and savory foods.  Salt and vinegar potato chips are like my dream.  Reuben sandwiches, with corned beef or pastrami, cheese, Russian dressing, and kraut on rye are a favorite. 

When I started pursuing a more traditional-foods lifestyle, I found that fermented foods and drinks play a big part in that whole thing.  Really, fermentation was one of the original food preservation methods.  Before hot water bath canning, before freezers, before the ability to buy fresh foods year-round, people fermented or dried their foods to save them for lean times. 

Making your own sauerkraut is ridiculously easy, but for some reason I have never had a lot of success.  I think I need better equipment.  In the meantime, Bubbie's fills the gap for me.  The markup is unbelievable.  When you consider that a head of cabbage, salt and water are all you need to make your own (and a jar - probably about a dollar's worth of stuff?), and then see that this product costs six or seven dollars a jar at the health food store . . . it's unsettling.

But I buy it anyway.  And that's saying something because I am one cheap bird.

My personal favorite way to enjoy sauerkraut right now is with bratwurst.  I take mine grilled with no bun, spicy brown mustard, and kraut.  Yes, please!