What is that smell?

"It reeks in here, Mom, it reeks!  What is that smell??  Is it you?, I think it's you!"  Those are the words that came out of my darling daughter's mouth as she walked into the house.  She said a bunch of other things too, but I've forgotten those...and she only said it ten minutes ago!  Anyway, it does reek in here.  And, it reeks of sauerkraut.  I try to burn candles to kill the smell, but Jennee has a super-sonic nose when it comes to sauerkraut.

Hubby and I are always trying to do things to be healthier.  My sister-in-law is really the health nut, however.  She does all the research, then reports what she has learned, then we will usually try the new and healthy "thing" that she has studied.  I also enjoy learning about this stuff, but no matter how hard I try to retain information, the only thing I am good at retaining is water!  There is a reason my blog is called "Things I'll Forget by Tomorrow"!  Usually, when I'm reading something, I will remember that this or that is good for you, but my brain stops functioning when it comes to the hows or the whys. 

The latest "thing" we've been experimenting with is live fermentation.  Hubby LOVES sauerkraut.  His mom used to can it, and it was the best I've ever tasted.  We have tried to re-create it, but so far have been unsuccessful.  The down side to canning is that it destroys the enzymes and bacteria that are good for you.  So, in November, we decided to try making sauerkraut using  live fermentation.  This means that instead of canning, it has to be kept in the fridge.  This can also be kind of a tricky process with the timing, as to getting it to the proper tanginess. 

We had several HUGE heads of cabbage, which I proceeded to shred, by hand, using the "official cabbage shredder" that belonged to Hubby's mom.  (Trust me, I won't be doing that again!)  I ended up with about 6 quarts of sauerkraut, which had to be kept in the fridge.  As if that wasn't enough, I also experimented with making pickles using the same process.  So, one entire section of my fridge is filled with jars of pickles and sauerkraut, that we're not eating.  It turns out that the "official cabbage shredder"  shreds cabbage way to fine. The taste wasn't too bad.  I made some grilled Reuben sandwiches, and they were pretty good. But, how often can someone eat Reuben sandwiches?  As for the pickles, they just turned into mush.  So, I chopped them up to make relish out of them, but again, now I have five quarts of relish! 

Back to the reason for my smelly house.  Since we are not eating the stuff fast enough, and I'm tired it taking up needed space in my fridge, I'm draining all the juice from the sauerkraut.  My sister-in-law claims it has been working wonders for her.  She has been having trouble with her joints always being stiff and sore, not even being able to get out of a chair without help.  The last time we saw her, she practically jumped out of her chair, with no help at all.  Said she has been taking one tablespoon of the juice every day. 

I don't know if I will be able to swallow straight sauerkraut juice, but I'll save it for Hubby.  He can be the Guinna Pig! 

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