How to Make Traditional Appalachian Kraut

In this video I tell you all about the traditional method of making kraut in Appalachia and share the details surrounding the process. The actual recipe begins at 17:50.
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[@CelebratingAppalachia]

🍳Purchase my eCookbook - 10 of My Favorite Recipes from Appalachia here: etsy.me/3kZmaC2

[@rinnhart]

Bought your book. Your cooking reminds me of my mother's, though we're from Wyoming/Montana, so maybe a little drier.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

@@rinnhart Thank you 😀

[@sheiladuvall7912]

My Aunt by marriage was a first generation American, her mother was from Sweden. They were farmers and had big gardens. Every year, the mother would make Sauer Kraut in large crocks, and kept it in the cellar while it fermented. We cousins liked to take a saucer and a fork and snitch some. Always got in trouble, but it was so good!

[@Se7enPoints]

When I was a toddler to about 5 years old I would help my dad and my granny make kraut in large crocks. My job was to stomp it down between the layers, since my feet were small. We would jar the product and when people would eat it I would tell them "my feet made that kraut."

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

What wonderful memories 🙂

[@justpatty7328]

God made dirt and dirt don't hurt. ❤

[@chuckspring]

What a wonderful blessing you are. Teaching folks the old ways of doing things and enjoying every minute of it. We need more people like y'all in the world. Thank you so very much.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you so much Chuck 🙂

[@that_thing_I_do]

Ditto

[@kooyawn00]

You mentioned the possibility of the bag of water you used to weight the kraut down popping a hole and leaking. Alton Brown suggests filling the bag with brine at the same concentration of the brine in that the kraut is fermenting in. That way, if the bag does pop a leak, it won't dilute the kraut. It's an extra step, but just thought I'd mention it.

[@orsie200]

kooyawn00, Great idea to use brine in the bag.

[@TheKentuckylady717]

That's a great idea....but we used a big rock covered in a white cloth , put big heavy plates on top then add the rocks to weigh it down and it stayed that way.....and just keep those rocks and use them over the next year.....

[@lissaestes7017]

Or put the rock in the plastic bag...

[@janet1744]

The you

[@dianaspy6733]

@@TheKentuckylady717 that’s what my Dad did! Thanks

[@marcjohnson7542]

Don't ever think your talking history is boring. It's so intersting to hear you talk about the past. Keep posting. Thank you.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I appreciate that!

[@papaw5405]

I remember burying cabbage to keep it way up into the winter. We didn't use straw we just pulled up the whole cabbage plant, dug a hole as deep as it was long and buried it. We pulled the outer leaves that had spread out around the head, stuck it in the ground and covered it up. That left the root exposed but we pulled up enough dirt to cover it. Then when we wanted a head of cabbage somebody would go out to the garden and dig it up. Of course a lot of the outer leaves would have to be discarded but that is the same for store bought, they just do if for you. You pulled away all the rotten, slimy leaves until you got to pure white ones. The head was blanched by then because the lack of exposure to sunlight changes the chlorophyll that makes it green has become sugar which makes for a much sweeter product. Leaving the roots on the cabbage leaves it alive and it can live there, standing on its head, for a long time. Sometimes, if we missed one, it would start to grow again when the weather warmed up some. Often when you dug up a head it would smell like kraut but when you pulled away all the undesirable stuff that smell would dissipate. I hope your kraut turns out good. Kraut from homegrown cabbage has the perfect homegrown bacteria to make the very best homemade kraut. I wish you the very best!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you Papaw for explaining how you stored cabbage-so fascinating!

[@1towmater1]

My granny did the same thing. She also covered garden with straw si in the snowy Michigan winters the ground wouldn't freeze solid around cabbage

[@dreyno64]

Thanks for this share, Papaw! Love to read the old ways.

[@marilynmarilynohearn476]

I love Kraut

[@Myfavorites877]

I tried making kraut about 30 years ago. I did it like I saw my mom do it growing up. I put WAY too much salt. My husband, who hates salt, made me throw it out. Finally about 3 months ago I made a 1/2 gallon pickle jar of kraut. It turned out perfect.

[@Er-sv5tn]

You have to have the right amount of salt or you won't get bacteria to ferment. Too much salt kills all the bacteria including the good

[@notatechie]

I really like it when you read to us from the big book.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you-I think I'll start calling it the big book too 🙂

[@justpatty7328]

@@CelebratingAppalachia Me too- makes my heart swell with memories. Thank you so much!

[@anitastevens-davis8826]

I love kraut

[@lehnkri1]

What is the big book?

[@notatechie]

@@lehnkri1 It is an oversized book that Tipper owns entitled "Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English" that is a goldmine of mountain lorre and wisdom. She reads this to us sometimes and it is great to hear. It is a big ol' book that is out of print so we only get it from Tipper.

[@averagejoesmiling456]

We Kraut the whole head of cabbage. We don't cut it at all. Then when the whole intact head of cabbage is done, we make cabbage rolls by peeling off the leaves of the kraut and putting a sautéed mixture of ground beef, ground pork, onions, cooked rice and a little garlic, salt and pepper, in the center of the leaf and rolling it up (kind of like a burrito). Then cover the cabbage rolls with tomato juice and cook in the oven until done. Some people also include bacon. Oh boy, sure is good. We have them every Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. And the leftovers are delicious, too.

[@Gankzillorated]

fermented cabbage seems to be such a universal thing. anywhere it grows, people lacto-ferment it.

[@kenb7227]

I am an 82 YO male that was born and raised in Southern Indiana. My grandmother would make Kraut in a 5 gallon Crock pot and set it on the cellar steps. The cellar entrance was off the enclosed back porch and you could smell the Kraut when you opened the porch door. The cellar itself contained a coal furnace and a room with row after row of home canned jellies and veggies of all varieties. Like the old cliché goes, Those Were The Days.

[@Cutter-jx3xj]

I wish you would put a recipe book together. Your cooking is the cooking I grew up on and miss dearly

[@winnie8592]

Yup

[@allisongomez7263]

This brings back so many memories about my dad instructing me on how to make the family kraut recipe, even though nobody has made it since my grandma passed away. Now I really want to make a batch to have on hand...

[@practicallyheidi8505]

You really need too! So sad these traditions are dying out.

[@mamasitaredhairredalesmoot6930]

@@practicallyheidi8505 actually the old traditions are coming back vis a vis this and other channels. Bonnie

[@kendavis8046]

I'm a Texan who actually loves kraut. But my wife, despite being born in Pennsylvania, will not eat it. So I buy mine in a can or a jar when I absolutely have to have a Reuben. And indeed, my wife's lineage is Pennsylvania-Dutch (maiden name Hinkle). I might be able to get her to try pumpkin butter, though! Thanks.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Ken I like it on Reubens too 🙂

[@ablewindsor1459]

Try the Aldi's kraut in a glass jar. Also Kroger has a good product in a two pounds refrigerated, found usually near the hot dogs

[@bethotoole6569]

Pumpkin butter is wonderful,, I’ve made it for years!

[@nomdeplume2213]

Fellow Texan here who also loves Kraut but my moms maiden name is Foust which couldn't be more german haha so maybe its my german blood. I love it on hotdogs.

[@lusnorthernhome3410]

Try draining it and adding some diced apples to it and throw in a pork loin or kielbasa and cook in a slow cooker/crock or roaster, for several hours.

[@gillgetter3004]

The Polish in Detroit would make kraut, the Germans also. It was a little different but was all good. My mother would buy it from the Polish and German grocery stores. Was really good with the homemade sausages at the summer Parrish festivals with beer or soda, a taste of summer in the city!

[@williamhower3636]

I've always heard making Kraut was difficult. My Mom said she heard it was anyway. I love Kraut and I believe I'm going to try this. Thank you for sharing. Very informative video and I learned a lot. One thing that I learned after a life threatening illness, is life is short and tomorrow is never guaranteed. Instead of just saying "I'd like to do that someday " I find myself doing lots of different things and learning a bunch. Again, thank you for sharing.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Very good wisdom William-thank you for sharing it!

[@karaporterfield7513]

I am Pennsylvanian Dutch and Scottish Irish and German I am from Pittsburgh. Love you 😘♥️

[@karaporterfield7513]

I love sauerkraut.

[@ruthannwillie5327]

I would to see you make pickled beans and corn, I love your stories and all the information you give out

[@JeremyL_Hay]

Kraut with beans and fried cornbread and fried potatoes is one of my favorite meals. When I was a kid we had it so often that by the time I was in my early 20s and moved to central Ky, I thought I'd be fine with never having it again. But there's something comforting about it. My mom still has an old kraut cutter, she never uses it, but she's got it setting around the house.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That is fine eating Jeremy 🙂

[@kendavis8046]

OK, you have my attention. Please provide a recipe. I know how to make the cornbread and I know how to fry potatoes, but what kind of beans? I'm partial to pintos, because that is the predominant "bean" in Texas, but unless you say Speckled Butter Beans, I'm in (and there is a story behind the Butter Beans,) but in any event, I will have to make it some weekend when my wife has gone to visit in-laws, because I cannot get her attuned to the wonder that is Kraut!

[@JeremyL_Hay]

@@kendavis8046 Yeah, we always had what you'd call soup beans, which is basically pinto beans cooked with bacon. If you don't have time to slow cook some dry beans, then I reckon some lucks brand canned beans can work in a pinch. And the fried potatoes, we would just chop up some potatoes and cook them in a generous amount of either vegetable oil or bacon grease, (sometimes with a little bit of onion, but that's optional) until they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, then puy them on a paper towel and sprinkle some salt (or sometimes seasoned salt) and pepper on it. As far as kraut, I reckon just do it like she did it in this video if you're trying to make homemade. I never got involved with that process. That was my mamaw's thing. As for the fried cornbread, when we would have it for just a regular meal, mom usually liked to just use jiffy mix, cause it was simple (me and my sisters are all real close in age, so she liked to keep things simple most of the time) and we liked the sweet taste.

[@johnnylapsick6826]

That’s where I lived for many years! I’d like to see a pic of that cutter! I also buy the Jars off the shelf & the Bags from the Cooler Section just as I do Pickles! To my knowledge there is a slight difference in the way it is processed. I buy the off shelf room temps of both as to stock it up for Emergency, but if someone provides me with a certain cut of smoked meat whether sausage ring they made up through grinding or a smoked fresh jowl (not the added liquid smoked but some they threw on the grill as they were smoking pork butt of hand with 80% hickory... I head for the cooler to get my Kraut & Claussen Pickles! 😊👍

[@ohnoyce]

@@johnnylapsick6826 the store bought kraut is heat processed as a rule. That kills all the beneficial bacteria in it.

[@krystalgrant9877]

I’m not a successful gardener, but I keep trying. Couple years ago I planted collards and they’re still producing. I love collards alone, but recently I’ve started adding it to my kraut. So I’ll buy a cabbage and add my collards. Chop it all up and make kraut. And my goodness it’s YUM!!! ♥️

[@Marcel_Audubon]

I had never tried kraut until I was in college and then loved it from the first bite. My favorite way to eat it is to cook some Italian sausages in a pan. They are fresh sausages, not smoked, so will render a good quantity of fat. I set the sausage aside and caramelize an onion in that fat, once that is brown and sweet, I add twice the quality of kraut as onion and return the sausages to the mix and warm through - delicious! But I also add it to about everything throughout the week - sauces, soups, sandwiches, salads - it's a tasty and healthy filler. Haven't yet tried it in a chocolate cake, but guessing I would like that too 😆

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Yum your way sounds so good!

[@kendavis8046]

I have no idea why this got into my head, but all of a sudden I need some canned sardines. Another "acquired" taste, I know, but you have taken me back to my youth, camping and fishing with my dad, and he was surprisingly (to young me) a decent cook. But there were a few fishing trips when the only thing left in the camper were sardines and crackers. And don't get me started on weevils!

[@marilynpeppers1356]

You have some serious cooking and flavoring skills!

[@justjan147]

@@kendavis8046 weevils.....🤣🤣🤣 this brought a memory to me of our annual clearing out of the cupboards back when I was a kid (70's-80's) at my grandmother's house and our house. We'd invariably come across some little weevils in cream of wheat (malt-o-meal) or rice or flour. At our house my mom let us pitch them (throw them away). However at grandmother's house she'd have us set those boxes, bags or containers out on the counter so she could use them in that weeks cooking. Lord have mercy we were mortified but we're not given a choice. She spend the week whipping up all kinds of deserts, which is a lure/downfall for most kids. We were so busy admiring the 3 layer chocolate cake we couldn't be bothered knowing it had been made from flour that had weevils in it. **Now mind you the weevil population was just a few, they weren't chock full of weevils, if they were grandmother would pitch them. I hope you don't mind me sharing this memory. When I read "weevil" all those memories just came flooding back to my mind. Be well, stay safe and weevil free! 🤣😊👍👍

[@kendavis8046]

@@justjan147 My story goes back to the late 1960's, and it was a fishing trip where my father and I were staying in a cab-over camper by Lake Meredith (not far from Amarillo) and we hadn't eaten anything all day. I was about 10, but even I decided to just ignore the bugs and eat the canned chili with the crackers already crumbled into my bowl. My father, a product of childhood during the "Great Depression" was pretty stoic about the whole thing, and just commented that the bugs provided a "little extra crunch and protein."

[@louellenhackel9310]

You bring back so many memories of growing up in the holler with my grandparents. We had the buried crocks and spring house ones too. Thankfully, my sister and I never got caught snacking from them either! Your channel makes me feel at home. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

🙂

[@rolandpinette9946]

Cabbage and salt in Mason jars is the only way we've done it. I love the idea of adding colorful peppers. We'll definitely give that a try. Tipper, those tomatoes look so good, I snuck a Sungold while you weren't looking.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

🙂 I bet you enjoyed it LOL! I've eaten so many of those sun golds this summer!

[@rolandpinette9946]

@@CelebratingAppalachia Agreed; they are the best!

[@saner6888]

I just started making kraut, bought a fermentation crock and use red cabbage and add carrots to some, a tad of garlic to another batch. It’s good for your stomach to eat fermented foods😋

[@dreyno64]

I’m wanting to put garlic and onions in my cabbage. Any contraindication to that you know of? Carrots sounds good too.

[@saner6888]

@@dreyno64 not as I can see, I’ve heard onions pair well and when I used garlic It was a proportionately small amt. I chopped it fine.

[@brightpurpleviking]

I make kraut from time to time. We love it. I read somewhere that two tablespoons of non heated kraut has more probiotics than over a dozen cups of yogurt. Amazing!

[@georgerdavis4585]

I love to mix a little kraut in my pinto beans and eat with a hunk of cornbread. Tastes so good!

[@number1nanaof2]

My mom would tell me about how as a little girl in Pennsylvania, we are descended from the Pennsylvania Dutch...ancestors came over from Germany, and her mother would make sauerkraut and stored it in the cellar. Mom would go down and take the top off and take a pinch or so and eat it. She also would go out into the garden and eat tomatoes after rubbing them off in her overalls. When my girls were growing up overalls were being worn and my mom said once that if they had told her that girls would be wearing them on purpose she would told them they were crazy. She wore them because that's what they did on the farm. We never made our own kraut but I do love it. Mom had a recipe using it with canned tomatoes, and we loved that. Thank you for all your yummy recipes and information about Appalachia.

[@chiprbob]

My grandmother made her kraut in a stone butter churn. I think she bought it at Goodwill. She would chop the cabbage, put it in, and add some salt and keep layering it. My grandfather would bring a sledgehammer in, wash it, and wrap it in cheesecloth. They used the sledgehammer to "pound" the cabbage to mix the salt in it. After the kraut had fermented for a while, she would can it and then make tomato kraut in the crock. Tomato kraut is kraut with quartered green tomatoes in it. She also made dill green tomatoes to use up the tomatoes left before winter hit. The small ones she would cut the stem part off and the large ones she would cut in half and then can them. She had a recipe where she would stuff the green tomatoes into jars, pour the dill pickling solution over them, heat the oven up, turn the oven off, and put the jars in the oven overnight. The warmth of the oven would seal the jars overnight. She would take the jars out of the oven, tighten the rings on them, and put them up for the winter.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That tomato kraut sounds wonderful 😀

[@rickcooper6817]

I love good kraut, with pinto's and cornbread and fried tatters. Granny had a big round flat creek rock she used to put on the top of her kraut to pack it down and hold it. I would probably eat that rock if I could find it, she used it for many a year. Thanks Ms. Tipper!

[@nmg6248]

I love the story about the boy with his grimy arm in the kraut crock! 😂😂 I think I would like krauting the core, I’m going to try that. I appreciate your videos so much 💕

[@Denisejohn65NailEd]

My family makes it in a crock . We are German from Pennsylvania . My brothers have a Kraut making party in October . We shave the heads of cabbage on a Mandolin. Then pound it in the crock with a big rubber type mallet , add salt and repeat . We make a lot . They’d use cabbage leaves or grape leaves and a big flat rock .

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Love the idea of a kraut making party 🙂

[@Denisejohn65NailEd]

@@CelebratingAppalachia It’s so fun ! Everyone is there shaving their cabbage and pounding it . We have good food to eat and the guys have a few beers . We have some yummy pumpkin desserts too . By the way , we ate sauerkraut every Sunday as kids . Mom would put a big pork roast in it and bake it in the oven …. Sometimes she would add a little applesauce or chopped apple . We would top our mashed potatoes with it . At times mom would add a little kielbasa in with the pork and sauerkraut . Dad wasn’t fond of kielbasa though .

[@bethotoole6569]

There’s a chef, Vivian Howard. She’s from North Carolina. She had a show on PBS called ‘a chefs life’. One of her episodes is about making sauerkraut. It’s very similar to some of the old recipes you mentioned. Lots of cabbage, salt in a big barrel,, weighed down with a rock I think. Anyway,,, it was a pretty big family event/party for them too! I find it fascinating that no matter how far apart people live now their roots are all so similar. That should say something to us all.👍

[@chrissewell1608]

@@bethotoole6569 We love watching A Chef's life. Her new show is pretty good too!

[@melrose795]

Yum, what a feast!!!

[@tannerhutchins7268]

I have many memories of making kraut with my Granny. She still uses the big crocks that she got from her mother to let hers work off in. Instead of using the outer leaves of the cabbage, she swears by using big leaves off of the grape vine, she says it helps the kraut stay crisp.

[@melissanelson2592]

I have heard that too, about all kinds of pickles/fermented vegetables, not just kraut. The tannins in the grape leaves are what help with the crispness.

[@sharonsunshine2532]

My parents used an old stone milk/butter churn to make sour kraut, pickled corn and beans. I still have that churn... sitting on our front porch. Good memories for sure. 💛👍

[@paularhodarmer3267]

My family has always made kraut, especially my grandmothers and in-laws. I have made it and pickled beans and corn for many years. Years ago my husband used to grow lots of cabbages for fresh eating, but in the Fall he would go to Scaly Mountain in Macon County where they grew lots of late cabbages for burying. He would come home with a truck load. This kind of cabbage had great long roots on it that stuck up above the buried cabbage so you knew where to dig in the winter. I remember those roots sticking up through the snow. After you pulled the cabbage up from the ground and pulled off the outer leaves it was white, crisp and delicious. We loved it even more than fresh green cabbage.

[@amybaldwin6271]

I remember some elder church ladies being so impressed when we would have Sunday dinners that my little ones all put kraut on their plates. Good eating for sure. Beans, cornbread, fried taters, kraut and sausages is a weekly meal at this house. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. 😊

[@phil2u48]

My aunts “put up” bell peppers stuffed with cabbage. They were delicious in the winter with pinto beans and cornbread. I never see them any longer. At one time, they could be found, various brands, in the supermarket.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

That sounds good!

[@chrissewell1608]

It does sound good, you should make it at home!

[@iartistdotme]

Just read your comment and would love to know what you mean by 'put up'? Is that canned, frozen, or something else? It sounds so good. Is there any sauce or juice with the peppers? Maybe tomato sauce?

[@phil2u48]

@@iartistdotme Hello. “Put up” meant “canned” in my grandparents’ generation. My aunts used the same term. I suppose because, once canned, they were put away on pantry shelves. The stuffed peppers (smaller, the better) were served as a condiment. They were pickled in the standard brine as for cucumbers. Thanks for the inquiry. I do remember good commercially pickled stuffed peppers being sold here in supermarkets… alas, no longer.

[@phil2u48]

@@iartistdotme Hello again. There are a couple of KZbin postings. One includes grated carrots in the cabbage, so the stuffing resembles cole slaw. Intriguing.

[@maryeliason1504]

Thank you for sharing. My first time seeing the process. Once when I was young, I watched my grandmother put cabbage wedges in a large jar that had dried beans & liquid in it to ferment it. My mother remembered it too & there was an Armenian name for it that I can't remember. It had a nice taste to it that was mild & different than other krauts I've tasted. I loved all of the aromas in her pantry. My young son once told me that my house smelled like grandmas & I thanked him for the compliment. To me, she was magical & the kindest woman I've ever known.

[@iartistdotme]

Dried beans with the fresh cabbage? Just wondering what kind of beans and was the liquid just water or cabbage juice? Do you know how long it took? I thought they were talking about green beans so now I've really confused. Thanks for your help.

[@jayfromtexas6718]

I’ve made kraut twice. Went all out to do it easily by going on line and purchased a cabbage shredder, a giant stainless bowl and a huge crock. I’m so proud of the equipment and really feel like a kraut making machine. First time I did a dozen big heads of cabbage. Canned (water bath) it and Lordy did it turn out great! Was super mild and crisp. Just beautiful! The next year, feeling like I was a kraut expert, I did 20 big heads. Repeated the process and it turned out terrible. It all turned out dark and was absolute mush. Tasted ok but the dark color and mushy texture was too much. Dumped every jar. Wish I’d wrote down the dates. Now that you schooled me on it, I’m betting the sign had everything to do with it, good and bad. My Granddaddy wouldn’t hit a lick without checking the sign. Think I’ll give it another shot. Thank you for what you’re doing. Jay

[@jeffstull2534]

I love Kraut. My wife inherited several old crocks in different sizes, the largest is about 20 gal. We have them all stored inside each other in the back room. I've always wanted to make my own kraut but on your suggestion I will probably use an old Ball jar (that we have lots of). My wife cans all sorts of stuff and we have some mince meat and 'chow chow' from many years back in the cupboard. She also bags green beans and blackeyed peas in seal a meal bags to freeze. Thanks for your video, it helps.

[@richardmatlick8445]

I grew up in Hazelton W.Va. And we made kraut every year. My uncle John was the kraut master. We used a large grater to shred the cabbage into large crocks .Then cover with a large plate and a rock. Often my Grand ma would cook it with a few apple sliced in it or even apple cider. Buckwheat cakes in the morning and kraut for supper. Can't ask for anything better.

[@alienebranhamedge7687]

Thank you for making these videos. You've brought back so many good memories of my Granny. Both she and my Grandpa passed in 1987. Had she lived to March 12th they would have celebrated their 75th anniversary. I know he passed of a broken heart. She was 14 and he was 16 when they married on March 12, 1912. She had their first child the day before her 15th birthday. They had 11 children. One was stillborn, one passed from pneumonia at the age of 2. Two of those 9 remaining children are still living. I'm their youngest granddaughter. Thank you again for the time and effort needed to make these videos.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

You're so welcome. Your grandparents sound just wonderful 🙂

[@alienebranhamedge7687]

@@CelebratingAppalachia yes Ma'am they were. I miss them terribly.

[@helensarkisian7491]

I really enjoyed all the information you gave in the beginning. Thank you for sharing it.

[@butterfly.933]

You remind me of my childhood, and I will forever cherish that.

[@brownspot9]

Instead of coming home and watching the TV 📺, my wife and settled down for supper and thoroughly enjoyed your video. Thank you 🙏

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Great to hear that thank you 🙂

[@hobocamps1]

I can't stop watching your videos! My all time favorite dish is picked beans (with corn, though we just said "picked beans" and always reheated it with fatback). As a kid, we only made these every 2 or 3 years. Until now, I never understood why. But I remember those years well. Mom, aunts, and grandma would all bring over their huge crocks and cotton sheets (can't remember why). It would always get canned after fermentation. These devout churchwomen would suddenly start reading the signs. I remember asking why we didn't have picked beans one year, and I was told that the moons just weren't right. This was Buncombe County in the 80/90s.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

So glad you're enjoying our videos 🙂

[@JeffreyCoolwater]

How refreshing to discover by absolute chance a Southern woman describing a process that my own (European) grandmother practiced here in Canada back when I was a little tyke 65 years ago. I can still see in my mind's eye the coffee cream coloured crocks sitting in our basement, with the big upturned plate and the big rock on top. She would make one full of big cabbage-stuffed red pimento peppers, and another one full of dill pickles in a garlic, fresh dill weed and salt brine. I loved those pickles when they were still bright green and crunchy. Thanks for bringing back such a warm, happy memory. I can even recall the smell of that dreamy aroma wafting around the basement.

[@sameoldmphymel]

Yep, "chou-kroot" down here in Louisiana, a lot of German influences here as Acadians were mostly from that Alcase area between France and Germany

[@robinhaupt9119]

Kraut is on of my favorite foods. I actually fry mine in the fats from cooking kielbasa. I've never made it but you have sure inspired me to try, thank you Tipper!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Yum-that's way is so good 🙂

[@michaelhargis7036]

I'm going to try frying it in sausage or bacon grease. I've never heard it done that way before, sounds very interesting. Thanks for the idea Robin. 😊

[@robinhaupt9119]

@@michaelhargis7036 you are very welcome. I cook sausage, set aside on paper towels, throw the kraut into that oil/fat rendered and I do add a few tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook through, add your kielbasa back in with the kraut, let cook few mins, enjoy.

[@melissanelson2592]

@@robinhaupt9119 I love that meal! With a little mustard on the side. :)

[@nomdeplume2213]

As a Texan id love if there was a "celebrating texas" channel haha but sadly i dont think we have the strong historical roots like Appalachia. Regardless, i absolutely love learning about Appalachia and seeing how its alike and different from here. Im beginning to think my dads family had to have Appalachia roots because some of the slang, traditions, foods etc you speak of are things he did. He was a quarter Cherokee and im learning alot of Cherokees lived in Appalachia. So interesting, i love it.

[@Kickstart500]

I ate a lot of it as a kid but never got to love it much.. my dads family immigrated to Appalachia from Germany in 1736 and that was one of the things that they still eat often.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thanks for watching 🙂

[@Kickstart500]

@@CelebratingAppalachia love the channel! Have y’all ever had stollen? It’s a German pastry one of my aunts used to make at Christmas up in Virginia

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

@@Kickstart500 I've had it, but never made it before 🙂I'd like to though!

[@robertwilliams-wd6cp]

After I found out that ferments can help with leaky gut, we keep some going all the time . I use a big Tupperware bowl, use kosher salt about one and half tablespoons per half gallon mason jars . I use mom's old wooden deal she used to sieve the seeds out of tomatoes for sauces to bruise the cabbage in that big bowl , that bowl has so many uses , mashed potatoes , strawberries for shortcake , batter for fish fry , big family salad mix , popcorn on movie night , cooling hard boiled eggs for deviled eggs mixing meatloaf .

[@lesliejames6870]

I do love the history of Appalachian mountains and the beauty around you. But the hardships of the past and present...keep up the great work.

[@Innerharmoni7]

Grew up with krout, mama and gramma made in a crock with a rock... I lived in Snow Hill Falls Valley, on the back big Cawee Mountain between Silva and Franklin... listening to you takes me home. I'm a great gramma living in Arizona today.

[@scottblack3381]

My Grandma made hers in a butter crock with salt and corn to help it ferment with a wooden plug in top and a rock to weigh the plug down. And she would put a slice of hot pepper on the top of each jar. It was so good! Thanks for sharing!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

I bet her's was really good 🙂

[@keiththomas3141]

One way to really enjoy sauerkraut is to make "Whistle Pigs." You pour the Kraut over hotdogs and cover them and put them in the fridge overnight. You bake them at 325F and serve the hotdogs on a bun and put Kraut one it and finish with a line of mustard of your choice. First had "Whistle Pigs" at Niagara Falls in 1960. Delicious!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thanks for the tip!

[@ronaleck9777]

I enjoy this great way passed from generation , to generation ,thank you so much ,now this teachings is in Canada ,blessing on you and your family

[@sbishop16]

I Love the stories that accompany your videos! You gave us the time stamp to fast forward to the recipe, but the stories are what sets you apart from other channels and Makes it so enjoyable 🥰

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you-I'm glad you like my stories 🙂

[@LGB229]

Yes! Thank you I love your video's! You are such a comforting blessing!!!

[@smokerschuggin475]

I never used to like kraut much until my girlfriend Amy gave me her home made kraut fried with onions and her own apple sauce with roast pork. I like the idea of adding peppers. I’m going to make some soon!! I’d love to see the kraut chocolate cake recipe!

[@galeprivett5180]

Thank you for sharing this. I have wanted to know how to do this for a long time.

[@rhondajo3]

As I have grown older, I need more probiotics. Sauerkraut is a wonderful and tasty probiotic that I try to eat often. Thank you for this video!

[@mamasitaredhairredalesmoot6930]

Yes, I eat a couple fork fulls of sour kraut every morning and have no problems with digesting my food all day. Bonnie

[@susanblack7782]

Hello! I've never made Kraut before, but very anxious to do so after watching the way you did! I may get my son to salt, massage and mash the cabbage down, cause watching Matt, he had the man strength to really pack it down, lol! Well, I'll let you know how it comes out when I make it! Thanks! - Susan B.

[@danamarie4847]

Thank you Tipper and Matt for taking your time to show me how to make kraut and for the information you shared about the word “kraut.” I can not express my thankfulness to the both of you for all that you are teaching me and many others❤️. Can you PLEASE share, step by step on how to make 14 Day Pickles?

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

You're so welcome Dana! I hope to do a video on the pickles 🙂

[@zinnialady5153]

Would enjoy that too. My grandma made them and they were good.

[@voracooper3061]

That’s another recipe I’d like to have!14 day pickles sounds interesting!

[@davethompson6201]

It don't matter if I'll use all the different methods of cooking or the special wordings, cuz I just listening your special "one of a kind methodology ", that's so unique. Have had to use my UTube in a while on your Site. Keep up your fine heritage. Never get tired of your Appalachian systems & unique symbolism. You always speak in the most kind & caring voice better than anyone on any U-Tube site. My Sweet Sherry agrees. You see it appears as real Christians ✝️we seem now the minorities. But that's ok, cuz he's risen, but coming back for us! Have a safe & blessed day. Prayers 🙏for your success today. & always.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for the kind words Dave!! So glad you and Sherry enjoy our videos 🙂

[@comfortcreekranch4948]

Love Kraut in Texas too! I can eat it every way, ANY way! I even use it (rinsed off first) in place of pasta noodles, topped with pasta sauce! Thank you for showing us how to make it! 💕🌿

[@Michael-gi7zk]

I LOVE naturally fermented kraut (no vinegar!) Never made it, though... been meaning to try, and now you've inspired me to do it. I like kraut on sandwiches, where many would use pickles.

[@susanryman9948]

This was fascinating and learned so much! I like it with knock wurst, kielbasa or good quality hot dogs. I also am aware I’ve never had good quality kraut. Thank you for all the information.

[@debjarvie-sexton1609]

We love it with alittle apple heated in the skillet we cook sausages hot dogs keilbasa with with cheesey mashed and peas or green beans for a good supper...

[@rebeccajones9735]

I never tried kraut until I spent spring break with my Long Island, NY roommate. I ordered a Reuben at a bar and I loved it! My grandmother had a tall crock but she churned butter in it.

[@nc4tn]

Although my family used stone crocks and a wooden lid to make kraut in, I’ve found that these food grade plastic buckets sure do work awfully good. A big serving plate covers it good and I weight it down with a 2 gallon baggie full of water which seals the edges good from intrusive bacteria in the air. Those 2 and a half gallon buckets that restaurants get dill pickles in, make a perfect size, too.

[@winnie8592]

Omg yes the wooden lid I forgot bout that.

[@joncothranphotography9375]

My Grandpa made his in a butter churn. He had a plank and a rock that was designated for just that. He would cover it with a cheese cloth and keep it in the well house. I love that stuff!!!

[@Lorellehb]

I started making kraut and other fermented vegetables maybe 10 years ago, and I hope to keep going with it. I think our Texas relatives called the pickled corn and beans "pickle lilly" or something like that, with maybe some peppers and onions in it too. Thank you for your good video.

[@LB-eh5fz]

Yahhhhhhhh TIPPER YOU ARE ALMOST AT ,,,70,000 SUBSCRIBERS ,,,OH HOW EXCITING ,,,,, IM SO PROUD OF YOU ,,,YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL CHANNEL,,YOU WILL CONTINUE TO GROW ,,✨♥️✨

[@hereigns7221]

I believe she will be at 500k in the blink of an eye. She is just delightful to listen to. ❤️❤️❤️

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you LB I appreciate you!

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Allie-you are too kind-thank you!

[@LB-eh5fz]

Allie Anne YES HONEY ,,I BELIEVE SHE WILL REACH 500,0000 AND THEN A MILLION ,,AND ME AND YOU WILL DO THE HAPPY DANCE CAUSE WE KNOWED IT WOULD HAPPEN 😉,,I LOVE TIPPER, AND THEM SWEET TWINS ,ALL OF EM ,,THEY HAVE A SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT CHANNEL ,ITS OUR HISTORY ,, HAVE A GOOD DAY ALLIE ANNE ✨♥️✨

[@dalechurchdc]

Thank God for people like you that keep all of these traditions alive so many wonderful people and things from our past. I remember that people used to plant by the signs and by the moon

[@debbiesanders1791]

I've been putting off making kraut until now. Thank Tipper, you've made me brave! Lol

[@stanelder3523]

My family made kraut as we grow up. It was the best ever! She had a large crock, one gallon of chopped cabbage, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoons of sugar. Then she put a cheese cloth, a large plate and weighed down with cans.

[@nanvolentine9110]

Mmm, love it! I still have my Grandmother's huge stoneware crock, with the lid. It had a wooden piece that went on top, I suppose a weight went on top of that, it's long gone. I guess it was used when they lived upstate NY. I don't remember ever seeing the crock in use. I haven't made any kraut in years, when I did, it was in a jar. I started making kimchi about 20 years ago, easy and very tasty. Try that, if you haven't yet.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you Nan! I've always wanted to make kimchi but never have 🙂

[@darlingusa2pettee57]

@@CelebratingAppalachia Tipper, you may want to try kimchi sometime that you won't be around others that don't eat it. People who love it REALLY love it, but it's an odor that....um...leaves much to be desired. My Asian friend loved it, so I know. lol

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

@@darlingusa2pettee57 I've never made it but I have eaten it-I sort of like it LOL 😀

[@darlingusa2pettee57]

@@CelebratingAppalachia Yes, it is good and healthy as well.

[@rtbok3029]

I’m PA dutch and starting fermenting kraut this last year. The smell brought back memories of my grandparent’s home. I eat a little bit most every day. Great video. Thanks for sharing your way.

[@anderander5662]

I love kraut and weiners with cornbread in the fall. The kraut juice with the cornbread is to die for.

[@tonistephens4068]

I really love your videos. Thank you for teaching us how to make kraut!

[@dgrubb67526]

Ours almost the same as yours. Grandparents had a 50 gal crock. So parents used them as the warehouse for it. lil bother and I had the chore of changing our the cheese cloth from time to time. We did things a lil odd if you will as we made it, Cabbage cores went to the bottom, then a layer of LARGE cabbage leaves then cabbage. Layered that way all the way up. We "metered" usage thru out the winter and when a layer was done had a special treat with the large leaves... cabbage rolls. As a reward for fetching the kraut from the basement. We would sneek a cabbage core out of the bottom and knaw on it as a snack. They lasted a long time.

[@judyhulsey6014]

Made kraut with my dad for many years. Home grown cabbage & made in a churn. Home made is the absolute best!! Brought back good memories for me. Enjoy your videos of down home good stuff! ❤️

[@rebeccapettifer6553]

We used to make kraut when my husband was still alive and thinking about starting it up again so all the grandkids know how to make it. This is how we did it. We have a kraut cutter and save the good outer leaves like you do and put the sliced cabbage in a medium crcok. We make every layer about 3 inches, we had a small bat and would punch the cabbage down like that and then add canning salt every layer. We put the leaves on top and add a dinner plate with a rock on it and cover with a tied cloth. Set it out in the garage for 21 days and then pack the kraut in jars and can them. So good. Didn't know I would miss it so much until I watched this! 🧡

[@mikemanjo2458]

Because of World War II and the negative connotations of the Germans, a lot of German words went out of usage. In SC, there was an entire town in SC that disappeared (Hamburg)...didn't actually disappear, but was renamed b/c of WWII and German businesses were shut down (a newspaper and a bakery) even though they'd been there for many years. Thanks for such an awesome and informative video. I think I may have to give this a try (on a smaller scale, of course). My Dad loved kraut. Please don't forget to keep us updated on what the process looks like during the next 2-3 weeks so we can see what to expect in a correct process. Thanks for encouraging me to try something that my grandparents and great grandparents did on a regular basis in order to survive. Loving these Appalachian ways.❤️🙏 from SC, Jane

[@phoeberaymond8781]

i love these appalachian channels that keep popping up for me. i spent many summers there as a kid because my stepmoms parents were from there. but my memories are fuzzy about what we ate. glad i can learn more about that part of my childhood! i do remember munching on fresh sugarcane straight from their farm.

[@trevawilson5086]

I love kraut. I used to help my Granny make it. She had a washtub & a chopper. I remember chopping it for her. She was hardworking. I loved helping her.

[@sharonhopkins1678]

I love the sound of cabbage being chopped. My mother and aunt made kraut together.

[@brendamelahn1781]

My mother-in-law used to use an old cleaned Spam can to chop her cabbage for kraut - said it was the sharpest can made out of steel and not tin. She was very upset when they switched to tin. She canned her cabbage - was soooo good. I did it a few times but found my family preferred store bought kraut.

[@pepperoniroll3869]

Watching from West Virginia. I eat this every Thanksgiving 😋

[@darlingusa2pettee57]

Thank you for this, Tipper. I've always really like kraut, even as a youngster. It's been years now since I've made it and pretty much forgotten how, but after seeing this, I will try it out in a smaller canister to start off with. I went off looking up "signs for planting and pickling". interesting stuff and those in the comment sections, who use that method, swear by it.

[@suzannemoreton9068]

Hello from UK . We used to use large sweet jars - from sweet shops - to make pickled onions, red cabbage or salted beans.

[@CelebratingAppalachia]

Thank you for sharing and watching 😀

[@fionamcormac7786]

I got a small flat so I just ..make so much .but I find it very satisfying.

[@janpenland3686]

I like to add caraway seeds to mine. My youngest son has an antique kraut cutter that we use to cut ours. I'll be glad when our weather cools off enough to make us some. I have an old general store cookie jar that I use to ferment it in when I have a lot of cabbage. If I only have a small amount I use a one gallon Mt Olive dill pickle jar. My hubby asked me the other day if we had any more kraut. I hated telling him no so I guess I'll have to make a bigger batch this year. I cover mine the same way you do yours. Much Love

[@Gvegasman43]

Love Kraut and will be trying your technique soon. I love these foothills and mountains.

[@ronwatson4902]

I bet that's really good with the peppers.I'd like to try that on a Reuben Sandwich.Thanks Tipper!

[@Wakarusa12]

Thanks for this episode! I love your channel; though I live in the Shenandoah Valley now, my roots are in Kansas wheat country, and yet so much of the language and lore in your videos chimes with my own childhood recollections. That story of the boy snitching a bite from the kraut crock is exactly the story my dad told on himself. His mother was of German stock, a farm wife who raised twelve children, of whom my dad was the last, so I reckon she had made enough sauerkraut to get pretty good at it.

[@franceswitham8214]

We made kraut with just cabbage and salt and made ketchup by chopping green tomatoes and green cayenne peppers added to the cabbage. I love both.

[@dustinwestfall8710]

We just canned our cabbage because we didn't know how to make kraut, an hour after we canned 3 heads of cabbage you put this video out lol

[@lusnorthernhome3410]

I have canned my kraut last year. Letting it set. Haven’t tried it yet.

[@dr.froghopper6711]

I got way too much salt in my last batch. But you can rinse it off and it’s still good. I’m about the only one that has tried it because I’m the guy that made it. But paired with a good Brat or Italian sausage, I think I did a pretty good job. Next time I’ll follow your salt recommendations. Thanks Tipper!

[@bucknk8edrobertlee734]

Thank You Mrs. Tipper,

[@dallasmandy]

My mouth watered watching that