What I meant by unsealed is a canning ring/lid screwed on, but not hot or cold packed so it is not vacuum sealed (lid is not 'popped' down). Yeah I think you're right about freezing destroying the bacteria too. I should have said freezing could retain SOME of the bacteria, not most. You can only eat so much of it while stored in the crock or jars, so you have to refrigerate, freeze, or can the rest if you want long term storage. I'd rather have some left to eat next summer, and it's still good for you with or without the probiotics.
Sauerkraut Recipes
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What I meant by unsealed is a canning ring/lid screwed on, but not hot or cold packed so it is not vacuum sealed (lid is not 'popped' down). Yeah I think you're right about freezing destroying the bacteria too. I should have said freezing could retain SOME of the bacteria, not most. You can only eat so much of it while stored in the crock or jars, so you have to refrigerate, freeze, or can the rest if you want long term storage. I'd rather have some left to eat next summer, and it's still good for you with or without the probiotics.
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goeduck
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I did not get my cabbage planted in time to head out this year so I bought some from a trusted organic small farm at a local farm stand. Dehydrated must mean something else in your reference than what I am thinking. I understand they wash it but what else is it the grocery stores do?
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Commercially sold cabbage (before it gets shipped to the wholesaler) is forced to 34 degrees from ambient and at the same time the room it's in, the RH is dropped as well. What they do down the road from me and we get to listen to the refrigeration units 24 / 7 when cabbage is running. They do that to ****** spoilage. You remove the water and chill it, the leaves don't turn brown.
I could tell you about apples too but if I did, you'd never buy another apple in the grocery store again.
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I haven't bought an apple from the grocery store in... come to think of it, I probably never have. Every fall I buy from the local orchard where I used to prune, and before they close I purchase 20 lbs of Northern Spy plus the same amount of Winesap apples. Both store well in a cool dark place, and usually keep until I run out in March. They also taste a lot better, and while they do get a little soft they actually sweetening as they age.
I haven't bought an apple from the grocery store in... come to think of it, I probably never have. Every fall I buy from the local orchard where I used to prune, and before they close I purchase 20 lbs of Northern Spy plus the same amount of Winesap apples. Both store well in a cool dark place, and usually keep until I run out in March. They also taste a lot better, and while they do get a little soft they actually sweetening as they age.
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I'm 2 miles from Applewood Orchards. The biggest apple growers in the country. I know exactly what they do to apples that go to grocery stores so they stay 'fresh' looking. Let's just say that an apple could be 3 months old or 3 years old and look the same... Preservation technology is amazing.
cqaigy2
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We're so lucky compared to the 'good old day' we only have tasteless fruit and vegetables now, but it sure looks pretty....
Evidently "Pretty"and tasteless sold and "ugly" and tasty did not...and they call that "progress"?
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Especially apples....lol Bite into one of the store bought apples and you get a mouthfull of grainy sand.
I read recently that the average supermarket apple sold in the U.S. is 14 months old. So I assume the term "mealy apple" wasn't around until the chemically induced cold storage was invented.
People don’t understand why I won’t eat a Red Delicious. I don’t know why they get so excited about Granny Smith apples. We can’t grow the latter this far north. Are they actually edible when picked fresh?
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goeduck
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The red delicious is a horrible apple in my opinion, It looks all pretty but that is about it. It pushed the Baldwin Apple out of the dominant spot in the US if I recall my research correctly. I have an old Baldwin from our 1860 orchard that I have a couple of grafts off of starting to produce fruit. I like the Baldwin, not the greatest tasting but for some reason I always grab one when they get ripe.
Here is one of the grafts.
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I wouldn't mind reading more about what you've done on your place, it sounds interesting. For the last several years I've been planting some of the old apple varieties but it will be a while before they start producing. I also didn't get a soil sample before I started, and should have built the soil up some first.
It was McIntosh, not Red Delicious which replaced the Baldwin according to the Fedco website, which is where I get many of my fruit trees.
I wouldn't mind reading more about what you've done on your place, it sounds interesting. For the last several years I've been planting some of the old apple varieties but it will be a while before they start producing. I also didn't get a soil sample before I started, and should have built the soil up some first.
It was McIntosh, not Red Delicious which replaced the Baldwin according to the Fedco website, which is where I get many of my fruit trees.
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Actually, it's not chemically induced cold storage at all. No 'chemicals' involved and it's not 'cold' storage either.
In a nutshell, what they (apple growers) do is put the fruit in hampers and put the hampers in a special built building with external furnaces that remove all the oxygen from within the building. Once you remove the oxygen, the apples will keep basically forever. The buildings are huge and hold a lot of apples. problem with removing the oxygen and replacing it with carbon dioxide is, it causes the apple pulp top become 'grainy'. Thats why store apples have that mealy texture. Been 'sleeping in an oxygen depleted atmosphere for who knows how long..
I'll go along with 14 months, but it could be longer, much longer actually.
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Back to sauerkraut.. The addition of some sliced apples (preferably not supermarket apples) give a nice flavor to the kraut.
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goeduck
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Sliced, not diced? Or would that matter?
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Sliced is preferable.
I've never had apples in sauerkraut. Do you slice them like you would for apple pie? What texture do they have after fermenting with the cabbage?
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Thin sliced, not quartered. Kind of 'blend in with the kraut' but add flavor.
