Enjoy the last bits of summer with this great seasonal sauerkraut. Carrot and fennel kraut may be grilled sausage's best friend with its touch of sweetness from the carrots and lovely fennel flavor. Pile it on a green salad with a swirl of olive oil for an instant dinner. Load up your plate of eggs with some carrot and fennel kraut on the side, and you might forget about sausage for a moment. Put a layer on mashed potatoes or alongside potato salad for a lovely compliment and live cultured companion.
Keep refrigerated.
Fermented foods will continue to ferment after they are packaged. Refrigeration slows the process greatly and will maintain the color, texture and flavor of veggie ferments the longest. Cold storage between 30-60 degrees Fahrenheit works well too. Remember that fermentation was one of the original methods of food preservation before refrigeration existed. Krauts and pickles would be stored in massive barrels in barns and root cellars, and it was expected that they would become more tender, tarter and perhaps mold a bit on top as they did. While perhaps not a perfect system, it allowed for pre-industrial folks to access important nutrition that they would have gone without until the next harvest. Enjoy fermented vegetables on salads, sandwiches, grain bowls or straight out of the jar! It is recommended to not heat fermented foods in order to keep the probiotics alive and receive all of the benefits.
Photo credit: Ember Photography
