Baltimore Fermentation - Sauerkraut For Thanksgiving (and other times)

The tradition that bubbles in Baltimore basements
Homemade sauerkraut for holiday tables starts now

By Martha Thomas
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

When Doug Wetzel sat down for Thanksgiving dinner soon after he moved to Petaluma, Calif., he surveyed the table. His hosts, who owned the artisanal bakery where he worked, seemed to have everything right: "turkey and stuffing and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts." But when Wetzel asked for the sauerkraut, he says, "they all looked at me like I was crazy."

Wetzel, 26, grew up in Baltimore, where fermented cabbage is as commonplace as cranberry sauce for the November holiday, even for those without German names. "I knew better than to ask for candied yams with marshmallows" at such a spread, says Wetzel, now pastry chef for Gertrude's restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art. "But the fact that there was no sauerkraut was kind of a shock."

Richard Kissling, chief officer of A.C. Kissling Sauerkraut in Philadelphia, says his Charm City sales surge each year in early November to five or six times the usual volume. "In Baltimore, it's just one of those traditions," he says. "I don't understand it."

The city's German immigrants accounted for about a quarter of its residents in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. They brought their everyday dish of sauerkraut to the New World. "Whenever people would get together for a special occasion, sauerkraut would be involved," says William Woys Weaver, Pennsylvania food historian and author of the book "Sauerkraut Yankees."

Sauerkraut-based dishes on Baltimore's Thanksgiving sideboards might include a bowl of the stuff straight from a bag or jar, braised sauerkraut with apples and bacon, or sauerkraut with ground pork, rolled in cabbage leaves. Sauerkraut can even be used for stuffing the bird.

Plenty of Baltimore natives with Baltic roots remember a mother or grandmother brewing sauerkraut in a container in the basement. When Marc Attman of Attman's Deli was 9 years old, he was given the job of chopping cabbage for the sauerkraut served there. The finished product would sit in a barrel in front of the store, Attman says, "and if someone wanted to try it, they'd just stick in their fingers and take a little bit." Now the deli gets its kraut from Pennsylvania, and if someone wants a taste, "we get out the rubber gloves and the tongs," he says.

Much has changed in the world; sauerkraut, it seems, has not. Weaver says fermented cabbage can be traced to the Byzantine Empire. It shows up in cultures all over the world, with close relatives in dishes such as Korean kimchi. High in vitamin C, the fermented cabbage is a breeding ground for lactobacillus, which helps with human digestion. It's a more earthy source of the probiotic than, say, the Activia yogurt hawked in television commercials by Jamie Lee Curtis. Generally available for less than $1 per pound, sauerkraut is relatively cheap nutrition.

Though it involves only cabbage and salt, preparing sauerkraut at home requires a lot of planning. The process can take anywhere from three to eight weeks, depending on the temperature and a willingness to put up with the beery smell of fermenting leaves.

Bonnie North, leader of the Baltimore chapter of Slow Food USA, has been dubbed "Kraut Mother" by the staff at Gertrude's for her willingness to monitor four large, new plastic garbage cans of fermenting kraut in her basement. The finished product is served at the restaurant's annual Kraut Fest, held in early January.

In a week or so, staff members at Gertrude's will start their annual process: shredding about 200 pounds of cabbage, tossing it with sea salt, then placing it in the 30-gallon containers a few inches at a time, mashing each layer to crush the membrane of the leaf until juice oozes out. The containers are then hauled to North's basement.

"There's no water involved," North says. But as the lactobacillus eats away at the cabbage, natural liquids are released and bubble to the top. Every few days, North ventures down to her smelly cellar and dismantles the setup of each can: the heavy pail of water acting as a compressing weight on the large container, the clean plastic bag that keeps air out, the soaked napkins directly on the cabbage itself (which she either replaces or rinses). She then skims off any liquid and foam from the mixture beneath, checking that everything is the way it should be: moist but not soupy. "I taste it to make sure it isn't rancid and then close it up again," she says.

Gertrude's Kraut Fest started about six years ago, when the restaurant's chef, John Shields, hired a sous-chef from Croatia. Shields, who delights in talking about his German grandmother, Gertie (for whom the restaurant is named), found a comrade in Tomislav Niksic. Niksic's own grandmother, Maria, had helped her village after it lost most of its men in World War II by taking on the strenuous task of pounding cabbage to make sauerkraut. "She also went around the village helping people butcher the pigs," Niksic says.

While sharing Granny stories, the two found that, though their kraut-prep methods differed slightly, the outcome was the same. They decided to have a sauerkraut cook-off of sorts, each contributing recipes. What began as a couple of chafing dishes in Gertrude's bar area has evolved into a two-night party, with the restaurant closed for regular business to clear a space for dancing to live polka music. The menu of sauerkraut dishes includes vegan pasta, bratwurst and sauerkraut ice cream, with German beer to wash it all down.

Niksic, now the chef at Le Meridien Hotel near Split, Croatia, says the main difference between the sauerkraut made in his grandmother's mountain village and the American version is that in his country, heads of cabbage are packed whole between layers of shredded cabbage. There's also a variation he calls "winter salad," in which pickled carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and peppers are part of the mix.

In Croatia, the barrels are stored in the cellar. Some dirt-floored cellars were dug deeper than usual to ensure a cool, dark fermenting spot. Late-harvest cabbage with tight leaves was best for the job, so kraut generally was started in late autumn, at the time hogs were slaughtered. "People also started making their brandy then," Niksic says. "November was a time of hard work." By late December, the meat was cured, the brandy was ready and the sauerkraut had reached its peak, just in time for Christmas. "Like everywhere in the world, a celebration means a full table," says Niksic.

And in some places, a holiday table isn't really full without sauerkraut.

Martha Thomas is a Baltimore-based freelance writer who previously had encountered sauerkraut only on her hot dogs at Fenway Park.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110300596.html

Gertie's Sauerkraut and Apples

The Washington Post, November 4, 2009

• • Course: Side Dish

Summary:

For an uptown version of this dish, substitute 2 cups dry champagne for the beer and add 1 teaspoon minced ginger to the onion and apples as they cook.

8 generous servings

Ingredients:

• • 12 ounces beer
• • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick) or olive oil
• • 4 slices uncooked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces (optional)
• • 1 small onion, cut into thin slices (3/4 cup)
• • 3 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
• • 32 ounces homemade or store-bought sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• • Salt
• • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Pour the beer into a liquid measuring cup and allow it to go flat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter or heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. If using bacon, add it now and cook for a few minutes to render its fat, then add the onion and apples; mix to coat evenly. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the onion and apples have softened slightly.

Add the sauerkraut; use tongs to incorporate with the onion and apples, then add the beer and caraway seeds. Mix well; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the liquid barely bubbles at the edges. Cook for 45 minutes; use tongs to move the sauerkraut around occasionally, until the apples are quite soft and the sauerkraut has mellowed. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve warm.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from John Shields, chef at Gertrude’s in Baltimore.

224 calories, 15g fat, 3g saturated fat, 8mg cholesterol, 796mg sodium, 17g carbohydrates, 5g dietary fiber, 9g sugar, 2g protein.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Per serving (using olive oil)
Calories: 224
% Daily Values*
Total Fat: 15g	23
Saturated Fat: 3g	15
Cholesterol: 8mg	3
Sodium: 796mg	33
Total Carbohydrates: 17g	6
Dietary Fiber: 5g	20
Sugar: 9g
Protein: 2g

*Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Total Fat:	Less than	65g
Saturated Fat:	Less than	20g
Cholesterol:	Less than	300mg
Sodium:	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrates:		300g
Dietary Fiber:		25g

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

The Washington Post, November 4, 2009

• • Course: Dessert

Summary:

This cake is rich and dense; the sauerkraut gives it a slight bite. Serve it unfrosted, or spread it with a simple buttercream frosting.

MAKE AHEAD: The cake can be cooled completely, then wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.

Makes two 8-inch, single-layer cakes (16 servings)

Ingredients:

• • 10 2/3 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 2/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
• • 2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for the pans
• • 1 1/2 cups sugar
• • 3 large eggs
• • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• • 1 teaspoon baking powder
• • 1/2 teaspoon salt
• • 1 teaspoon baking soda
• • 1 cup water
• • 2/3 cup homemade or store-bought sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and finely chopped

Directions:

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 8-inch cake pans; then flour them, shaking out any excess flour. If desired, place 8-inch circles of parchment paper or wax paper in the bottom of each pan.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, and the vanilla extract.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.

Reduce the speed to low; add the flour mixture alternately with the water, beating until smooth.

Use a spatula to fold in the drained, chopped sauerkraut until well incorporated. Divide the thick batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans, leveling the surfaces.

Place both pans on the middle rack and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cakes spring back lightly when touched. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from a recipe by John Shields of Gertrude's in Baltimore.

226 calories, 9g fat, 6g saturated fat, 60mg cholesterol, 221mg sodium, 34g carbohydrates, 2g dietary fiber, 19g sugar, 4g protein.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Per serving
Calories: 226
% Daily Values*
Total Fat: 9g	14
Saturated Fat: 6g	30
Cholesterol: 60mg	20
Sodium: 221mg	9
Total Carbohydrates: 34g	11
Dietary Fiber: 2g	8
Sugar: 19g
Protein: 4g

*Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Total Fat:	Less than	65g
Saturated Fat:	Less than	20g
Cholesterol:	Less than	300mg
Sodium:	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrates:		300g
Dietary Fiber:		25g

Tested by Martha Thomas for The Washington Post.
E-mail the Food Section at food@washpost.com with recipe questions.

All sauerkraut, all the time

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

-- Saveur magazine includes a simple sauerkraut recipe in its current issue. The basic recipe found online at the National Center for Home Food Preservation calls for 25 pounds of cabbage with 3/4 cup salt and yields nine quarts of sauerkraut. Chef John Shields of Gertrude's in Baltimore says that, following the same directions, 10 pounds of cabbage with 6 tablespoons of salt should yield four to five quarts.

-- To prevent scurvy in the 1700s, British explorer Capt. James Cook's provisions included "40 bushels of malt, 1000 lb of portable soup, vinegar, mustard, wheat, together with 'proper Quantities of sauer Kraut."

-- In the introduction to his 1996 book, "Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom," Sidney Mintz writes evocatively about his Belarus-born father's cabbage and sauerkraut soup. Mintz, a professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University, recalls his father's stories about digging deep trenches to line with wood for curing kraut when he was serving in the czar's army. "Once a soldier fell in and drowned in the sauerkraut," Mintz says.

-- During World War I, sauerkraut was rebranded as "liberty cabbage" to counter anti-German sentiment. Years later, Baltimore native H.L. Mencken wrote about it in his column called Table Words, published in the New York American and Los Angeles Examiner, Dec. 24, 1934: "When, during the World War, certain super-patriots went about the country seeking to extirpate every vestige of the German Kultur, they quickly collided with sauerkraut and were bested by it. Unable to induce Americans to stop eating it, they tried to change its name to liberty cabbage, but the only reply was a laugh, and it went on under its original colors."

-- The next Kraut Fest will take place Jan. 9-10 at Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr., 410-889-3399. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door; there will be a cash bar.

-- Martha Thomas

Bacteria Against Bacteria - Biological Food Processing

FDA smackdown pits bacteria against bacteria

By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 31, 2009

The 10 tomatoes sitting in a Tupperware tub at the Food and Drug Administration seem to be doing nothing more than rotting, slowly. But an invisible battle is raging on the surface of the fruit, with provocative implications for food safety and the war that humans have been waging against bacteria for a century.

"This is the wrestling ring," said Eric Brown, a microbiologist at the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, as he clicked open the lid to the tub. "This is the smack-down."

Brown and a team of FDA scientists trying to prevent salmonella contamination in tomatoes have stumbled upon what they believe are powerful, naturally occurring "good" bacteria that can slaughter the "bad" bacteria that have become a persistent problem in fresh fruits and vegetables because they harm humans.

"This is highly efficient weaponry, right here," said Brown, pointing to pipettes filled with the "good" bacteria suspended in a saline solution that will be dripped onto the contaminated tomatoes. He presented the initial findings of his research at an international salmonella conference this month in France. "The beauty is that we take something alive and organic and put it back into the field, and by itself, it will kill other bacteria. We're right on the edge of this."

It's a variation on the "enemy of my enemy" philosophy, with scientists like Brown cultivating hostile relatives of harmful bacteria to perform a sort of microscopic fratricide before the bugs can harm humans.

While Brown's findings haven't been applied outside the laboratory yet, in his experiments the microorganisms obliterate not only salmonella on tomatoes but also several other pathogens blamed for food-borne illnesses, including listeria and E. coli O15:H7. So far, only vibrio, the bacterium found in warm seawater that can contaminate oysters and other seafood, has stood its ground against Brown's bacteria.

"It's a phenomenal finding he's got," said Steve Rideout, an assistant professor of plant pathology at Virginia Tech, who has allowed the FDA team to take samples from the university's 200-acre research farm tucked among industrial tomato growers on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Salmonella has become a leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States. Once largely associated with poultry and eggs, the bacteria live in the intestines of animals. But recently, the bacteria are increasingly in fresh fruit and vegetables, for unknown reasons. Of nine nationwide salmonella illness outbreaks since 2007, just one was linked to a meat product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rest were associated with vegetables, fruit, nuts or cereal.

Salmonella causes about 1.4 million cases of food-borne illnesses and more than 500 deaths a year in the United States, according to the CDC. While most people recover without treatment, young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems can become severely ill.

Salmonella, which describes a group of 2,600 strains of related bacteria, can survive outside living organisms and has lived as long as 18 months in soil.

"Salmonella is turning out to be a far more challenging environmental bug than we ever thought it would be or could be," Brown said. "It's very difficult to get rid of, and we don't even know where it comes from."

Fresh produce

Fruit and vegetable farmers face a particular challenge because produce is often eaten fresh; there is no "kill step," such as cooking. Most produce is not packaged, which increases the chances for contamination. And some pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli burrow inside the fruits and vegetables, making it impossible to wash them away. In fact, Brown has found that his microorganisms are not effective against salmonella when the battle takes place inside the tomato, only on the surface.

Salmonella is a particular problem for tomato growers in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and other states along the East Coast. And the tomato industry is eager for a way to reduce salmonella contamination and regain consumer confidence, said Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato Exchange. An outbreak of salmonella illness last year was incorrectly linked to tomatoes -- later traced to jalapeño peppers from Mexico -- but not before the tomato industry suffered losses of about $150 million. Consumer demand still has not returned to levels before that outbreak, said Reggie Brown, who is not related to Eric Brown.

"Every time someone reports in a news article on food safety about an outbreak associated with salmonella, the word 'tomato' will appear out there," Reggie Brown said. "There's concern and distrust."

The notion of using benign bugs to fight dangerous bugs can be traced to 1917 when microbiologist Felix D'Herelle discovered bacteriophages -- viruses that live within bacteria and can kill other bacteria, said Scott Polodsky, a doctor and science historian who teaches at Harvard Medical School. D'Herelle used phages to successfully treat cholera patients in India; his work caught on in Western Europe.

In recent years, probiotics -- live bacteria that can improve the balance among 400 different types of bacteria that live in the human gastrointestinal system -- have gained a foothold in the United States, appearing in yogurt, milk and other foods. Pre-biotics, which are nutrients that feed beneficial bacteria in humans, are also growing in popularity. Analysts say the global market for probiotic and prebiotic foods reached $15 billion last year, a 13 percent increase over 2007.

Like Brown, other researchers have been trying to find a naturally occurring bacteria that can kill pathogens on human food. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2007 that they isolated microorganisms from baby carrots that suppressed the growth of four harmful pathogens. Last year, the same team applied "good" bacteria to kill salmonella on sprouts.

'Team Tomato'

Brown and his colleagues, known around the FDA as "Team Tomato," made repeated trips to tomato-growing regions on Virginia's Eastern Shore this spring and summer, where they stomped through fields and swamps and collected more than 200 samples from plants, water and soil. Each trip, they stayed with their coolers of water and muck and plants in the same hotel. "I had to leave a substantial tip to satisfy my conscience," Brown said.

Back in their College Park laboratory, Brown and his main collaborator, Alex Enurah, identified more than 300 species before isolating five "good" bacteria.

The "good" bacteria don't appear to be harmful to humans but further investigation is needed, Brown and Enurah said. They intend to test the bacteria on tomatoes grown in research hothouses in the coming months. And they are testing whether the "good" bacteria could prevent salmonella contamination as well as treat fruit that is already tainted. Brown envisions a day when "good" bacteria could be sprayed onto fields of tomatoes just before harvest.

Still, what works in the laboratory often runs into trouble on the farm and never makes it to the grocery store, said Jeri Barak, an assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

"The tripping point for biocontrol has always been commercial application," she said, noting that outside the lab, the process is complicated by the presence of many other bacteria and fungi, and even sunlight. "A lot of times what looks really, really good in the laboratory doesn't work in the field."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103003784.html

Reefer Sanity - Post Editorial Page

Reefer sanity
The marijuana lobby goes mainstream

By Kathleen Parker
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In an act of merciful sanity, the Obama administration has made good on its promise to stop interfering with states that allow the medical use of marijuana.

Clink-clink, hear-hear, salud, cheers, et cetera, et cetera.

The announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder surely comes as a relief to the many who rely on cannabis to ease suffering from various ailments. This new, relaxed approach doesn't let drug traffickers off the hook. It merely means that 14 states that now provide for some medical marijuana uses no longer need fear federal raids on dispensaries and users operating under state law.

It's a good move, long overdue. But is it enough? Not quite.

The debate over whether Americans ought to have the right to be stupid -- or to make other people seem more interesting -- continues apace after 40 years of the (failed) "war on drugs."

Arguments for and against decriminalization of some or all drugs are familiar by now. Distilled to the basics, the drug war has empowered criminals while criminalizing otherwise law-abiding citizens and wasted billions that could have been better spent on education and rehabilitation.

By ever-greater numbers, Americans support decriminalizing at least marijuana, which millions admit to having used, including a couple of presidents and a Supreme Court justice. A recent Gallup poll found that 44 percent of Americans favor legalization for any purpose, not just medical, up from 31 percent in 2000.

The highest level of support, not surprisingly, is in the Western states and among self-described liberals, with 78 percent of liberals favoring decriminalization. But the shift toward a more sensible national policy is no longer confined to the left. Nor is the long-haired stoner the face of the pro-pot lobby. Today's activist, more likely, doesn't have facial hair, but she does have kids.

Lately to the smallish conservative crowd, notably once led by anti-prohibitionist William F. Buckley, is Jessica Corry of Colorado, a married, pro-life Republican mom, soon to be "freedom fighter of the month" in High Times magazine.

Recent partakers undoubtedly will have to rub their eyes for a double take when they spot Corry, who spoke last month at a NORML conference (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) in San Francisco, wearing an American flag lapel pin, a triple strand of pearls and a gold marijuana leaf pin.

Another day, another stereotype in the dust bin.

In addition to writing and speaking to end marijuana prohibition, Corry, who does not smoke pot, is trying to organize Republican women around the cause. So far, she has commitments from 20 fellow Coloradoans, most of them lawyers, like Corry. Her husband, also an attorney, represents medical marijuana users.

Corry's arguments focus not only on the inhumanity of further punishing sick people who seek relief through pot but also on protecting her children should they decide to try marijuana someday. There's nothing like imagining one's own children as "criminals" to put irrational laws in perspective.

Corry is hardly alone and, in fact, may be part of a "toking point." (Is there a drug yet for "Tipping Point Fatigue"?) In its October issue, Marie Claire magazine featured "Stiletto Stoners," an article about accomplished career women who prefer to relax with pot. A September Fortune cover story, "Is Pot Already Legal?" examined the issue. In April, the 2006 Miss New Jersey, Georgine DiMaria, outed herself as a stealth marijuana user to treat her asthma.

States' rights and conservatism are old friends -- except when they're not. While many Republicans nurse a libertarian streak, the party has been selective in its support of federalist principles. George W. Bush's administration refused to honor states authorizing medical uses of cannabis, for instance, but aimed to return abortion and marriage issues to state jurisdictions.

In a column for the Colorado Daily, Corry argued that conservative principles of smaller government directly conflict with laws that try to control what we put into our bodies. Alcohol and cigarettes -- not to mention 700-calorie cheeseburgers -- are inarguably more harmful than a little reefer, she wrote.

The decision not to raid dispensaries or punish people who benefit from marijuana use, though commendable, falls short of what's needed. At the very least, when jobs and cash are in short supply, legalizing marijuana would seem both prudent and profitable.

In 1929, the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform led the movement to end alcohol prohibition. Might women lead the next revolution in personal autonomy?

Keep those flutes and snifters (and bongs?) handy.

kathleenparker@washpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003084.html