Monday, August 2, 2010

Kraut adventures!




Happy Monday everyone!


Happy BC day to my local friends!! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I find summer weekends are on fast-forward and there are never enough of them. So, we try to take full advantage on them before they are a faded memory:) I started off the weekend with a massive kraut session at my aunt's house! I do come from a German family after all:)






All this cabbage was just picked from my aunt's garden!! Talk about fresh!
I went with glass jars because plastic scares me a little..especially for something like this that is going to be staying in the container for so long.

Check out that fermenting pantry LOL! I also picked up some pickles from my aunt's pantry as she had too many. My family is so giving..I'm very grateful! I think I'm going to go help my aunt when it comes to pickling cucumbers, beans, and carrots this year. If she will let me:) My favorite are pickled beans and carrots..I eat a whole jar to myself. With no shame either haha!


Oh so delicious!!! There is nothing like homemade pickles!! NOTHING!



On Saturday I started off the morning by doing a fun workout by this lady. I was just grabbing a glass of water when I found this taking place in my pantry.....

Nemo found the bag of catnip! It was EVERYWHERE!! So much for vacuuming!

He was loving it..rolling all over the stuff! It's funny because we gave him some catnip and Nelson and he wasn't really interested..apparently we needed to spread it all over the floor so he could roll in it HAHA!

I'll share more of weekend tomorrow including my thrift store finds, crazy blueberry field, downtown adventures, and my Inception thoughts!

XOXO

PS Kelli is having an awesome giveaway so go check it out!!

PPS Averie is having an amazing giveaway as well!





9 comments:

HiHoRosie said...

ha ha! Silly Nemo! Wants to BATHE in catnip!

What a fun day with family - making all that kraut! I've never had a homemade pickled pickle but I can only imagine its awesomeness. Of course, I love pickles.

I agree, glass is the way to go. Also agree that summer weekends (or most days of any season) are on fast-forward. I can't believe it's August already.

And all the wonderful cabbage! Looks great.

bitt said...

Aww Nemo is adorable. I love how the picture on the bag looks like someone laughing at him.

I am from German stock too. My grandmother used to make sauerkraut, but I think she cooked hers. I was too scared to taste it back then. I guess it's an acquired taste. So cool to grow your own cabbage and ferment it. Local at it's best.

kelli said...

hey melissa and bitt - i've got some german in me too!=)

love that you ladies had a fun day of krautin'! (you look like your grandmom - she's so cute!) i made it recently and i can't get enough - it's the best kraut i've ever had!

i'm also going to pickle some cucumbers tonight - so excited to try my own pickles!=)

ha, nemo's a smart kitty!

xoxo

Nelly said...

is that nemo in the first pic on the shelf right where your mama is standing?

kraut! i love it...i want to pickle my own pickles too...and i have 6 cabbages growing in my garden...guess what i will be doing with them? =P so exciting...i just finished my latest kraut, gotta make some more!!!

kitties love to roll around in catnip...it's their thing...i remember my kitty (miso)...use to drool and roll around in the catnip...it was actually quite funny!!!

anywho...can't wait to see what else you did this weekend...have a beautiful night!!!

shesarunner said...

Haha Nemo is so funny...he looks so peaceful rolling in the catnip too. When I gave Beau catnip he got a little hyper and started bounding around my apartment and knocking stuff over. And he also likes to get into things that he's not supposed to...when I buy cat food or kitty treats from the store I have to make sure I put them away right away, or else he will tear open the bag and spread it all around and just sit in it.
I want to make my own saurkraut too. I love how it is a family activity for you! That is so cute. And your family certainly makes it in bulk- those are some big bowls of cabbage! I'm going to try this soon...I used to eat saurkraut from a jar all the time but I want to try making my own, sans vinegar.
Hope you enjoy all your pickled goods! xoxo

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

thx for the linky love and just have to say this reminds me of my childhood, my midwestern family is so old school..pickling, canning, preserving anything they could!

Maggie said...

Happy BC Day!!! Your long weekend sounded great :) Those pickles and kraut look divine! Must have been a blast in the kitchen cooking with the ladies :)

Laury@TheFitnessDish said...

Awwww..I LOVE Nemo, hahaah that pic of him with the food bag in the background looks like a guy is smiling down on him. I haven't gotten Munchi into catnip too much, only on his scratch pads and in his toys, he goes NUTS!! We have carpeting, at my moms its hardwood floors so we always gave our cats the loose stuff, much easier clean up!!

Oh, and your fam is hard core with the cabbage!! Whats BC??

Melissa said...

Hey Heidi - Nemo would love me to fill up the bath tub with cat nip so he could frolic in it!
I buy the pickles from the store but I'm always a little disappointed because nothing compares to the goodness of homemade! It's already into the first week of August..insane!!

Hey Bitt - HAHA I just noticed that bag in the background..awesome!
It's funny you mentioned cooking the kraut..my aunt said I HAD to heat it up and seal it in order to preserve it..no thanks lol!

Hey Kelli - It's a strong German presence hey? love it! Can't wait to hear how your pickles turned out.

Hey Nelly - No, that kitty is Klause..it's Nemo's skinny twin lol! 6 cabbages??? wow that's awesome.
HAHA drooling in the catnip..so funny!

Hey Lauren - Your story about Beau is too funny! I think that would be an awesome video:) It's super easy Lauren..just have a place where you can place them because they do stink a little when they are fermenting.

Hey Averie - My family and your family should be friends lol! We do tend to pickle,preserve, can everything!!! Good eats I tell ya!

Hey Maggie - Hope you had a great BC day!! It was so much fun working together with all that cabbage lol! I felt like I had just gone back in time lol!

Hey Laury - Hope munchi is feeling better:) I hear ya on the clean up..not so fun. But it's good entertainment too! Oh! BC is British Columbia:) my province!!!