Simple Shrimp Eggrolls...with Sauerkraut!

This recipe happened kinda by accident.

I needed to make something for lunch on Sunday. A few thoughts I had didn't work because I was missing ingredients. I had some mini frozen shrimp still in the freezer from when I made Fishmarket Salads. I had some frozen eggroll wrappers leftover from a previous eggroll adventure. And I had some Sauerkraut fermenting on the counter in my Ferment-O! Duh, Shrimp Eggrolls, right?

Don't expect precise measurements here. For one, I rarely follow measurements to the 'T' ...drives my sister nuts :) For two, I threw these together with what I had on hand.

Ingredients

1/2 bag of frozen shrimp

egg roll wrappers

sauerkraut

soy sauce

Defrost the shrimp and then let it sit in a bowl of soy sauce for a little bit in the fridge.

Chop up your sauerkraut fine enough to be stuffed into egg rolls.

Make sure your wrappers are thawed.

Preheat your oven to 400* F

Mix your Shrimp and Sauerkraut together, place a dab onto each wrapper, roll them up and place them seam side down on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silpat. Brush the tops with some olive oil and bake for 10-12 minutes.

When they are done, give them a few minutes to cool and dip in soy sauce!

Other ideas for filling - some shredded carrot. I was going to add bean sprouts but I figured the kraut was enough!

Other dipping sauce ideas: add some sriracha to your soy, or some wasabi!

Addressing the Mold!

I had a few messages from readers on my Making Sauerkraut post from earlier this week in regards to the 'mold situation'! I thought I would try and shed some light on this disgusting matter since, lets face it, even my husband is not convinced and refuses to eat the Sauerkraut!

I too was skeptical. My first try at naturally fermented foods were a batch of pickles this summer. Initially, the first few days, they smelled AWESOME! Like those wonderful, garlicky deli pickles you love! But, by the time it was time to try them out, I instantly spit them out and pretty much gaged at the same time. Something went oh so wrong and it was clear they weren't ok to eat. It was the complete opposite with the Sauerkraut. After skimming away the mold, it still looked, and tasted, oh so good. I knew it was ok. You know - sometimes you just know these things. And I figured as much with the pickles, but tried them anyways to be sure. Should have went with my hunch on them :)

Here are a few references I have pulled from the Internet that I thought I would share to help alleviate some concerns. I have read up on it enough to know that mold is ok to just be skimmed away and it is only there because air was able to reach those areas. But, the kraut tucked in its nice brine is safe from any nasty-ness! I realize though, that is not enough assurance for most - so check out these references below before you forgo making your own kraut!

This excerpt comes from Sandor Ellix Katz's site, Wild Fermentation. He has a book by the same name. The man is nicknamed 'Sandorkraut' for crying' out loud! -- Check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mold appears on the surface. Many books refer to this mold as “scum,” but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. Skim what you can off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Don’t worry about this. It’s just a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes. In the cool temperatures of a cellar in winter, kraut can keep improving for months and months. In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid. Eventually it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant. (Wild Fermentation)

This is another excerpt I found from a website that, I think, is pretty cut and dry to help set your mind at ease! -- If you're skittish about leaving food at room temperature for weeks at a time, know that fermentation is one of the oldest and simplest methods of preserving foods. It's safe and reliable, as long as you follow directions. In the case of sauerkraut, salt draws juices out of shredded cabbage and encourages the growth of healthy bacteria already present in the vegetable. While the microbes turn sugars into lactic acid, a natural preservative, the salt and lack of oxygen inhibit spoilage....Problems can develop, but things normally won't go south if you use the proper amount of salt, keep hands and tools clean and the cabbage submerged in the brine. That said, you should check the sauerkraut a few times a week and skim any scum (a harmless white mold) that appears on the brine surface. The sauerkraut itself is protected from the mold as long as it's submerged. (OregonLive)


For Safety's Sake....Pickle and Pickle Product Problems This pdf from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service spells it out pretty clear - cut & dry. And I tend to trust any information that comes from an extension office. They say the 'white scum' that appears when making Sauerkraut is simply a layer of yeast and/or mold that is perfectly safe to just skim off. They then go on to tell you what should make you concerned that the kraut may not be safe. I would definitely check this link out!!

Trust me, I was turned off by the idea at first too of eating something that had mold on it. Naturally, anything with mold we tend to think UGH - BAD! But hey, look at Blue Cheese. Or Gorgonzola. I love those cheeses! The bottom line, there is good mold and bad mold and you just need to learn to identify between the two. Mold on that nasty white, bagged bread from the store - that's bad. Pitch it. And you should probably pitch the loaf before it molds anyways...but that is a whole other topic for a whole different post :)

Making Sauerkraut

I can finally scratch something off my wanting to try list - making Sauerkraut!

It really was fairly easy and next year I will be sure to make more!

I used 3 heads of cabbage from  my garden. I believe it was the Late Flat Dutch Cabbage.

I chopped it up and then threw it into a crock. I then added about 3tbsp of Kosher Salt.

Then, and this I couldn't comprehend until I did it, you just mix the cabbage and salt with your hands until the salt draws out enough of a brine from the cabbage for it to ferment in. I was skeptical, but it happened! After enough churning with my hands, there was enough brine for it to soak it.

I then filled a gallon ziplock bag with water and laid it on top of the kraut, making sure it was all submerged in the brine, to act as my weight. Then, I placed it in a cool, dark place in our basement, threw a tea towel over the top to prevent dust from getting in, and let it sit....for 8 weeks!

I was told it would get nasty and moldy on top - and it sure did!

YUCK! This is what it looked like when I pulled the tea towel off.

Gross. I think, usually, people let it ferment 4-6 weeks. Mine went 8. Partly because I forgot about it, and partly because I was afraid of this mold!



You can imagine hubby's reaction. He doesn't plan on eating any - to bad for him.
Lacto-fermented cabbage, which ='s Sauerkraut, contains tons of beneficial bacterias to help aid in your digestion (I know, this is the first thing people think of when they hear Sauerkraut - digestion!), and provides a good amount of vitamin C and some vitamin A.



I could go on and on about all the reason why Sauerkraut, made naturally fermented, is good for you. Just google it and you'll be overwhelmed with information.



This photo below is after I cleaned up all the nasty mold ;)

I decided against throwing the jars into a water bath canner because I learned that, being this is lacto-fermented, this Sauerkraut will store in the fridge just fine for up to 6 months. And plus, if I water-bath canned it, the heat would kill off a lot of the bacteria that was created when fermenting it. And that would totally defeat the whole purpose now, wouldn't it!



Have you ever tried your hand at naturally fermented Sauerkraut?

This post has been linked up over at The Nourishing Gourmet
and Whole New Mom

Now click here to further read up on the MOLD that forms on the Kraut!

Harvest Monday, August 15, 2011

I don't know about you, but I am ready to rip everything out and get some Fall crops in!

In this pic below, the 'maters you see are the massive extent of our tomato harvest this season - BOO!

More cucumbers which I chopped up for another expirement in natural fermenting ;)

And more KY Wonder Pole Beans.



And more peppers. I am not even going to attempt to indetify any of these, aside from some Jalepenos that are in there somewhere. Our pepper patch isn't following our layout at all ;)

And, 3 heads of cabbage. Which were promptly cut up for Sauerkraut :)

I am looking for suggestions; Suggestions on what kind of Garlic to plant.

What kind is your favorite or your go-to garlic that you plant every year?

I was considering Music, Spanish Roja or Oregon Blue. Have you tried one of these varieties and if so, what has your experience with them been?

And, check out what other gardener's are harvesting this week over at Daphne's Dandelions!