I've never liked 'Bavarian' Sour Kraut. It is sweet. Same goes for
'Bavarian' buttermilk.

Yuk, I've never tasted SWEET sauerkraut!

When I was a kid, and did not like anything strong... be it onions,
garlic... whatever... my maternal grandmother got me to try some sour
kraut that had fermented only about half the full term. That was perfect
for me; so, from then on, she would put up a few small jars and put my
name on them.

Just as with my preference for some of the cheaper brands of red hot sauce
(as I was telling Rusty), I like some of the cheaper brands of sour kraut.
The less expensive hot sauce has more flavor. The less expensive sour
kraut has less.

I haven't tried that many kinds of kraut, but I agree about the hot sauce.
If I wanted to inflict pain on myself, I'd go get a tattoo or walk on hot
coals. I like mild sauces.

But that's just one man's preference... not a judgment as to which is
better for anyone else.

One of my favorite dishes is country pork ribs, sautéed done and then
simmered in sour kraut and onions with a little white pepper. (Some sour
kraut brands already are salty, and no salt is needed. If they have
little salt, a little bit
is needed.

I like that too! But I prefer spare ribs, and use half sauerkraut and half
cabbage, and add a sliced-up apple. No mashed potatoes though.

I like these over mashed Irish potatoes.

(Unlike my German friends, I do NOT like the cubed Irish potatoes cooked
with vinegar added. It toughens them.
But, once again, no judgment rendered. To each his own preferences.)

g

I haven't tried that many kinds of kraut, but I agree about the hot sauce.
If I wanted to inflict pain on myself, I'd go get a tattoo or walk on hot
coals. I like mild sauces.

Ditto. Japeno peppers have fantastic flavor. Most of the hot comes from
the seeds and the pulp the seeds are on. I have a friend who slices down
the side of each (while still raw) and cuts out the pulp part, leaving the
stem. He uses water with salt in it (no vinegar and no oil) and cooks them
just long enough to kill all baceria in them. They are delicious.

The canned kind that are put up whole, in vinegar water, with oil... you
can't taste the flavor.

Cayennes don't have a lot of flavor, but they can be put in with banana
peppers, to add just enough hotness and those can be cut up in some
purple hull peas and... super taste.


I like that too! But I prefer spare ribs, and use half sauerkraut and
half cabbage, and add a sliced-up apple. No mashed potatoes though.

Gotta try that. Sometimes I'll get frozen spinach and, to stretch a package
of it, I'll cut up some cabbage into about thumbnail size put it on top of
the spinach with just enough water that it will be most, but not much
runny juice when done. Then I make a sauce with lemon or lime juice
and just a little bit of butter and put over it after it's done. This
doubles
the spinach without detracting in the least. (Gotta watch carefully to
avoid getting dry and scorching.)

My sons played football and one has been a karate instructor, and they've
been cooking since before they can remember. They had to teach their
wives. The best place to start them out is on camping trips.

g

Barry Comeau (Dr. Comeau to strangers) is consulted by
grape growers and wine makers from all over the world.

He has blown away a lot of mistaken beliefs I had.

If he gets a wine that is too dry, he will not hesitate to add
a little sugar and stir it in. People who make fine wines
would not bat an eye at this. It's just people who want to
impress someone who would drink a wine that's a little
sweeter or a little dryer than they like it and say it's perfect
just because it comes with a big price tag.

While it is true that wines in some parts of some countries
are made according to rules that approach religious ceremony,
one of the best selling wines in the world is sold only in
California, and at a modest price. The grape growers do not
approve of the fact the maker buys whatever grapes happen
to be on sale. Tough. The price is so light the wine has been
nicknames "Two Buck Chuck." If I remember correctly it
is sold only at Traders Joe's, in California. The maker could
charge more, if he wanted to. He has made a lot of profit
off of "Two Buck Chuck," and is happy.

Barry has tasted wine from every country in the world, and
can talk sophisticated talk with the most respected tasters.
He laughed when I asked him once what he thought of one
of my favorites, Manachevitz Concord... and then he
responded, "It's one of my favorites, too."

I asked him why he laughed. He replied, "Because so many
people have acted shocked when I told them that."

Fermentation takes out some of the flavor, and hardly
anything is better than the taste of concord grape juice; so
what the Manchevits people do is kill the fermentation and
then add some grape juice for flavor.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy not?

Some of the modestly priced California wines today can hold
their own with the best of them.

Bottom line is this: pretense is for fakes. People who have
good taste (in more ways than one) let their own taste buds
be their guide... and not a price tag or a fancy name.

g





"Rusty Mase" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 14:59:35 GMT, "g" wrote:

Unless it's just a nostalgia thing, I would opt for a crock pot.

Would be more sanitary, for sure! I will invest in a pound of fresh
serranos and see what happens. Even a glass beaker would work.

The open crock (covered to keep dust out) does not work with
wine-making, unless one wants a wine vinegar.

My Dad must have been a brute-force vintner!. The crock was just
covered with a cloth to keep out bugs. He added enough sugar to
produce a high alcohol content. Even at that he often added Everclear
when he bottled it. So these were sweet, stout wines. I do not think
you could make a delicate wine out of muscadines, elderberries, and
other southern fruits. If you lived in the Northern US, hard apple
cider would have been the choice.

There are better technologies now for home wine making.

Some woods would put a bad flavor into the mix.

But that might have been part of the process. My Granddad made good
whisky during the Prohibition by buying moonshine and aging it in
charred wooden barrels he had made by the local cooper. These small
barrels - two gallons or so - were sized to be fastened to the back
runners of rocking chairs and the frequent rocking helped age the
whisky.

Rusty Mase
Austin, Texas

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 21:28:40 -0500, Cindy wrote:

I've never liked 'Bavarian' Sour Kraut. It is sweet. Same goes for
'Bavarian' buttermilk.

Yuk, I've never tasted SWEET sauerkraut!

I moved to Texas from Norway a few years ago. The Norwegian version of
sauerkraut "Surkaal" is sweet. I have to special order it since all I can
get around here is the traditional German kind which is too sour for my
taste. Now I have learnt there's a "Bavarian" kind that probably resembles
the Scandinavian one. Come to think of it, the same goes for pickles: I
only purchase the "Bread and Butter" type since that's the only kind we
use in Norway. My wife who is a Texan do not understand how I can put
sweet pickles on my burgers. Guess it's all about what you're used to...

--
//ceed

I like that too! But I prefer spare ribs, and use half sauerkraut and
half cabbage, and add a sliced-up apple. No mashed potatoes though.

Oh! And lots of onion! You can't leave out the onion....I think it would
be good with those big white radishes too.

Wow, what a concept, just add sugar!! LOL I'm going to try that with some
yukky wine we have that I bought because it came in a pretty blue bottle,
maybe I'll like it. But my favorite is Mogen David Concord Wine.

Cindy

"g" wrote in message
ink.net...
Barry Comeau (Dr. Comeau to strangers) is consulted by
grape growers and wine makers from all over the world.

He has blown away a lot of mistaken beliefs I had.

If he gets a wine that is too dry, he will not hesitate to add
a little sugar and stir it in. People who make fine wines
would not bat an eye at this. It's just people who want to
impress someone who would drink a wine that's a little
sweeter or a little dryer than they like it and say it's perfect
just because it comes with a big price tag.

snip

"Cindy" wrote in message
...


I like that too! But I prefer spare ribs, and use half sauerkraut and
half cabbage, and add a sliced-up apple. No mashed potatoes though.

Oh! And lots of onion! You can't leave out the onion....I think it would
be good with those big white radishes too.

RADISHES ? Are you pulling our leg?

I've made mixed greens out of all sorts of tops -- beet tops, spinach,
cabbage
(even the big non-head leaves), and a few radish tops. But only once have I
thrown in a few radishes (these were the small red and white kind). While
not
nasty, they were not very tasty, either.

While we are crazy about fresh, tender, home-grown mustard greens, and
RAW turnips, we don't care for cooked turnip green turnips. HOWEVER,
we like those raw. (If they are late in the season and are hot, we cut them
up
and soak them in cold water for a few minutes and it takes some of the
excess hot out.)

But -- hold on, now -- I DO put turnips in to cook with mustard greens...
RUDABAGA turnips. Deeeeeeelishious !

But, getting back to your comment above... ditto on the onions (especially
the
mild ones, such as Vidalias) but cooked white RADISHES?

Tell me you are not kidding, and I'll try it one more time before deciding
whether to avoid it for life.


g

Ceed,

Glad you like the sweet. Good for you. Everybody has a right to
like what tastes good to himself.

As to the small crunchy sweet pickles, I'm right there with you on
those. One day -- being out of dill pickle relish -- I made potato
salad for about twenty people using the sweet pickles and they
raved about it so much I've used the sweet ones ever since. But
the big, soft kind of bread and butter pickles don't do it for me.

Again, each has a right to like what suits him.

At Thanksgiving, if we have lots of guests, we put out lots of
'condiment' trays, with those little crunchy sweet pickles, ripe
olives, green olives, carrot sticks and celery sticks to give guests
something to nibble on that won't kill their appetite.

Chick laughs at me for being the only person who does not eat
any condiments nor any turkey, during the meal. (This is because
I sample the turkey as I slice it beforehand, and eat so many of the
condiments along with it, that all I want to eat when I set down is
vegetables.)

I've never tried out my Louisiana seafood gumbo on a Norwegian
before. (Mine's been described as a life-enhancing experience, by
quite a few people (no brag, just fact... (:))


g






"ceed"
ceed@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqr stuvwxyzabcdefghijk.com
wrote in message newsp.so9cwqj721xk10@bob...
On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 21:28:40 -0500, Cindy wrote:

I've never liked 'Bavarian' Sour Kraut. It is sweet. Same goes for
'Bavarian' buttermilk.

Yuk, I've never tasted SWEET sauerkraut!

I moved to Texas from Norway a few years ago. The Norwegian version of
sauerkraut "Surkaal" is sweet. I have to special order it since all I can
get around here is the traditional German kind which is too sour for my
taste. Now I have learnt there's a "Bavarian" kind that probably resembles
the Scandinavian one. Come to think of it, the same goes for pickles: I
only purchase the "Bread and Butter" type since that's the only kind we
use in Norway. My wife who is a Texan do not understand how I can put
sweet pickles on my burgers. Guess it's all about what you're used to...


--
//ceed

But, getting back to your comment above... ditto on the onions (especially
the
mild ones, such as Vidalias) but cooked white RADISHES?

Tell me you are not kidding, and I'll try it one more time before deciding
whether to avoid it for life.


g

Nope, not kidding at all. I've had a pork and radish soup at a Japanese
restaurant that was great, and a Filipino friend makes Sinagang (sp) Soup
with pork, sweet potato leaves and radishes, among other things, that is
WONDERFUL. The radishes get tender and have a light radishy taste, not
strong.

Cindy

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 11:19:01 -0500, g wrote:

I've never tried out my Louisiana seafood gumbo on a Norwegian
before. (Mine's been described as a life-enhancing experience, by
quite a few people (no brag, just fact... (:))

Sounds tempting. I am picky about seafood though being a Norwegian!



--
//ceed

"Cindy" wrote in message
...

Nope, not kidding at all. I've had a pork and radish soup at a Japanese
restaurant that was great, and a Filipino friend makes Sinagang (sp) Soup
with pork, sweet potato leaves and radishes, among other things, that is
WONDERFUL. The radishes get tender and have a light radishy taste, not
strong.

Cindy

Ooooooookay. You tell me a recipe and I'll try it.

If you are conning me, laughter will be heard around the world.


g

"Cindy" wrote in message
m...
Wow, what a concept, just add sugar!! LOL I'm going to try that with
some yukky wine we have that I bought because it came in a pretty blue
bottle, maybe I'll like it. But my favorite is Mogen David Concord Wine.


Cindy


DISCLAIMER: Just remember that a little sugar will make a dry wine less
dry. If there are other things about a wine that make it unpalatable, it
won't solve those.

g

"Cindy" wrote in message
m...
Wow, what a concept, just add sugar!! LOL I'm going to try that with
some yukky wine we have that I bought because it came in a pretty blue
bottle, maybe I'll like it. But my favorite is Mogen David Concord Wine.


Try this: Get a bottle of each (Mogen David Concord and Manechevitz
concord). Get some sharp cheddar cheese and cut into little cubes and make
a cup of hot tea (unsweetened and not too strong). Make sure both are at
room temperature.

Using a teaspoon pour a taste of one into it, sip it, hold it for a second,
swallow and wait a few seconds to let the boquet fade.

Eat a cube of cheese and wash it down with a swallow of tea.

Then do the same with the other.

Mogen David is very, sweet. Manechevits is sweet but not as sweet. For me
the bouquet is better.

If you still like the Mogen David best, fine.

If you change your mind about which is better, let me know.


g

g wrote:


Try this: Get a bottle of each (Mogen David Concord and Manechevitz
concord). Get some sharp cheddar cheese and cut into little cubes and make
a cup of hot tea (unsweetened and not too strong). Make sure both are at
room temperature.

Using a teaspoon pour a taste of one into it, sip it, hold it for a second,
swallow and wait a few seconds to let the boquet fade.

Eat a cube of cheese and wash it down with a swallow of tea.

Then do the same with the other.

Mogen David is very, sweet. Manechevits is sweet but not as sweet. For me
the bouquet is better.

If you still like the Mogen David best, fine.

If you change your mind about which is better, let me know.


g


Of the two, my favorite is the Mogen David Concord. But my favorite of
all is the Manichevits Blackberry wine.


Harold

Great ! I like the Manichevitz blackberry a lot, too. But of all the the
flavors in the
world, the flavor of concord grape juice is near the tip top. And its
antioxident
rating is lagniappe.

ALSO, please see my other entry today on this string. Great news !

g
"Harold Robbins" wrote in message
...


g wrote:


Try this: Get a bottle of each (Mogen David Concord and Manechevitz
concord). Get some sharp cheddar cheese and cut into little cubes and
make a cup of hot tea (unsweetened and not too strong). Make sure both
are at room temperature.

Using a teaspoon pour a taste of one into it, sip it, hold it for a
second, swallow and wait a few seconds to let the boquet fade.

Eat a cube of cheese and wash it down with a swallow of tea.

Then do the same with the other.

Mogen David is very, sweet. Manechevits is sweet but not as sweet. For
me the bouquet is better.

If you still like the Mogen David best, fine.

If you change your mind about which is better, let me know.


g

Of the two, my favorite is the Mogen David Concord. But my favorite of
all is the Manichevits Blackberry wine.


Harold