West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-11-09
Price 8 Cents
SAUER KRAUT.

1t has only been within the past
twenty years that sauer kraut has
become an article of commerce. For
some time previous it was sold in Il
small way by shopkeepers, who would
put up barre. or tive yearly for
sale to their customers. Forty years
ago it could not even be. obtained in
that way, as twas only the farmers
possessing large gardens who put
The kraut for their own use, and to
comply with the occasional request
of neighbor for a 'mess." But
gradually, as its excellent qualities
as food came to be appreciated, its
manufacture and sale increased, and
at the present time there are very
few families in this section of Penn.
sylvania that do not have dish OF
sauer kraut occasionally. Its use in
beer saloons as lunch has also
come to be regular thing. This
increase has stimulated its manufac-
ture, not only in this city, but all
over this country. AS hundreds of
families hereabout put up their own
kraut no estimate can be made OF
the quantity eaten: but by those
regularly manufacturing it for sale
in Philadelphia it is estimated that
100000 quarts will cover the guam
tity yearly.
The following points about cab
bage and its manufacture into sauer
krant were obtained from an estab-
lishment on Bond street, which it is
claimed, is one of the largest of its
kind in the city, and the only one
where steam operates the cutters.
The cabbage, the manufactures
states, is procured chiefly from New
Jersey, but he also gets it from Mon
treal. Canada, Rhode Island, and
Massachusetts. From these latter
points it is shipped in cattle cars,
the open slat work allowing a free
circulation of air through the cab
bage. The late crop of cabbage in
this latitude is, he says, short fully
one-half this season, in consequence
of summer drought He is paying
for ca Jbagc from four to ten dollars
hundred, considerable advance
over that paid last year, and which
will advance the price ofkraut about
three dollars barrel over last
year.
Cleanliness appears to be invari-
bly, observed in the manufacture OF
sauer kraut. AS fast as the cab
bage is received, the outer and soiled
leaves are removed. and the core
bored out. The heads are then fed
to the steam cutter, which works up
5000 heads in ten hours, and the
coarsely and uniformly shredded
cabbage is dropped into box be-
meath. 1t is then transferred to
barrel with fork, and salted. The
only time at which it is touched by
hand is when the salt is incorporat'
ed. After this process is completed
il is transferred To casks and slight
ly packed down, and when they are
filed. the cask heads are laid loose
" on the top under weight of
stones. These casks are placed in
cool vaults to ferment, the result OF
the fermentation being carefully re.
moved once a week, and the heads
of the casks washed. At the end Of
seven weeks, at this time Of the year,
and much shorter time in summer,
the kraut is considered cured, and it
is packed in barrels Of thirty to forty
gallons capacity, and shipped to
dealers in the city, all parts Of the
State. to New York, and as far
South as Florida.
German sauer kraut continues 10
be imported, and considered a better
article than the American make, on
account of the finer quality Of the
cabbage. 1t usually sells at high
er price. and is easily distinguished
by it's longer shreds, and in some
cases by the admixturc Of fcnnel and
other aromatic seeds.-Philadetphio
Ledger.