Sauerkraut

Black Hills Milk is hosting a class in fermentation this month in both their Rapid City and Spearfish locations. The class will teach sauerkraut making, practical and health benefits of all fermentation, as well as touch on water kefir and milk kefir. In Rapid City, the class will be held at their new location, the Heritage Nursery Building, 3500 West Chicago on February 11 at 2:00. In Spearfish, the class will be February 25 at 2:00 at the Red Barn Farmer’s Market. You may register in person at either location or by email at vistolz@rushmore.com. The class cost is $15.

Recently, my cousin who runs a black Angus beef operation slaughtered a young cow with a lame leg.  Not needing the beef for his own family, he offered it to my dad and uncle who jumped on the opportunity to can some beef. I am talking A LOT of beef here – 52 quarts and 14 pints to be exact. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do such a thing. I mean, for what other reason do we have chest freezers?! Besides, the final product isn’t especially appealing to the eye.

They explained to me that canned meat has a flavor all of its own. During the ninety minutes spent in a pressure canner, the meat becomes incredibly tender and the liquid becomes a rich gravy. I tried some and I had to admit it actually tastes quite good. Furthermore, a simple meal of canned meat and boiled potatoes or noodles can be prepared quickly whereas a beef roast must first be thawed, then cooked for hours. Best of all, it can keep for a long time in a cool dark place.

My uncle said that slaughtering, butchering and processing beef with one’s own hands is a very intimate, almost spiritual, relationship with an animal. Nothing is taken for granted when a life is sacrificed. Having butchered chickens that I raised from chicks, I completely agree.

I was also told that canned beef has a special place in ranch culture. It’s a way of remembering times past and old ways of doing things. Because most ranches did not have electricity until sometime in the 1940’s, ranch wives in western SD canned beef each and every fall.  My grandmother would can a quarter of a two-year old steer and send the remainder to frozen storage at a meat locker (Baldwin’s?) that was located behind the present-day Baken Park shopping center. The canned beef was so good that another uncle swears he married my aunt just so he could eat my grandma’s canned beef!

When the ranch finally got electricity in 1942, my grandparents still were unable to store much frozen meat at home because the refrigerator icebox was extremely small. Once a week, they would drive to Rapid City to sell their fresh cream and eggs which in turn paid the weekly grocery tab. My grandparents would stop by the locker and take home as much meat as they could stuff into the little freezer compartment. Otherwise, it was canned beef for dinner.

Now that I’ve tasted canned beef, I find my mind racing with possibilities. Should I can some of the venison next fall? How about those old laying hens? In theory, what I really like most about the idea of canning one form of protein or another is knowing that I would be carrying on a forgotten tradition. It would make my grandmother proud!

Fermentation, the chemical process where sugar is converted into an acid or alcohol, has been used for thousands of years in many cultures. Before refrigeration, storage of fresh perishable food was difficult. Fermentation allowed for the preservation of food for longer periods of time. Think of the poor goat herder who reaped more milk than he could consume in one day. Rather than waste the precious milk, he found a way to convert the milk into yogurt. Unfortunately, fermented foods have lost steam in modern-day American culture possibly due to our germ phobia and reliance on supermarkets.

Fermented foods are “alive” with microorganisms that make foods easier to digest and promote digestive tract health. They also are nutrient-rich and can act as antioxidants. When you ingest these live foods, you are doing your body a huge favor. On the other hand, most of the fermented products purchased in the supermarket have been heat-processed thereby killing these helpful microorganisms.

This book written by Sandor Ellix Katz is a simplified and relaxed approach to the world of fermentation. For the adventurous person looking to try his hand at fermenting, this book covers so much more than just sauerkraut and kimchi – think all sorts of dairy products, breads and even alcoholic beverages. It’s a surprisingly slim book given the amount of information contained within.

Mr. Sandor makes several references in the book to the commune where he lives. While not all will agree with his lifestyle, I believe that the quest for REAL food can be a common ground for people with differing lifestyles, politics and religions. The following quote from the book best sums this up:

“Resistance is everywhere at the margins. This is where the people who manage to avoid succumbing to mainstream cultural currents come together. In the margins, we create and support diverse alternative cultures that express our needs and desires…What to eat is a choice that we make several times a day, if we are lucky. The cumulative choices we make about food have profound implications.”

Brussels Sprouts

In early July, when both the farmers market and my garden began really producing, I decided to see how long our family could go eating only locally produced vegetables.  I was surprised at how easy it was this summer.  We were still harvesting kale and chard in the garden up until that snowstorm just before Thanksgiving.  We stocked up on sweet potatoes and other vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner before the farmers market closed for the season.  (Thanks to Muddy Pumpkin Farms for telling me to store my sweet potatoes on the counter.  Before, mine were always molding in the refrigerator.)  I don’t think we will last year round, but it is a fun experiment, and I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  We have made two exceptions so far: salsa (we eat far more than I could possibly can myself and stay cheerful) and brussels sprouts.  This is the story of the brussels sprouts. 

On the last day of the farmers market this fall, DC Gardens had a basket full of two foot tall sticks loaded with brussels sprouts.  None of us had ever eaten them before so we purchased one to try.  My children had no prior knowledge of brussels sprouts; no idea that they might be a yucky vegetable.  They thought this new staff full of food was fabulous.  It soon became a walking stick and later a light saber.  There were arguments over who got to carry it.  On the drive home, they asked if I would cook it as soon as we got home.  They couldn’t wait! 

Recently while grocery shopping, my children pointed out the brussels sprouts for sale in the produce aisle.  They were so excited after that first experience and asked if we could get a bunch.  Personal challenge aside, I had a hard time imagining a situation where “No” could possibly be the correct answer to small children asking for vegetables.  We bought the brussels sprouts. I am so thankful to the farmers market for all the help I get there with helping my children to eat and even enjoy vegetables. 

So we have eaten brussels sprouts twice now, and the kids were so excited for them both times.  I admit that they have not asked for seconds.  I think they aren’t actually very excited about the taste, though I wouldn’t dare ask them.  They are convinced that brussels sprouts are amazing and fun.  Who am I to question it?  You can be sure that brussels sprouts will be the newest, coolest plant in our garden next summer.

John Gomez, who lives in the Black Hills, sent us this article:

Here in the Hills, our deer season is basically the month of November. For me, I really don’t start thinking about hunting until Thanksgiving rolls around. The four day weekend is a perfect time to spend some real quality time in the woods. I went out once during the week and then again Thanksgiving morning. I had no success but I was okay with that, you really don’t want to take a deer without properly spending some good hours walking the woods and earning it. But now it was Friday, and I needed to fill my tag.  Besides, I wanted to make some deer jerky over the weekend. This time I brought along a friend and, midway through the morning, we were driving back with a nice three year old doe.

My friend helped me process the deer.  Right there in my garage, I pondered how this deer was probably born and lived within 50 miles of my house. It is a product of the Black Hills and it is a source of lean healthy food. Being aware of the importance of local foods, I’m glad that this deer was grown and would be consumed locally.

For the jerky,  I sliced the meat in three inch long strips about ¼” wide. I processed about ten pounds for jerky and another ten pounds I set aside for deer sausage. I also kept the tenderloins to use as steaks.

For thousands of years people have been drying meats. Now was my time to partake in this food tradition. Venison, being that it is a lean meat, is a good choice for jerky. I had dabbled with it in the past and everyone in my family seemed to enjoy it. This year I was going to home in on the best recipes and techniques for producing tasty jerky.

Jerky – Four Ways

I decided to try the jerky in two flavors, a salt-based dry cure (High Mountain Mesquite  Jerky Cure – Cabela’s $6.99)  and a Worcestershire and soy sauce-based wet marinade. I was curious to see how each would perform in taste and texture. Furthermore, I tried each of the two recipes on two drying methods – a dehydrator and a smoker. With that, my experiment was set. I spent Saturday and Sunday prepping and drying. The recipes are easy and even though it takes all weekend for a finished food, the process is surprisingly simple.

The results? I loved the taste of the Worcestershire marinade as cooked in the smoker. However, I decided to be a bit more scientific about it and proceeded to conduct a blind taste test with a few of my neighbors and family. The results were a little surprising. It seems that the dehydrated mesquite dry cure jerky was more liked than the Worcestershire flavor. However, the latter flavor was preferred when dried by the smoker. It seems that the wet marinade produced a very tasty glaze flavor on the smoker that could not be achieved in the dehydrator.

Next year I’ll try it again. For now, we’ll have a snack to carry us through the end of the year. I find that when it comes to jerky it is very much like potato chips, once you eat one you really can’t stop. As I write this, I’m chewing on a piece. How do you know when to stop eating? I guess your jaw will let you know!