Overheard in the Kitchen: Simon Explains Water Kefir

Simon posing for me with his grape-flavored water kefir.

If you are the major proponent of change in your home (read: troublemaker) and are looking for a way to drag the rest of your household along with you, it makes sense to help them get there the same way you did. Help them try small steps. Watch the steps work. Watch your family members learn to love it. --Dasiy Siskin in Little House in the Suburbs

Quart Jar Kraut

20+ Ways To Eat Your Kraut

20 + Ways to Eat Your Kraut (every day of the year)

Click Here for A Step-by-step Kraut Tutorial!

*Note: Some of the ideas below require cooking the kraut, and some do not. The good bacteria that is living in your kraut will die if it's heated over 110 F, so while I recommend eating kraut whenever you can, also try to eat plenty of kraut cold, or barely warmed.

Kraut Salsa! I'm so glad my friend Tess from Homestead Lady taught me this!
YUM!

1. Number ONE way to get daily kraut--Straight out of the jar. Use a clean fork and grab a bite whenever you want.

2. "We do Reuben Sandwiches or Reuben Burgers with Kraut! Delicious! Also, my grandma used to fry it with potatoes for breakfast." -Charley from Cooke's Frontier

3. "We eat it almost every day for breakfast. We usually have scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and kraut--either from cabbage, or for a treat, beets. It took some getting used to, but now we really enjoy the super healthy start to the day!" -Christine from Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers

4. "We just had pulled BBQ pork from wild boar we harvested this fall; kraut on top as a sandwich for New Year's was surprisingly great!" -Kate from Backwoods Homestead

5. "On top of baked potatoes!!!" -Angi from A Return to Simplicity

6. "Crockpot Sauerkraut and Kielbasa!" (clickable recipe here)  -Kelly from Simple Life Mom (also, here's her method for making kraut)

in sushi...what??? Yeah!

7. "Reubens, for sure! I also like to cut up smoked sausage and onions and mix them with kraut in a frying pan to warm them all up together." -Patrick from Survival at Home (here's his method for making kraut...and in his post he mentions loving kraut on hot dogs, too!)

8. "With pierogis and kielbasa!" -Megan from Linn Acres Farm

9. "Reubens are our favorite. I also like it with sliced beef link sausage." -Erica from Mom Prepares (here she describes her journey into making kraut and other ferments!)

*You may have noticed Reuben sandwiches are a common theme.

If you are mostly vegetarian like me, give this recipe for Vegetarian Reubens a shot. :)

10. "In the crockpot with kielbasa and sauteed onions, served with mustard, or in pierogies." -Alecia from Chicken Scratch NY

11. "We eat it like salsa on those organic chips from Costco." ( I find this idea GENIUS!)  -Tessa from Homestead Lady

12. "We eat in on the side with nearly all meals. Around 1 to 2 T--aids in digestion and ups the good microbes in the gut. I will even have it at breakfast but my hubs turns up his nose at breakfast! I make a 9 x 13 casserole with mashed potatoes, sausage and kraut with extra seasoning of salt/pepper and butter. Bake and serve." -Pamela from Cedar Hill Chronicles (check out her incredible recipe for a spicy Latin American kraut called cortido here!)

13. "We like it with smoked sausage & mashed potatoes...or pork ribs...crock pot all day long. Yummm." -Jo and Eddie Rellime from Homestead Chronicles  


14. "Hubby likes to eat it as a side dish with a nice pork roast." -Mindie from (mis) Adventures of a Born Again Farmgirl

15. "I love to make a plate of sliced, fried sausage, a big heaping pile of kraut (sauer, not that sweet junk), some slices of sharp cheddar, and some pretzel bread. Just all laid out on a plate like a ploughman's supper. Mmm...."  -Brandon from Lonestar Farmstead

16. On Oatmeal. I am dead serious...it's so good! 1/4 c. rolled oats, 3/4 c. water, 1/2 apple, chopped. Cook for 3-5 minutes in microwave (or however you cook your oatmeal). Top with cinnamon, a few tablespoons of kraut, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Sometimes I can't even discern the kraut, other times I get a nice little occasional zap of sweet-sour yumminess!

Perfect on top of apple-cinnamon oatmeal. True story. Crazy, I know!

17. Add it to coleslaw.

18. Add it on top of a big old yummy salad.

19. Use it as a sushi filling (we love making homemade sushi a couple times a year--no raw fish, only veggies! Recipe coming soon to the blog).

20. Pancakes! Either add a little to your batter, or a put a dab on top with your syrup. Don't knock it til you try it!

21. On pizza. You can even make a special batch of kraut with added jalapenos, garlic, and fresh thyme and oregano if you have them. A perfect kraut to top pizza!

22. On tacos. Again, make a special batch just for your taco nights; this time add some crushed cumin seed to the kraut when you make it.

23. Quesadillas: equal parts kraut, shredded or finely sliced apple, and sharp cheddar cheese, melted between two tortillas. YUM!

There you go...PLENTY of kraut-eating ideas. Take some notes on what things sound the most amazing to you. Get started with your kraut--it's as simple as picking up a cabbage the next time you go to the grocery (or, if you still have cabbage from your own garden, then bonus for you!).