A Killer in the Rye

by Delia Rosen

  2. The cabbage should become limp like Epstein the Tailor’s shirt collars in August. You should have lots of cabbage juice. Put the whole schmear into a sauerkraut crock. Smoosh the salted cabbage into the crock good and tight as you can, and make sure there are no bubbles, until it is drowning in the liquid. Cover it up, but not too tight—the cabbage needs air to ferment properly—and then let it sit and mind its own business at room temperature for at least a week. You can even let it sit for a month almost. Try some sauerkraut every few days, until it makes you happy. And if you’re like most of my friends, you’re never happy. Then put it someplace where it’s cold. You do that, and it will keep for six months. Of course, the idea is to nosh on it, so why would you keep it for six months?

  3. Follow my instructions, and you’ll have a nice two quarts.

  A warning: When you serve the sauerkraut in your apartment to more than three people, like for a dinner or a lunch, open all the windows as wide as you can one hour after eating. Sauerkraut is delicious, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving, if you know what I mean.

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  Copyright © 2012 by Jeff Rovin

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  ISBN: 978-0-7582-7976-7