Project Sauerkraut, 2015
Mirage Gallery, The Ohio State University
I am interested in food and its history. How the food we eat has changed from one generation to the next. I recently compiled a collection of old family recipes that led to the larger collection of recipes from all over the world. I documented the project at deargrandma.wordpress.com. My interested in food and its connection to all humans as a life source led me to fermented foods. Based on my own cultural heritage one in particular caught my attention: sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is made with cabbage through a process of pickling (lacto-fermentation) that preserves the kraut for several months without refrigeration. Fermented foods used to be very important for the winter food supply. With the advent of technology we have lost the value in fermented foods. This project was aimed to increase awareness of this food of our past.
Project Sauerkraut was held on the Oval at The Ohio State University, it was free and open to the public. Participants were taught how to make sauerkraut: slice cabbage, combine cabbage with the salt until it is watery and limp, pack the cabbage in the storage jar, weigh the cabbage down until it is submerged, and cover the jar. Through this process participants were able to makes their own jar of sauerkraut and bring it home to finish the fermentation process.
Project Sauerkraut was held on the Oval at The Ohio State University, it was free and open to the public. Participants were taught how to make sauerkraut: slice cabbage, combine cabbage with the salt until it is watery and limp, pack the cabbage in the storage jar, weigh the cabbage down until it is submerged, and cover the jar. Through this process participants were able to makes their own jar of sauerkraut and bring it home to finish the fermentation process.
