Growing Together: A Journey Through Gardening, Sauerkraut, and Woodworking

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Growing Together: A Journey Through Gardening and Sauerkraut

Nestled in our small community is an old cattle rancher whose reputation for cultivating the finest garden in the valley precedes him. This neighbor, with a heart as generous as his gardening skills, opened the door for us to embark on a journey we never expected: a chance to learn the art of gardening.

One crisp morning, he offered us the opportunity to plow any size garden we liked on his land. With three expansive plots, each measuring 60×100 feet, we ambitiously decided to start with that size, despite it being far too big for our first garden. With the rumble of his powerful tractor, he transformed our overgrown patch into fertile ground, ready for seeds and dreams. As he expertly plowed the earth, I felt a sense of excitement mixed with a hint of intimidation. I had always admired the beauty of gardens but had never imagined I’d be tending to one myself.

After providing us with some essential lessons, our neighbor took a mostly hands-off approach. He taught us how to lay perfectly straight rows and how to dig down with a hoe for the seeds. He showed us how to run a tiller without getting it stuck in the field, advised us on which fertilizer to get, how to apply it, and when. For an entire year, he patiently watched over our crops, encouraging us to weed diligently and dropping hints about when harvest time might be approaching.

My favorite lesson was his recipe for fried green tomatoes, something I had only heard about but never tried. They were incredibly amazing and allowed us to make use of the abundance of heirloom tomatoes we had due to his guidance and our overzealous preparation. The cabbages are where this story is headed.

Sauerkraut had always been a staple in my household, but it wasn’t until this project that I truly entered the old world of sauerkraut, discovering its roots and the time-honored traditions behind it. I had never fully appreciated the craft involved until our neighbor invited us to learn.

One Saturday morning, we arrived early to find a table laid out with an array of enticing breakfast treats like donuts, muffins, cold cuts, and cheese, alongside fresh bread for sandwiches. The spread looked incredible and set a welcoming tone for the day. Our neighbor sat us down, brought over a medium-sized old crock, and told us to start slicing our cabbage. We apologized for not offering a large mandoline-style slicer that went over his entire crock and shredded the cabbage perfectly with triple tilted razors. Instead, we went at our cabbage with knives, managing to chop it all up.

As we added pickling salt and tasted the brine that the cabbage made as the salt pulled out the liquid, we mashed the cabbage with an old piece of lumber. It was quite the workout and a valuable learning process. We used rocks and old sackcloth to hold the cabbage underneath the liquid for fermentation in the weeks to come. His batch turned out great, as always, while mine went bad—a fact he still brings up to this day, unsure of why it happened. I laughed it off, appreciating the learning experience and promising myself we would give it another try in the future. He generously shared a few jars of his sauerkraut so we could taste the fruits of his labor, as did other neighbors once they heard about my cabbage fiasco.

As time passed, a year went by where we couldn’t raise a garden, and life got in the way. We traveled to visit my wife’s family and hadn’t talked to our awesome neighbor in a while. One day, out of the blue, he showed up with a request: he asked us to help fabricate matching boxes for two sauerkraut razor mandolins he picked up at a yard sale. He was overly excited, explaining how he thought of us instantly for the boxes. He had faith we’d do a good job making new ones that fit the slides and worked perfectly. All the slides were by the same manufacturer, and had the same dimensions. It was a matter of perfecting the design and ensuring the box had a smooth fit to the guide groove.

We had him bring over his cabbage slicer—the entire thing. He brought along the old box, which was made out of beautiful hardwood with very small finger joints. He asked us to create the new ones from food-safe wood. He was concerned that it would alter the taste of the cabbage when in contact with it. Whiskey barrels flavor liquid over time as a goal. It didn’t seem too far fetched so we did a bit of research into food-safe woods.

After careful consideration, we decided to use cedar for the wood. The craftsmanship involved in creating the new boxes was incredibly rewarding. We learned a lot about our machinery and how it interacts with thicker pieces of material that we rarely use. We engraved his last name on one side, a beautiful monogram. The other side included a lithograph-style picture of a head of cabbage. The final result was nothing short of stunning. The new box is beautiful and matches the old slide rail perfectly. He now has all three of his sauerkraut boards functional for next year when he does his canning.

Through this project, I had the chance to immerse myself in the entire process—from growing the cabbage to making the sauerkraut and finally helping to craft a part of the machine that creates the perfect shred. To achieve this, we used wood we had never worked with before, in a thickness that was beyond our comfort level given our experience and equipment. Despite the challenges we faced, we persevered, and the result was a beautiful new addition to our woodworking repertoire. We strive to never let a daunting project scare us away; instead, we use it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

This journey has taught me the value of community and the importance of sharing knowledge. Our neighbor’s willingness to pass down his traditions has not only enriched our lives but also strengthened the bonds within our neighborhood. It’s a reminder that gardening and food preservation are not just tasks; they are experiences that weave us into the fabric of our community.