Like a lot of things, we were more inclined to make Sauerkraut once we figured out what to do with it. However, with neither of us familiar with cooking with it, it wasn’t until our friend passed along his German grandmother’s recipe did we begin to see the possibilities. Since then, we channel her every time we cook Sauerkraut with bacon, onion and apples. This is the recipe as given, however, to suit the times, we usually half the amount of bacon, and use a whole onion and apple. To serve with sausages, pan-roast them separately or, as we did here, cook them along with the Sauerkraut, and a side of baked beans.

German Grandmother’s Sauerkraut

1 pint Sauerkraut, drained
6 slices bacon, diced finely
1/2 onion, diced finely
1/2 apple diced finely

– Saute bacon until crisp. Add onion and apple, and continue cooking. Deglaze with 1 can [1 to 2 cups] water, and add Sauerkraut. Simmer 1/2 hour.

Local ingredients: Homemade sauerkraut; bacon from New Roots Farm; onion from Black Kettle Farm; apple from Nottingham Orchard; Beer Bratwurst from Patridge Farm; dried Money and Soldier beans from Baer’s Best.