Here in Central Pennsylvania for some people it's a tradition to begin the new year with a meal of roast pork and sauerkraut for luck and prosperity. We enjoyed roast pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and a freshly made loaf of bread.
When I was growing up, my father was quite the gardener and homesteader. We lived in the middle of a small town so we weren't really in a rural setting but my Dad made use of the space around our home to grow a huge garden. The produce from the garden feed our family of eight (six kids and my Mom and Dad) picked fresh over the summer months and canned or frozen over the winter months. Every fall, my Dad purchased a large quantity of cabbage (don't really know why we didn't grow our own) and my Dad supervised the making of a large crock of sauerkraut. Dad shredded the cabbage on a big wooden shredder and we kids took turns "stomping" the cabbage with a wooden "stomper" as it was put in the crock and salted. I loved sneaking tastes of the salted cabbage when it was my turn to stomp. My Dad saw to the placing of a large glass plate on top of the cabbage which was then topped with a big stone for added weight and pressure. The entire crock was covered in cloth and set in a corner of the dining room to ferment. Every so often, my Dad would uncover the crock, remove the stone and plate, clean everything and replace it all to continue the fermentation process. It smelled, especially when the cloth was removed and the plate and stone cleaned, but I guess after awhile we became used to the smell because I don't remember being especially bothered by it. Either the day before, or on New Year's Day, the first batch of sauerkraut was removed from the crock and enjoyed with roast pork on New Year's Day. My Mom would then can the remaining sauerkraut for use throughout the rest of the winter. Unfortunately, none of us ever took the time to learn the process before my Dad passed away so it has become a lost art in the family. I do have one or two of the large crocks that we used to make the sauerkraut in but I have no idea where the big shredder got to after all these years. Boy that was a trip down memory lane!
Yesterday there were four doe at the side of the house foraging and wandering around for quite a while. Today when I went down to the puddle to get my first of the month picture all four ran through the woods and made their way to the other side of the house. We pulled the card from the camera outside but so far we've failed to snap a picture of that big beautiful buck we saw during hunting season. I only hope he made it.
It's been cold here today and very breezy. Finally feels a little bit like winter is here. I wore my ear cover and gloves today when R, R and I took our walk earlier today. Not much else happening here right now.
Peace, personally and worldwide, and happiness is my wish for all in this new year. For OnlyDaughter and OnlySonInLaw I ask for an additional wish of no more bumps in the road.
Until next time may the sun shine wherever you are.
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