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Do people in the South make Sauerkraut?

I live in what is known as a "Franconian Community", so, making Sauerkraut with summer cabbage is as normal as planting peas for luck on Good Friday.

Not much finer than a pork roast, sauerkraut, apples, and some caraway seeds.

No, but we will eat it...Geo

I remember my grandmother doing this in Germany in the 50's exactly as described above - with a 2-part wooden lid that fits inside the crock and a few rocks on top of it.
I had to go down to the cellar to pick up a bowl full whenever it was needed - hehe
good memories of my early youth!
Gunter
NRA Life 1974

I live in Tennessee which last account I had was considered South. My family & several neighbors around always made Sauerkraut. I do not know how widespread the practise was, can only speak of those with whom I am familiar.
most of the "Churn Dashers" I have seen were simple crossed boards on the bottom of the "Stick" These were normally lap jointed in the middle so the two boards were flush. Have seen a few which were a disc with holes in it. Have seen pictures of some a bit fancier but these were the most common. I have my Grandmothers old Cedar Churn, but the bottom is out of it.
In making butter the object was to Agitate the cream, not tamp it down.
As to Cypress I am only really familiar with the Knees. I would have considered this too light in weight for an efficient Maul. I am however not familiar with the wood from the tree itself. We don't have Cypress in my area.
When we made a maul as I recall we generally used Hickory.

That thing may be a cabbage crusher, but I can well imagine it on the gun deck of the U.S. Constitution in 1812. In fact I'd rather think of it that way!...Geo

The mating accessory to the masher is a Cutter.
It looks like a washboard with a blade across it half way down. Watch your fingers!

I love a venison neck stewed over Bavarian style sauerkraut. The acid dissolves the tallow.

Duck or Goose stuffed with Kraut does the same thing, it dissolves all the fat, so with goose it's especially tasty.

One thing I grew up on was pork with kraut. Always with homemade kraut from my Grandmother or Great Aunt. Just take Country Style pork ribs, stew'em in kraut until they fall off the bone, then make either drop or potato dumplings on top. Great Winter food.

"Do people in the South make Sauerkraut?"

For many many years there were only two counties in Alabama where you could get draft beer - Huntsville County (Tennessee Valley) and Baldwin County east of Mobile. Reason for those exceptions to Alabama law were the large number of German immigrants who settled there (Huntsville being the space center of course). So I expect sauerkraut was made there as well.

Do: Add a bit of brown sugar to your saur-kraut.

Don't: try to bring a 55gal barrel of it up the cellar steps with a tow strap and an unmanned lawn tractor.

Liverwort:

Do I detect a "voice of experience" story about 55 gallon barrels of sauerkraut, cellar steps and lawn tractors?