of finely cut cabbage, lightly salted, into the tub and pound down well, as before.  Continue in this manner until the tub is partly filled with cabbage, pounding down well at the last until the liquid formed by the cabbage and salt rises above the cabbage.  Cover the kraut with a layer of large, clean cabbage or grape leaves, then cover top with a clean piece of muslin cloth, place a round, clean board on top and put a well-scrubbed, heavy stone on the board to weight it down.  Stand the tub in a warm place several days, to ferment.  When fermentation begins, the liquor rises over the top of the board.  Remove the scrum which rises to top, in about six days, and stand in a cool part of the cellar after washing stone and cloth with cold water, return to top of kraut and in two weeks the sauer kraut will be ready to use.  Should the sauer kraut require extra liquid at any time, add one quart of water in which has been dissolved two teaspoonfuls of salt.  Squeeze the sauer kraut quite dry when taking it from the brine to cook.  Boil about two quarts of the sauer kraut several hours with a piece of fresh pork and a little water until the pork is thoroughly cooked through, when the sauer kraut should be cooked tender.

Some prefer “frankfurters” cooked with the kraut instead of pork, and others do not care for the German dish without the accompaniment of drop dumplings.  Serve mashed potatoes and simple dessert with sauer kraut.

Aunt Sarah taught Mary to save the hearts of the cabbage usually thrown aside when making sauer kraut.  The hearts were trimmed all one size, like small triangles.  She cooked them in salted water until tender, drained them and served with a cream dressing, and they had much the flavor of a dish of cauliflower.

Frau Schmidt always placed several tart apples among her sauer kraut when making it, and thought it improved the flavor of the kraut; gave it a “winey” flavor, obtained in no other manner.  A sour apple, cored and cooked with sauer kraut is considered by some cooks an improvement.  The apple, of course, is not eatable.  Aunt Sarah never placed apples with her sauer kraut.

DUMPLINGS TO SERVE WITH SAUER KRAUT

For these dumplings, 1 egg was broken into a bowl and well beaten.  Then a pinch of salt was added and 1/2 cup of sweet milk.  Enough flour was added to make a soft dough, and one tablespoonful of baking powder was sifted with a very little flour into the batter, then a little more flour was added to make the dough the right consistency.  Form the dough into small balls, handling as little as possible.  Drop on top of the hot cooked “sauer kraut” in cook-pot on range and boil, closely covered, about 20 minutes.

Aunt Sarah taught Mary to cook green vegetables, peas, spinach, etc., in a stew-pan uncovered, if she wished them to retain their natural color.  Also, that old potatoes may be freshened by being allowed to stand a short time in cold water before being cooked, but they should not stand too long a time in cold water, as it draws the starch from them and causes them to be tasteless, and to lose part of their nourishing qualities.