It was forty some odd years ago when I first tried to make sauerkraut.  I mean, how difficult could it be?  I'd watched one of my old aunts make some.  But my first efforts were an abysmal failure.  Next I borrowed a crock.  That's what my old aunt had used.  She was from the German sector of Switzerland and knew all the recipes from the old country.  Our old aunts were really our mother's aunts.  We knew them all, Sophy, Lizzy, Anna, Emma, and I forgot the fifth one.  It was fun going to their houses.  It was like stepping back in time.

I quickly learned that using a crock was not the solution to making perfect sauerkraut.  And so I abandoned all hope of becoming the Sauerkraut Queen.

The years rolled by and then last year I met an older woman who was talking about a new recipe for sauerkraut that  didn't require soaking in brine for weeks on end.  It was made in a jar.  Very simple.  Sounded like something I could do.  So I came back to Cameroon and tried it out.  It worked perfectly!  I was amazed and delighted.  We are just finishing our first batch, so today I made some more.  One good size head of cabbage makes seven quarts of sauerkraut.  I let it soak in salt water in the canning jar for a week and then seal and can the jars.  We've added sauerkraut to our menu and it is a real hit out here in Cameroon.