Steins of beer, colourful lederhosen and dirndles, and folk music can only mean one thing…Oktoberfest is here! While I may not be in Germany to partake in these celebrations, I am celebrating at home with my recipe for German Sauerkraut!
My German Sauerkraut (with an obligatory side of mustard) styled with flowers from Il Fioraio Florist, linen dinner napkin from Kaiko Design , and squash from Kins Farm Market!
Contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest is not held during the month of October, rather in September. The festival is held annually in Munich and is 16 days long. I can’t even imagine how much beer can be consumed in 16 days LOL! With all that beer comes good food, entertainment, dancing and singing- sounds like a crazy party!
If you are lucky enough to visit Munich during this fall harvest celebration, good for you! But if not, you can always celebrate at home with a few tasty German dishes and lots of beer (responsibly of course!). All in all, this recipe for German Sauerkraut HAS to be part of your celebrations. This recipe is simple and is made with pickled cabbage, a slew of pork products (lots of bacon, and not one but TWO types of sausage), and flavourful onions, sweet apples and apple cider. The trick is to fry the ingredients in stages, slowly building up the flavour in the pot, and to let the sauerkraut simmer long enough to have the flavours come together.
Thick slices of local bacon, sausage, apple and onion. With Polish-imported sauerkraut!
Of course, the better the quality of ingredients you use in this recipe, the better tasting the sauerkraut. I used local bacon and sausages from Edmonds European Deli (no website-ah!) in this recipe along with local apples and apple cider from Taves Family Farms in Abbotsford, BC- all of which taste delicious on their own! I highly recommend using local ingredients where possible in this and all my recipes. Not only do they taste spectacular, you can support local farmers and artisans.
Try out this recipe for German Sauerkraut for Oktoberfest or at any point during the fall season. For the full recipe, click here!
And for another great German recipe, check out my Oktoberfest Pork Schnitzel!
Prost and enjoy!
