Sauerkraut?

[J. Donaldson]

I've tried the search function, and I haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer to my question. Does anyone know if, during the period, saurkraut was packaged and shipped in anything smaller than a keg? I've seen many calls in local newspapers for donations of sauerkraut to sanitary commissions for shipment to the troops and hospitals, as well as sent in care packages to soldiers, but was it available in cans or smaller containers for purchase or shipment?

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Sauerkraut?

you're seeing what it was shipped in. What was it stored in?

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Sauerkraut?

Oh sauerkraut was around. Trooper EN Gilpen noted in The Last Campaign: A Cavalryman's Journal (p. 623) that: "The 3rd Iowa received from the Sanitary Commission a shipment of cabbage, potatoes and sauerkraut..."

The sauerkraut would out of necessity be packed and shipped in barrels or kegs, as distinct from items like potatoes and cabbage which would be transported in sacks or in bulk. One soldier remarked it was best to eat it before the weather got too hot. Other accounts mention the German soliders being issued sauerkraut and sausages for camp rations. My impression from the descriptions given was they were served these items right out of the barrel and onto their plate. These would be camp rations vs marching rations, obviously as there would be no way to carry sauerkraut loose in your haversack.

You raise an interesting question, though. How was it stored other than in kegs? How would civilians or hospitals have stored it? A clue is provided in the biography of HJ Heinz (p. 41), "...prior to the 1890s sauerkraut and pickles were stored in cellars in stone crocks and often sold by grocers." I know of no mention of sauerkraut being canned commercially during the Civil War-era.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Sauerkraut?

It is my understanding that on a personal/family production level, crocks and kegs are the most popular means of storage and transport. Craig, you last sentence sums things for me: I was looking for information or input about the availability of sauerkraut in commercial tin cans, but it appears that it is anachronistic, unless someone has evidence to the contrary.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Sauerkraut?

We tend to forget the extent to which foods followed the seasons 150 yrs ago, much more so than today. Sauerkraut (cabbage) would appear at first glance to be a good candidate for canning. Most pickled vegetables and acidic fruits lend themselves to canning in a boiling water bath alone. No need for pressure and hotter than boiling temperatures for sterilization. However, the receipts (recipes) from the mid-19th century I have seen for making sauerkraut do not require any boiling at all, the shredded cabbage is packed in a glass jar and covered with a brine made of sugar, salt and vinegar. The jars are sealed and in three weeks you have sauerkraut.

This is the most likely reason sauerkraut would not be found packed in tin cans. It could be more easily preserved in other ways. Dairy products, meats, etc did require the heat and pressure process to be safe for consumption. For example, milk was usually not trusted if it was more than 10 miles from the farm. Condensed milk was an early example of a canned food, and appeared in the rations as a primary ingredient in essence of coffee. Also hospitals etc, kept it on hand. Other than canned, the only other way to have milk in camp involved bringing a cow along with you.