It’s likely that hundreds of years ago pioneers made sauerkraut for the sole propose of preserving cabbage for the long winter months, long after the late summer crop was gone.
Today, that traditional process of mixing curing salt, garlic, and freshly sliced cabbage in a nonmetallic container lives on in Goodrich.
Village resident Pete Morey (self proclaimed Kraut King) keeps the fine art of ‘kraut? production alive each August when about 20 friends and neighbors gather at his home for the annual event. About 1,200 pounds of cabbage was purchased from Knickerbocker Farms in Genesee Township which, after slicing, salting and curing produces about 1,100 pounds of sauerkraut.
Morey said he learned the craft from village resident Frank Springstean in 1957, and has continued the same salt to cabbage ratio for nearly 50 years.
When completed after about 21 days, the sauerkraut is shared with friends and canned.