—Undesirable color —Off odors —Soft texture
—Insufficient salt —Too high temperatures during fermentation —Uneven distribution of salt —Air pockets caused by improper packing
This is caused by growth of certain types of yeast on the surface of the kraut due to:
—Too much salt —Uneven distribution of salt —Kraut improperly covered or weighted during fermentation
—Unwashed and improperly trimmed cabbage —Insufficient juice to cover fermenting cabbage —Uneven distribution of salt —Exposure to air —Long storage period —High temperature during fermentation, processing and storage
_Making Pickles and Relishes at Home_, H&G Leaflet #92, on sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 45¢.
Grapes are the world’s leading fruit crop and the eighth most important food crop in the world, exceeded only by the principal cereals and starchy tubers. Though substantial quantities are used for fresh fruit, raisins, juice and preserves, most of the world’s annual production of about 60 million metric tons is used for dry (non-sweet) wine.
Wine is of great antiquity, as every Bible reader knows, and a traditional and important element in the daily fare of millions. Used in moderation, it is wholesome and nourishing, and gives zest to the simplest diet. It is a source of a broad range of essential minerals, some vitamins, and easily assimilated calories provided by its moderate alcoholic content.
In its beginnings, winemaking was as much a domestic art as breadmaking and cheesemaking. It still is, wherever grapes are grown in substantial quantity. Though much wine is now produced industrially, many of the world’s most famous wines are still made on what amounts to a family scale, the grapegrower being the winemaker as well.
Production of good dry table wine for family use is not difficult, provided certain essential rules are observed.
_The right grapes._ Quality of a wine depends first of all on the grapes it is made from. As is true of other fruits, there are hundreds of grape varieties. They fall in three main groups.
First, there are the classic _vinifera_ wine grapes of Europe. These also dominate the vineyards of California, with its essentially Mediterranean climate. But several centuries of trial have shown that they are not at home in most other parts of the United States.