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The 7th grade science class has been studying bacteria. Bacteria have various uses; both good and bad. Since I had planted turnips on our farm, I decided to use them. We could make sauerkraut or in this case turnip kraut. All the students could participate somehow. It was like an assembly line. We had some washing, peeling, cutting up and mashing it into 3 crocks.
We layered turnips with salt and tapped it down. The bacteria from the air reacted with the turnips in the process of fermentation. The bacteria breaks down the sugars in the turnips, releasing a smell (ethanol) and the lactic acid it produces makes the kraut. After a couple of weeks the brave could taste it. A few even took some home.