For many Americans, eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s is as traditional as apple pie and hot dogs on the 4th of July. Pennsylvanians have long been at the forefront of those embracing this New Year’s feast, hoping to bring good luck and prosperity into the new year while paying tribute to the state’s Germanic and agricultural backgrounds. Read on to learn more about the origins of this tasty tradition and its continuing popularity as THE New Year’s Day meal and discover some of the farmers’ markets and other locations where you can find delicious and authentic, made-in-PA sauerkraut.
WHEN DO YOU EAT PORK AND SAUERKRAUT ON NEW YEARS?
On New Year’s Day when the clock strikes midnight, friends and families throughout Pennsylvania will gather to enjoy a traditional feast of pork and sauerkraut to ensure good luck and fortune in the year to come. But where did this delicious tradition come from and how did it arise?
WHY IS EATING PORK AND SAUERKRAUT ON NEW YEARS GOOD LUCK?
According to a number of food historians, the tradition can be traced back hundreds of years to Germany, and well before the first Germans arrived in the then “New World” in the early 1600s. So, why pork? Along with being readily available as many families raised pigs, by nature pigs are always looking for food and constantly “moving forward” in their search for food symbolizing moving forward in the New Year! To bring good luck (or “viel glück” in German), pork is the go-to food.
Sauerkraut is similarly associated with prosperity and good fortune. Harvested in late fall and soon after crafted into sauerkraut to provide a nutritious vegetable dish to be enjoyed in the winter months ahead, cabbage – the main ingredient in sauerkraut – is round in shape, similar to coins, and green, a sign of wealth. Consuming sauerkraut would therefore bring prosperity, or good fortune in the New Year.
And hence, the tradition began and lives on in families of Germanic and other eastern European descent. No worries if your cultural heritage lies elsewhere. This is one delicious tradition everyone is free to embrace!
WHAT IS SAUERKRAUT?
Sauerkraut is basically pickled cabbage. In its purest form, it’s made by simply shredding a head of cabbage, adding salt, bottling it, and then letting it ferment away. According to some recipes, you need to “massage” the cabbage and salt shreds, while others recommend stirring, and still others suggest pounding to maximize the amount of water drawn from the cabbage by the salt. Once bottled, let the magic of fermentation do the rest in about six weeks. Sauerkraut is rich in vitamins, however, to boost the nutritional value even higher and enhance the taste, some recipes include red beets, carrots, onions, garlic, and even a bit of raw ginger.
WHAT DOES SAUERKRAUT TASTE LIKE?
If you’ve never tasted sauerkraut, as a fermented food, it’s a bit tangy and on the acidic side, salty, some say “vinegary,” definitely not sweet, but delicious nonetheless!
FIND SAUERKRAUT IN PA
Find sauerkraut and many other delicious, fresh-from-the-farm veggies, meats, fruits, and dairy items, as well as freshly made baked goods, jarred and canned fruits and vegetables, and prepared meals at Pennsylvania’s farmers’ markets and locally owned grocery stores.
SAYLOR’S & CO.
Hellertown, Easton
You can find amazingly delicious, homemade sauerkraut crafted from locally grown cabbages at Saylor’s & Co. grocery store in Hellertown and at the Easton Public Market for your New Year’s feast! They also sell an artisanal line of specialty pork from humanely raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free, premium Duroc heritage hogs raised on locally, family-owned farms certified by the American Humane Association.
TEBBS FARMS & GREENHOUSES
Williamsport
You have to show up early to get in line for the delicious sauerkraut sold at Tebbs Farms & Greenhouses in Williamsport. Using a time-honored family sauerkraut recipe, tweaked a bit and perfected over the past 30 years, their sauerkraut is made from cabbages grown on the farm and fermented on site. Even avowed sauerkraut haters change their tune after just one taste! Get ready to stand in line in late December when their sauerkraut first becomes available for the upcoming New Year’s celebrations.
SCHMIDT'S SAUSAGE SHOP
Harrisburg, Hershey
You’ll find Schmidt's Sausage Shop’s barrel-aged sauerkraut at both its Harrisburg and Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square locations. This small shop has been providing southcentral PA with its delicious, handcrafted fresh and smoked meat products for more than six decades.
GREEN RIDGE ACRES
Harrisburg
Stop by Green Ridge Acres’ shop in Camp Hill to pick up some of their delectable, all-organic sauerkraut and other delicious and super-healthy offerings. Along with sauerkraut, they are fully stocked with kimchi in a variety of flavors, pork from pasture-raised pigs that get to bask in sunshine and fresh air, and dairy products including freshly made ice cream that comes in a variety of seasonal and standard flavors crafted with milk from GMO-free pastured cows!
THE FAMILY COW
Chambersburg
Dedicated to growing and producing chemical-free, “high-integrity,” soy-free foods that you can trust, The Family Cow in Chambersburg produces a line of finely crafted fermented foods. Their Lacto Fermented Sauerkraut is made from two ingredients: cabbage and Celtic sea salt with no added preservatives beyond Mother Nature’s fermentation. They also sell a variety of pork items from pigs that spend their lives in the great outdoors, roaming their woodlands and pastures.
THE PICKLED CHEF
Greensburg
The Pickled Chef offers a variety of all-natural preservative free hand-canned and hand-packed products including pestos and freshly fermented sauerkraut, classic bread and butter and dill pickles, and pickled vegetables, such as green beans, radishes, ramps, beets, squash, okra, and kohlrabi. A variety of condiments, conserves, jams, sauces, dressings, and kimchi-style items are available.
Check out even more delicious made-in-PA fermented products found at shops throughout our various regions along our Pickled: A Fermented Trail. Follow us on Facebook, X, Pinterest, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to stay up to date on even more great trip ideas and places to visit around the state. Don’t forget to never miss an update and sign up for our monthly PA travel e-newsletter.