It was an absolutely gorgeous Fall weekend, and a great one for the Annual Brugnoli Krautfest Party! What a joy to be a part of the amazing festivities.
You may be thinking to yourself – “What the heck is a Krautfest?”
Our family has a long-running tradition of making homemade saurkraut, and our amazing Joyce and Rob know how to turn a “chore” into a party!
So about 40-50 family members and friends ranging in ages from 2 to 82 got together on Saturday with 600 pounds of cabbage and made a party out of making kraut!
Join me through a pictorial journey of the wonderful day.
It started with cutting…
then chopping and slicing and dicing…
Marty used his grandfather’s 100-year old cabbage cutter and embraced the heritage of using something today his grandfather used in exactly the same way all those years ago.
and new generations learned the tradition.
there were measurers and salters…
Then lots and lots of pounding and stomping and smooshing and smashing.
There was food galore!
One of my favorite treats of the day were these Reuben Pierogies! We sauteed potato and cheese pierogies in butter until browned, then layered with a slice of pastrami, swiss cheese, picked purple cabbage, and a small dollop of Thousand Island Dressing.
Warm soft pretzels were served with homemade mustard and cheese sauces.
We also had Parmesan Ranch Crusted Pierogies and Buffalo Hot Sauce Pierogies.
There was pumpkin painting,
There were games…
Zip-lining and Swinging
Friendship, Hugs, and Laughs
Delicious cocktails – my favorite was the Bourbon Apple Cider with Rosemary Sprig!
We ate halushki, halupkis, pork and saurkraut, kielbassi, german potato salad, cheese polenta with homemade sauce. Oh the delicousness!!
We sang!
The saurkraut is divided up evenly between all the crocks and buckets to send home with each family…
to wait – and taste test – and wait some more – remembering the special memories we created and looking forward to enjoying the fruits of our labor throughout the year.
It was a BOOtiful day! Thanks Joyce and Rob for your amazing hospitality. We love you dearly!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 
Wow! Looks like loads of fun!
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It sure was! I’m glad you could see it through my photos. Thanks for visiting Mon Ange!
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What a fabulous day for the krautfest! Your pictures are awesome! I’m so sorry Ro and I had to miss all the fun! Thanks for your great blog, Jodi!
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Glad you could visit and see, Diane. We missed you guys!
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My! That was a fun filled day you all had 🙂
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As “Oh Rob!” (our awesome host – my cousin) would say – “Who has more fun than us!?!!?? 🙂
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OK, this is just too much for me to handle. You do know I was born in Germany, right? And that sauerkraut is a favorite family dish? Everything about this appeals to me!! I love seeing those happy children and the perfect day you all had. The German Shepherd (perfect breed for the day!) looked adorable. AND THE FOOD!! OMG, those Reuben appetizers sound incredible!!!!! i’m raving because all of my German genes have woken up from reading this post and are in a swirl. I can’t wait to read a future post on how you prepare sauerkraut!!! Oh yes, the bourbon drink. Wow.
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It ranked up there with one of the best days ever, Barbara. Precious moments and forever memories. It was a BLAST!
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What a wonderful and fun party! Lots of memories being made!
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Sure was, PJ!!
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What a wonderful family tradition, Jodi! You made so much more than sauerkraut that day ~ you made warm, wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! It’s such a lovely way to pass along your family heritage to the youngest family members! Autumn blessings! ♡
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We sure did, Dawn! These are the moments that make life precious!
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Looks like delicious fun!
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So much deliciousness Ladyfi!
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Jodi I love your photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved having the day with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! love Ella
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I’m glad you love them, Ella! I got some good ones of you – right?! No school today? It was such a wonderful day. I loved being with you too! Love you mucher! xo
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Looks like a fab time for all, well done, hosts! These are days the kids will always treasure too. I sure did.
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Joyce and Rob are sure the most awesomest hosts ever, John. These are the kinds of days we remember as kids – eh? Those little ones ran around until well after dark. No tears, no fights – pure joy!
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And why do we have to grow up! I treasure the memories of family get togethers in the mid sixties and early seventies. Simply the best days…
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Oh Jodi, you have made my day with the dearest, most precious pictures that I will “review’ both physically and mentally for a long time to come. After a tough day, you brought tears and smiles to me—something I needed at the end of this mentally exhausting day. Your pictures are a reminder to all—-young and old—-what great fun we can have with a wonderful community spirit in mind—family, friends, young, old appreciating what life is about. Don’t the pictures tell it all?? Again, your post is precious and spirit reviving. I shed tears of sorrow earlier today now followed by tears of joy—-a good way to end my day. Your pictures caught the “zietgiest” of the day or translation—the spirit of the times so beautifully. Warmest of hugs from this gushy Italian guy.
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Oh Rob (writing as Joyce… even when you are being sentimental – you still have your Oh Rob moments 🙂 signing in as Joyce!) I’m glad these photos made you happy after a tough day being a paul bearer and celebrating the life of your dear lifelong friend. You and he shared many similar memories. And in an Oh Jodi moment, I must admit I had to look up the word, “zietgiest,” and find it a perfect term to express what I feel also. I love you my gushy Italian Oh Rob!!! xoxoxoxoxo
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You sure know how to have a good time! This looks like so much fun!
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We do love to have fun 🙂
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The pics are gorgeous–you truly captured the spirit of the day! Our whole family had a wonderful time, and I was glad to finally meet the family blogger. : )
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Oh Deadra – it was so great to meet and get to know you and your beautiful family too! Thanks for visiting the blog and your kind comments.
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What a fantastic tradition, and your photos are more than amazing! Everyone looks like they are having the time of their lives! Love, love, love this!!!!!
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It was truly an amazing day with amazing friends and family. And the saurkraut is AMAZING! Had our first batch on New Year’s Day with Pork – a good luck tradition. 🙂 Next time I will add dumplings 🙂 Thanks for checking it out Jeanne.
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