Potatoes and Sauerkraut, Sausage and Coleslaw Dinner

[Tommy T.]

33 minutes ago, Mike J said:

I worked for a company called Steinfeld during the summer while attending college.  They made sauerkraut and pickles.  Both were made/cured in giant open top vats, about 20,000 gallons.  The original vats were made of redwood and they were in the process of transitioning to fiberglass as old vats were replaced.  Great place to work while going to school.  The harvest would come in for cucumbers, 100 ton plus per day, and I worked 10-12 hours six days a week, then 8 hours on Sunday.  Made enough money to pay for my school, so no tuition debt like US grads are seeing today.  As a bonus, I had six pack abs at the end of each summer. 

I know, I know, totally off topic of sauerkraut... but, Mike, you started it!

I did something similar. I worked summers during college at a charcoal distribution warehouse in Chicago. I totaled it up a few days and figured out that I was throwing about 10,000 pounds of charcoal - mostly 20# bags - every day, but only 5 days per week. It was dirty, nasty work, and paid maybe $2.65/hour back in the day. 8am to sometimes 10pm in blistering heat during the hot summers. But it paid for me some college and the chance to study overseas in Germany too. I also developed taught abs. But coughing and blowing my nose from all that charcoal wasn't healthy.