Don't be afraid to try this recipe! ;-) I was looking for some sauerkraut soup and decided to try this one although it sounded so strange. Also I am a Czech, so I was intrigued that it was a Slovak recipe. Thanks so much to the poster for sharing it with us! It is absolutely amazing! I love both sauerkraut soups, potato soups and mushroom soups. This soup combines two of them. I think next time I will try to add some potatoes - boiled separately ;-). I used a real wild mushroom mixture - picked by my mom and dried by her. But I think I will be fine using a mixture of dried wild mushrooms which are now available in the supermarkets here in US. The dried plums/prunes - I was reluctant, but they gave the soup an amazing slight hint of them in the final result. Smoked ham - I used a regular ham and added a bit of liquid smoke. Overall this soup was a hit! My husband now considers this my best recipe ever! It made a ton and it didn't really get old to us although we are only two people eating the whole batch.