Preparation sauerkraut in Rus' it began on St. Sergius Day, October 8, and lasted for 2-3 weeks. They prepared it in barrels so that there would be enough for a large family until spring. There was work for everyone. The children cut off the stalks and removed the top green leaves from the elastic heads of cabbage. They were salted separately, with onions, For sour cabbage soup or rich borscht. The men repaired wooden tubs, tied them tighter with hoops, sharpened chops, and made special troughs from linden or oak boards. In them, girls and women chopped forks, hard from the first frost. And so that the sauerkraut would come out crispy and vigorous, they would sing perky ditties, sprinkle in jokes and jokes, and have fun from the heart.
There are too many options for pickling: with carrots, apples, cranberries, dill, cumin. Our people are creative, they love to come up with something new and improve the process. Therefore, every experienced housewife Sauerkraut for the winter (recipes) is very tasty and good in its own way. Of course, it is no longer stored in large quantities, they don’t salt it in barrels, there’s simply nowhere to get such containers. But on the winter menu, low-calorie and very healthy sauerkraut, as before, is a welcome guest.
How to ferment cabbage in a jar? 
In aluminum containers, sauerkraut oxidizes: during fermentation, vitamin C and organic acids are destroyed. This affects her appearance and taste qualities. The preparation of sauerkraut proceeds ideally in wooden containers; they cope well with this mission enamel pans, glass jars. They are also easy to use and take up little space in the refrigerator.
Sauerkraut: “Ancient” recipe with dill seeds
For salting for three liter jar take a head of cabbage weighing 2.5-3 kg. Late ripening white cabbage chop into strips, narrow or wide (as desired). Then grind in a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of table (non-iodized) salt. You should not put a lot of it, excess sodium chloride in the body provokes swelling, increased blood pressure, and has a bad effect on kidney function. But for heart patients and hypertensive patients, sauerkraut is beneficial: it cleans and strengthens the walls of blood vessels, reduces the content of bad cholesterol in the blood, and supports the immune system. 
The salted cabbage is left in a basin for a couple of hours to release the juice. Then add grated coarse grater carrots (2 pieces) and dill seed (1-2 teaspoons, to taste). Mix again and pack tightly, compact into a 3-liter jar. However, fill it only “to the shoulders” so that the brine does not leak out later. It doesn’t hurt to take extra precautions and place it on a tray or plate. Cover the jar with gauze or cotton napkin, ensuring air access. It is necessary for fermentation.
At room temperature it lasts 2-3 days. From time to time press the cabbage with a fork. And in the morning and evening they pierce it to the very bottom with a long splinter or a kebab skewer, releasing the accumulated gas. Otherwise, there is nothing to expect that sauerkraut for the winter (recipes) will be cooked very tasty. It will be bitter and soft. The finished pickles are put in the refrigerator. They eat like independent dish, with a bow and vegetable oil. Add to soups (solyanka, cabbage soup). Homemade sauerkraut is good, crispy, sour, with pork ribs, sausages as a side dish and filling for pies.
Delicious sauerkraut “In brine”
For those who don’t particularly like to cook, we’ve come up with a way to ferment cabbage simply and not take a lot of time. The best solution is sauerkraut, recipe “With brine”. It is prepared by dissolving in 1.5 liters warm water 2 tablespoons each of salt and sugar, do not boil. Cabbage (2-2.5 kg) and two carrots are chopped by hand or using a food processor. You can replace carrots with apples, lingonberries, cranberries, and beets. Here wonderful recipes- , . The ingredients are mixed and placed in a jar (3 liters), topped with bay leaves, black peppercorns and allspice. There is no need to compact it too much. 
The brine that is poured into the jar should completely cover the cabbage. It will leak out; place a deep plate under the glass container. All that remains is to cover the jar with gauze, periodically pierce the contents and wait patiently. If the kitchen is hot, sauerkraut in brine will take 2 days, at a temperature of 20 degrees – in three.
Sauerkraut for the winter (recipes) goes very tasty with meat, fish, and boiled vegetables. 100 g of this wonderful snack contains only 42 calories, but a lot of vitamins and microelements. They will help resist colds and viral infections, prevent you from gaining weight in winter, charge you with energy, and give you vigor. It would be nice to cook these too.
First recipe below- just such a valuable pickled option. For leisurely fermentation, it is actually instant cooking. Crispy cabbage slices will be ready after 2-3 days of infusion in a jar at room temperature.
We have included a second sample in the article. Ultra-fast with hot marinade. It no longer has the benefit of natural fermentation because the marinade contains vinegar. It is a preservative and does not form “live bacteria” with it. But the savory vegetables are ready for sampling after 12 hours.
Choose awesome snack according to taste and purpose and cook more often all winter long!
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Instant sauerkraut without vinegar
Super crispy recipe for everyone who loves tasty and healthy food. Sourdough in a marinade, which includes only salt and spices, they can be adjusted to taste. The finished cut is without oil, so it requires seasoning with something as useful as possible. For example, olive oil first spin. All .
With just a little effort and a couple of days of patience, you will get a traditionally great ingredient for winter salads, sour soups And stew with meat.
- Preparation time: 30 minutes for preparation + 2-3 days for fermentation. We test for readiness after 2 days of infusion in a warm place.
- Calorie content per 100 grams is no more than 40 kcal.
We need:
- Cabbage - 2.5-3 kg
- Carrots - 3 pcs. and more medium sizes
- Water - 1 liter
- Salt (without additives) - 2 teaspoons
- Spices - to taste
- We have 6 allspice peas, 2 bay leaves, 1-2 hot peppers.
Important details:
- You can add as many carrots as you like. We love it when there is a lot of it. This gives the brine a pleasant warm shade and adds sweetness to the cabbage.
- Spices can also be adjusted to suit your needs. More hot pepper means more spiciness. And also cumin, cloves, ginger and even turmeric. This one is classic fermented recipe reacts affably to many experiments.
- Our proportions of ingredients will give traditional and juicy salad without too much spice. Brine can also be enjoyable as a separate drink.
Let's prepare the vegetables.
Finely chop the cabbage. The Berner grater always helps us out. Many housewives love a special manual shredding knife (or manual shredder). You can buy it right now during the pickling season at any market in the rows with barrel salting.
Chop the peeled carrots to taste. Don't forget that there is not only a coarse grater. In this recipe we use medium.
Combine the cabbage and carrot slices and mix, fluffing them up at the same time. Convenient to work with your hands.
We will have brine in water, not pickling in own juice. Without grinding, the cabbage will be as crunchy, delicious, and textured as possible.
Place the mixed vegetables in the jar halfway and tamp lightly. Put spices on top. In our case it is 1 Bay leaf, 3 allspice peas and 1 small hot pepper. Place the remaining chopped vegetables on top of the spices in the jar and repeat the set of spices again.
You can add cloves or remove the pepper if you don’t like even a hint of spiciness. These experiments will remain within the boundaries of traditional tastes.
Let's prepare the marinade, pour in the vegetables and let them ferment under supervision.
Water at room temperature (!).
It is beneficial to prepare 1.5 liters of brine for a 3-liter jar. The proportion for 1 liter is 2 teaspoons of salt. You need pure salt without additives. Accordingly, for 1.5 liters of water - 3 teaspoons. We pour spoons without the top and try.
Our goal is a solution slightly saltier than perfect soup. Usually 3 level teaspoons are enough if the salt is extra fine. But there are different brands of salt, and coarse grinding is not as salty.
Stir the salt in the water until completely dissolved and pour the cabbage into the jar, covering the slices. We take a fork and pierce the vegetables deeper allowing the brine to penetrate to the very bottom.
You can use a long wooden stick, making a nod to the principles of natural fermentation. Strict Zozhevists and fans of Ayurveda strongly recommend working with fermented products only with wood or ceramics.
If such restrictions seem like unnecessary hassle, look for a long, two-pronged turning fork. fried foods. She will allow go even deeper in a dense layer of vegetables.
- Use any instrument to make simple movements: in depth and spread the cutting, bubbles came. And so on in several places of the vegetable mass.
Add brine almost to the top - 1 cm before the neck of the jar. Usually a few bubbles form at the top, like foam.
Place the jar in a bowl so that the inevitable foam from fermentation can drain out of the jar carefully. Place a fork nearby which will remind you of the need to pierce the slices from time to time. This will allow the air bubbles formed during pickling to be constantly released to the top.
We pierce vegetables 2-3 times a day.
Keep the jar at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
If your house is warm, it will take less time until it's ready. If the conditions are sporty (+/- 20 degrees), then 3 days is the standard period. Next, put the vegetables in the refrigerator to stop fermentation, otherwise the cabbage will turn out too sour.
- We advise you to try cutting at the end of 2.5 days and proceed according to your own preferences for readiness.
We get good sauerkraut and quite a lot of liquid that has flowed through the neck of the jar. As soon as the cabbage is ready, cover the container with a nylon lid and put it in the cold.
We once tried a version with honey.
On top of the cabbage, add 2 heaped tablespoons of coarse salt and the same amount of honey. Fill with water at room temperature. Follow the recipe above. Try it after 2 days to see if it’s ready (i.e., is it time to put it in the refrigerator). Honey cabbage is also very tasty and is suitable for anyone who is not allergic to honey.
Marinate quick classic cabbage in 12 hours
This savory guest of our meals is called “Provençal”. It is not only quick to cook, but also looks very impressive. How useful it will be during the holidays! If you overdid it with alcohol, delicious pickle- a popular first aid remedy for the morning after New Year's Eve.
- Preparation time: 30 minutes for preparation + 1 day for marinating. We test for readiness after 12-14 hours.
- Calorie content per 100 grams - no more than 100 kcal.
The result of simple work is completely ready salad already filled with oil. It can be easily stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, but can be eaten in a couple of sittings. So good!
We need:
- Cabbage - 3 kg
- Carrots - 300 g or to taste
- Garlic - 4-5 large cloves or to taste
- Red bell pepper - 2-3 pcs. medium size (can be frozen)
For hot marinade per 1 liter of water:
- Salt (rock, coarsely ground) - 2 tbsp. spoons
- Sugar - 1 glass
- Vinegar, 9% - 80 ml
- Little vegetable - 1 cup
Important details:
- 1 glass - 250 ml
- From spices best decoration marinade - cumin, 5-10 grams. You can also add allspice (6-7 peas) and cloves (1-2 pcs.).
- Carrots and garlic can be adjusted to taste. A proportion that many people like: for 1 kg of cabbage - 1 medium carrot and 1 bell pepper.
- Frozen sweet red peppers pickle just as well as fresh ones. If you have it, feel free to use it.
- Convenient and safe cooking - in an enamel or stainless steel pan.
The preparation is simple and quick.
Shred the cabbage as thick as we like in salads. Knead with your hands in a spacious bowl, lightly, without fanaticism. Carrots - cut into strips using a knife or grater ala Berner. Or a democratic option: three on a coarse grater. Cut the pepper into strips 0.5-0.8 cm thick or into cubes about 1 cm. Combine the vegetable cuts and mix well. Again, it is most convenient to work with your hands.
Prepare the marinade.
We start cooking when the vegetables are chopped and mixed. Heat 1 liter of water on the stove, add salt and sugar to it, pour in the oil and stir until the bulk ingredients are completely dissolved. As soon as the liquid boils, pour in the vinegar, make a couple of movements with the spoon and turn off the heat. Be sure to cover with a lid to prevent the vinegar from evaporating.
Lay ½ vegetable mixture into the selected container and compact tightly. Fill in half the hot marinade. Add the second half of the vegetables and add the rest of the marinade again. Place a plate and a weight on top (a 1-2 liter jar of water).
Leave to marinate for 8 hours.
When the vegetables have cooled down, put in the refrigerator for another 16 hours. After 12 hours of infusion you can try.
TOP 2 secrets for successful fermentation
Which cabbage varieties are best to choose?
Dense and flattened on both sides, maximum white heads of large size (from 3 kg 1 piece). These varieties are crunchy and do not lose their shape even when thinly sliced.
Young cabbage and too old cabbage ferment poorly. Varieties with a spherical head of cabbage become untidy and often lose their crunch.
How to cook new and refreshing dishes?
In addition to their vibrant participation in meat stews, borscht or solyanka, both spicy cabbages can easily make friends with available colleagues in salads without heating.
Add to the appetizing result of fermentation onion, sweet apples, frozen berries, boiled beets, canned corn, boiled beans or potatoes. You can enrich the taste of daily dishes and add to winter menu antioxidant vitamins.
We will be glad if you like any instant cabbage recipe. Both are very tasty! And you must agree that it is true that healthy fermentation without vinegar requires more time.
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Sauerkraut is the favorite winter food for millions of people. And not only here in Russia, but also in other countries of Europe and Asia. As soon as the first frost sets in outside, it’s time to prepare this vegetable.
Before starting the description of the recipe, let me tell you what happens during the sourdough process itself. This is important for understanding the process as a whole. When you do something consciously, knowing why it is needed, it is much more difficult to make a mistake. And the result in this case is more predictable.
It is believed that if we salt a certain product, the salt is a preservative and helps protect the product from spoilage. In part, this is true. But not in in this case.
When we ferment it, the preservative is lactic acid, which accumulates in vegetables. And this acid is formed thanks to lactic acid bacteria that are on the surface fresh leaves cabbage Their food is sugar, which is also found in the leaves of the vegetable.
Therefore, for pickling you need to choose large heads of cabbage. light color. They are juicy, tasty, and at the same time elastic. When you cut their leaves, they literally splatter Fresh Juice. These leaves taste slightly sweet, you want to eat them even in fresh, do not stop.
And only autumn varieties are suitable for pickling, best caught by the first frost. All summer the heads of cabbage gained weight, juice, various vitamins and nutrients, and accumulated sugar. Which is simply necessary for successful fermentation.
Therefore, when you buy cabbage, choose large, white forks. No wonder its name is cabbage white. This is the one that will make the most delicious snack for the winter.
And so, it is now clear that sugar contributes to a good fermentation process. But this will not be enough without the required air temperature. In order for the fermentation processes to start and it to ferment in the very at its best, you need a temperature of 15 - 22 degrees. If the temperature is below this value, the fermentation processes will proceed sluggishly and for a long time. The cabbage will overcook and we won’t get the desired taste. If the air temperature is higher than the desired value, then it will quickly soften and lose its appearance and will become of no use to anyone.
You can identify delicious fermented cabbage without even trying it, just by its appearance and smell. It is light and elastic, has such an aroma that it will be difficult to pass by.
This is the preparation I propose to prepare today using the simplest classical method.
I suggest calculating the products for 1 kg of cabbage. I do this for convenience. This way it will be easier to create a proportion for any weight. After all, everyone ferments it in different volumes, some ferment a whole barrel, while others only ferment a three-liter jar.
We will need:
- white cabbage – 1 kg
- salt - 10 - 15 g (1 - 1.5 teaspoons)
- carrots - 1 piece (small)
- bay leaf - 1 - 2 pcs
- black allspice - 3 - 4 peas
Preparation:
At the beginning of the article, I already said that for fermentation you need to choose large white forks. They should be tight and elastic to the touch. Now in the season there is simply a huge offer different varieties. So, you should separate the varieties, some of them are better suited for storage, while others are better for salting and fermenting.
Among the first there are varieties that are not particularly intended for pickling. Some of them gain strength only a month or two after they were collected. These are the so-called hybrid varieties. Only by this time does the amount of sugar required for fermentation accumulate in their leaves. And it’s clear that if you salt such a vegetable immediately after harvesting, it will be difficult, and perhaps even impossible, to obtain the desired taste.
Some varieties have thick, coarse veins, and the leaves have very little juice. They also store well, but you can’t salt this one well. Even from it delicious salad Can't cook.
Varieties such as Slava, Podarok, Gribovskaya, Belarus, Sibiryachka... and others are considered traditional for pickling. But, in principle, you can determine whether it is suitable for pickling or not without knowing the variety, but simply determine it by appearance and taste.
When they start selling this vegetable in large quantities, bringing it to markets directly by car, I look first of all at its appearance. If it suits me, I buy a head of cabbage and take it home. I try it there, and if it’s juicy, sweet and tasty, then you can go and buy as much as you need. Try to choose the largest and whitest specimens.
Why am I explaining this in such detail, because choosing the right cabbage is almost the main key to success in pickling. Therefore, pay due attention to your choice.
Now let's move on to the recipe itself.
1. Remove the top leaves of the vegetable, the so-called outer leaves. Rinse the head of cabbage cold water, holding the stalk with your hand. This way, the water will only wash the top layer and will not get inside the fork. Place the heads of cabbage on the table to drain, then wipe with a dry towel.
2. Cut the head of cabbage into two parts and chop each of them into long thin strips. To do this efficiently you need to stock up on good sharp knife. And if you have a special shredder, which has two or three sharply sharpened knives at once, you can shred everything very quickly and without much difficulty. There are currently a great variety of such shredders.
And before it was simply chopped in wooden troughs with a special chop. And even now such devices are still in use. I also have something like this somewhere. But I prefer chopped sauerkraut, so I don’t use these devices.
Do not chop the stalk, just throw it away. Previously, when my mother salted cabbage, we, as children, stood in line for them. Now we don’t give them to children. It is believed that they accumulate a large number of nitrates, and this product is harmful to health. Maybe so, but no, no, I peel the stalk for myself and eat it with pleasure.
3. Salt the chopped vegetable and lightly crush it with your hands. But only lightly, so that the juice stands out. And some, especially juicy varieties, do not even require this. You can immediately see such a head of cabbage; as soon as you start cutting it, the juice squirts out from under the knife.
These varieties of cabbage simply need to be salted and mixed, then compacted tightly into a pickling container. After quite a bit of time, a sufficient amount of juice will appear.
Sometimes it turns out to be too salty. This is because some people believe that the more salt they put in, the better it will keep.
So, I know that you can ferment cabbage without any salt at all. Of course, it doesn’t last as long as salted one, and it’s not as tasty. But it still ferments and is stored! We remember that the fermentation process is caused not by salt, but by sugar. Therefore, add not much salt, but only as much as required by the recipe. Or rely on your taste. You can try the chopped product, it should taste the same as cabbage salad usually turns out.
4. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Add it to the total mass.
Do not crush cabbage with carrots. Without this procedure, it will remain white and beautiful for the entire shelf life.
5. Add allspice and bay leaf. Stir again.
6. It can be prepared in enamel jars large pans, in tubs and barrels. Later I’ll tell you how to prepare tubs and barrels for pickling.
Jars and pots just need to be thoroughly washed and dried. Please ensure that there are no chips in the pan or rust stains that appear in these places.
Remove the top leaves of the vegetable and line the bottom with them. You can skip this procedure. But I’m used to doing this, and I’m sharing my experience with you. In general, I consider this procedure necessary and mandatory for pickling in barrels and tubs.
7. Place the cabbage in a pickling container, pressing it lightly with your hands.
When you salt it too much, for example in large twenty-liter pans or tubs, it is better to do it in small batches. We chopped one head of cabbage, salted it, lightly mashed it, mixed it with carrots, put it in a saucepan and compacted it tightly. Then we proceed to the next game, and so on until the end.
Large volumes will be more difficult to compact. It is important for us that the vegetable releases juice, which will be enough for good process fermentation. And for better juice formation, it is better to process it in not very large portions.
8. When all of it is in the container, you should press it down well with your hands, lay out the cabbage leaves and cover with a double or triple layer of gauze or a linen napkin. Tuck the edges in so that the chopped vegetable does not protrude.
Place a flat plate of suitable volume on the cheesecloth; the larger it is, the better. This will ensure that the entire contents are covered with juice. My grandmother had a wooden circle specially cut to fit the volume of the pan. It was both oppression and “cover.” Thanks to him, there was no need to be afraid that mold would appear on the surface.
9. Place pressure on top. This can be a thoroughly washed and scalded cobblestone, or a jar of water. The good thing about cobblestone is that you can later cover the pan with a lid. The jar can only be used for a few days while the fermentation process takes place. At this time, the pan does not need to be covered. Then you will need to find something more suitable.
Oppression is needed so that all the juice constantly covers the entire contents. It is important. If this is not done, then mold will appear on top; it will not take long to appear. But we don’t need it at all, it spoils the taste and appearance. Mold causes the workpiece to turn gray, that is, it loses its appearance. Naturally, this also affects its taste.
Therefore, do not ignore oppression. It is definitely needed. And preferably for the entire storage process.
10. Leave the pan with the preparation at room temperature for 1 - 2 days. The time depends on the room temperature. If it is very hot, then one day is enough, but if it is cooler, then two days will be needed.
At this time, we must under no circumstances forget about our preparation. She will need attention several times a day. Namely, armed with a long wooden stick, pierce it in several places to the very bottom three to four times a day. Young children especially like to do this. They take this assignment with full responsibility. It is very interesting for them to observe how, after the next piercing, the bubbles formed from the fermentation processes rise out.
In addition to escaping gas bubbles, foam also forms on the surface. Don't let this scare you, everything is fine with the workpiece. Consider this as an excellent signal that the fermentation processes are proceeding as they should.
It is imperative to pierce the contents with a stick. If the gas bubbles do not have access to the surface, they will finished product tastes bitter.
Do not store at this temperature for longer than this time. Just one extra day is enough and the cabbage will turn sour. And there will be no saving her. It will become soft and have an unpleasant aftertaste. You can’t even make a stew from such a product, you will feel it all.
11. After these 1 - 2 days of standing at room temperature, the pan with the workpiece will need to be placed in a cooler room, where the temperature should be 16 - 18 degrees. This is the ideal temperature for further fermentation. It ends in 2 - 3 weeks. During this time, you can pierce the contents with a stick at least 1-2 times a day.
Each time, removing the oppression and gauze. And then putting everything back in place again.
If such a nuisance does occur and mold appears on the surface, then it must be carefully removed. Rinse the napkin, weight and plate in hot salted water.
12. When the fermentation process is over, and this will be evident by the fact that bubbles will no longer rise and foam will form, the contents must be moved to a cold place and kept at all times at a temperature of 0 - 2 degrees.
Usually it is stored on loggias and balconies, and if such conditions do not exist, then they are transferred to three-liter jars and stored in the refrigerator. You should also store it by covering the contents with gauze and figuring out how to organize the oppression.
The refrigerator temperature is approximately 4 degrees. For storage, this is slightly more than needed. But if there is a sufficient amount of brine in the jar and good pressure, then it will be stored.
By the way, this clever way of using oppression is used for cans. They just shove it nylon cover into the jar and press the contents with it.
The snack prepared in this way is delicious without any additives. You can eat it simply without anything. Well, if you chop onions into it and season with vegetable oil, then better than salad just can't be found.
It is also indispensable for preparing vinaigrettes and many first and second courses. Should we remind you that it is a source of various vitamins and nutrients? Probably not, everyone knows this already, from early childhood. And no one even has to be persuaded to eat it. As soon as she appears on the table, she becomes its queen. And so all winter... She doesn’t get tired of it either in the fall, or in the winter, or in the spring.
Now, of course, very delicious cabbage You can buy it both at the market and in the store. The specialists who prepare it know a lot about this. But not all! If you have already found a path to a good supplier, then you can buy and buy. But this path is not always available. Half the winter may pass before we trample it.
And having prepared it yourself, you don’t even have to waste time searching. Simply, when you want, take out the cabbage from the loggia or from the refrigerator, and enjoy its taste as much as our body requires.
The proposed method is not the only one classic version. This is the so-called brine-free method. But you can also prepare it using brine.
Cabbage pickled in brine in a 3 liter jar
This method is often used for sauerkraut in an apartment. It is very convenient for salting the product in jars. It is most convenient to prepare it in three liter jar. It is convenient to store it in the refrigerator and cook in small batches.
Basically, this cooking method differs little from the first recipe. The main difference is that brine is also prepared, and it is poured into pre-chopped cabbage and placed in a jar. Since the brine contains both salt and sugar, it is this that contributes to the onset of fermentation. It also makes it possible for the entire product to ferment faster.
And I must say that this method is quite fast. Already on the third day the product is completely ready for use. You don’t have to wait two or three weeks before it’s time to enjoy its taste.
That is, in the first option it happens natural fermentation, and here we help him with this.
This recipe is very loved by housewives, and men are not averse to using it for cooking. We now live in a fast time, and it is very highly valued. Therefore, if the same product can be prepared faster, then it is often chosen.
Time-tested recipe. The result is always predictable and always pleasing. Therefore, choose it and prepare a snack based on it. He definitely won't disappoint you!
What can you ferment with?
In different regions of Russia, pickling methods may vary. The recipe is almost the same, but the methods differ. In the European part of Russia, very little carrots are added, and the final product has a distinct white color. Bright cranberries are often used as an additive for flavor and color.
In the Far East and Siberia, more carrots are added. The cabbage tastes sweeter and has a slight carrot tint in color. By the way, in Central Asia more carrots are also added (this is how we salted them when we lived there).
However, these are not all the ingredients that are used for pickling. They ferment it with these additional ingredients
- apples, the Antonovka variety is best suited. They are served whole, in halves, and in quarters. In general, who likes it more?
- carrots
- hot capsicum
- beets
- parsnip. It can be used both with carrots and instead of it. It turns out very tasty!
Of course, berries do not occupy the last place in this process;
- already mentioned cranberry
- cowberry
- juniper berries
Added as spices
- allspice peas
- Bay leaf
Pickled heads of cabbage are very, very, very tasty. Never cooked like this? Then take note quickly. Cook it once, and then you will always cook only with them. I'll tell you how to do it.
Everything is done exactly as described in the recipe. The only thing is that in this case you can’t get by with a kilogram of vegetables. You need to salt the heads of cabbage in a saucepan of at least 5 liters, and of course a larger volume is also welcome.
The first layer must be cabbage. It is better that the layer is at least 10 cm thick.
Then cut the head of cabbage in large pieces, at least 15 cm in size. And if the heads of cabbage are small in size initially, then you can only cut them into two halves, or even cut them crosswise. Each of them should be rubbed a small amount salt, literally rubbing it inside. Then lay tightly with the next layer. Press well.
And the next layer is again the usual one, made from cabbage cut into strips and mixed with carrots.
This way you can alternate layers as long as the pickling container allows. Pack everything tightly. Achieve the formation of juice. Cover the top layer in the same way. cabbage leaves, gauze or napkin. Place a flat plate on top and apply pressure.
Also pierce with a stick, carefully bypassing the forks.
How to prepare containers for pickling
In villages they used to salt in tubs and small barrels. There were no refrigerators, and the cold cellar was the only place for storage. Moreover, the barrel was buried 30 - 40 centimeters into the ground in order to maintain the required temperature.
But since this was done year after year, and the barrel served its purpose for many years, the container had to be specially treated before salting.
Although we do not live in the village now, I have two oak barrels. In one of them I salt and in the other cabbage. And every year I process the containers using the method I found in one of my books. And now I will share the methods that I know with you. Maybe it will be useful to someone.
To begin with, I would like to note the fact that in barrels and wooden tubs The result is simply incredibly tasty sauerkraut. In addition to taste, it also receives an incomparable aroma.
But new barrels, and even old ones, often dry out, and brine can leak out through the cracks. Oak barrels In this regard, it is better, the wood is more durable and dries out less. But they also require treatment to prevent mold from appearing.
Therefore, the container must be processed so that it does not dry out and is thoroughly disinfected.
To prevent all the brine from leaking out of the barrel, they need to be soaked so that the wood swells. To do this, you need to place the keg in a basin and pour water into it. Leave for some time. If water flows out through the cracks, add it again. Continue this way until the tree absorbs the water and the flow stops. On final stage You can bring a few sprigs of heather from the forest. Place them in a barrel and pour boiling water over them. It is useful for aroma and disinfection.
To disinfect barrels, you can also fumigate them with sulfur. Just like pits before storing vegetables there, they are fumigated with sulfur bombs. And in the case of a keg, special wicks are used, which are set on fire and left in the container until complete combustion.
You can also disinfect the barrel by placing cobblestones heated over a fire, or one large stone, inside. This should be done extremely carefully so as not to get burned. And so that the cobblestone does not cool down longer, it is still poured with boiling water, and the tub is tightly closed with a lid.
In the future, this stone can be used as oppression.
So tubs and barrels are a good thing, but they require careful treatment and attention.
At the end of the article, I want to tell you that in addition to the described methods of fermentation, there are also other ways of preparing it. For example, these include: There are many such methods, and I can offer you 7 of them in an article that you can find by following the link provided.
It's also quite quick ways preparations that are also delicious. One “Pelustka” with beets is worth it!
I hope that the recipes written today, and most importantly the tips, will serve you well, and you can always prepare very tasty and aromatic cabbage for the winter.
Wish you excellent preparations and Bon Appetit!
So, to prepare classic sauerkraut, we will need products such as white cabbage itself, carrots, salt and a minimum of spices - bay leaf and black peppercorns. If you like a richer aroma of finished sauerkraut, then feel free to use fennel, cloves, anise and cumin. They will favorably emphasize the taste of sauerkraut.
Not all cabbage is suitable for pickling. Housewives often complain that they fermented according to all the rules, but the cabbage turned out not crispy and not white. This is because the wrong variety was used. So, only autumn cabbage and winter varieties! Any young, early, summer and even early autumn are absolutely not suitable! The cabbage may turn out soft, dirty yellow, and tasteless. Therefore, we choose late varieties of cabbage. We clean the top sheets, cut off everything that we didn’t like. Now you can cook.
But there is one more trick. There is a folk superstition: cabbage should be fermented on a “men’s” day. What does it mean? We look at the calendar and look for the masculine days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. These are the days we need. Perhaps this is just a sign, but my grandmother always fermented according to this rule, and, according to tradition, I began to cook this way after her. And the cabbage always turns out great!
When they started talking about folk signs and sauerkraut, I’ll tell you another secret. I also learned about him from my grandmother. It is better to ferment cabbage under the full moon. I can't explain why this is so. But many people plant plants according to lunar calendar, why not take a look out the window before sauerkraut?
All the secrets have been revealed, it's time to chop the cabbage. For this I use a wide Asian paring knife or a chef's knife.
But there are other ways to shred cabbage. If you like thin slices, you can easily use a food processor or grater. There are even special graters for cabbage. I specifically took it from my mother-in-law to show you what she looks like. Moreover, the thickness of the slices when using this grater can be easily changed with a special screw.
After the cabbage is chopped, grate the carrots. In fact, I love slicing carrots in all my dishes; I rarely use a grater at all, but when making sauerkraut, you can’t do without a grater. Therefore, we grate the carrots on a large regular grater or on a grater for Korean carrots. In the latter case, the finished cabbage will look beautiful due to the elegant carrot ribbons. But if you rub in the classic way, then the carrots will better give off their color and juice. When I have time, I enjoy combining both types of carrot grating.
Now - the main action. You need to grind and knead the cabbage with salt. Only ordinary kitchen equipment is suitable for sourdough. rock salt. Do not use extra salt, iodized salt, or salt with any other additives. Since my family always ferments a lot of cabbage, it is mainly men’s hands that knead it. Place chopped cabbage, grated carrots, peppercorns, bay leaf broken into small pieces and, of course, salt on the table or in a large bowl. All together must be thoroughly mixed and mashed so that the cabbage juice begins to stand out. You will notice this immediately because the cabbage will become moist.
Of course, I indicated a very approximate amount of salt in the ingredients. But during the cooking process, it’s easy to understand exactly how much salt you need. Try already kneaded cabbage. It should seem a little salty to you. If there is no such sensation, then salt needs to be added.
Place the prepared cabbage in glass jars, ceramic makitras or pans, and wooden barrels. I have a large makitra, but I ferment or salt vegetables in it in the fall so that it lasts for a long time. I ferment cabbage regularly, about 2 times a month (if you eat it, you need to ferment a new portion), so I use ordinary glass jars. We put the cabbage tightly into the jars, even pressing down slightly.
And then there is one more little trick. The jars should be left slightly incomplete. This is done so that the liquid comes out easily. At the same time, I usually put the jar on a small space or in a deep bowl, then the liquid that flows out during fermentation will not flow like a river through your kitchen. So, we send jars of cabbage to any place where they will not disturb you, in my kitchen it is a windowsill. And we put it next to it wooden skewer. For what? Approximately once a day, the cabbage in the jar needs to be pierced; this is done in order to release the gases formed during fermentation. I usually pierce even more often than once a day.
Cabbage sits at room temperature for about 2-3 days. You will see when the fermentation process has come to an end: there is no more cloudy liquid released, there is no foam cap on the jar of cabbage. Now it's time to finally put the lid on the jar and put it in the refrigerator. A day will be enough.
You can take out the finished sauerkraut, put it in a salad bowl, pour over aromatic vegetable oil, sprinkle with fresh green onions, add cranberries or raisins and serve!
Enjoy your meal!
May you always get crispy snow-white sauerkraut - the main appetizer on the table!
