Preserving fruits and vegetables is a great way to supplement your daily winter diet with a complete, vitamin-packed diet. Many recipes are passed from generation to generation for many years, some are forgotten. But every housewife needs to know how to pickle cabbage in a barrel.
Secrets and features of salting in a barrel
Sauerkraut - unique product, containing in its composition prebiotics and probiotics, where the former are responsible for the formation of the human intestinal microflora, the latter are carriers of microorganisms. The positive results of eating this product include:
- improvement and stabilization of the gastrointestinal tract;
- strengthening immune system organism;
- prevention of cancer, diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- prevention of obesity, diabetes.
Maximum the nutritional value pickled cabbage is achieved by following these recommendations:
- Any white cabbage is suitable for seasonal salting. But when using early varieties, it will be soft and not crispy. The best option is represented by medium and late ripening varieties.
- Iodized salt excessively softens the structure of the leaf and gives an additional undesirable flavor, only stone salt should be used.
- The properties of finished cabbage practically do not differ if salting is carried out in own juice or using brine.
- Original taste qualities and additional vitamins can be obtained with the addition of apples, berries, beets.
- The aroma of cabbage will be enhanced by cloves, cumin and other seasonings.
Important! Salting cabbage is carried out in any container made of glass, wood, metal or plastic. But the best result is obtained when salting in a barrel way.
Barrel preparation
The presence of an oak barrel determines the possibility of pickling according to old classic recipes. But, first of all, the barrel should be prepared:
- After purchase, the barrel should be washed from small sawdust and debris. There should be no smell in the container.
- 2 weeks before the proposed salting, the container must be soaked. Until the boards are completely swollen, leakage and “fogging” of the joints can be observed. The swelling period does not exceed one day.
- Before laying cabbage warm water wash the lid, oppression and the barrel itself. Check for the presence of foreign odors, upon detection of which the procedure is repeated.
- The quality of the preparation of the oak container will be higher if steam treatment under pressure is used. This procedure will rid the wood of unnecessary microorganisms and odors.
In order to spend the minimum time preparing the container before salting, it should be ensured proper storage. The empty barrel is washed hot water with soda and rinse with running water. Dried, excluding direct sunlight, stored in the basement.
Important! There are several options pre-training oak boards for assembling barrels. They should be clarified with the seller or master cooper.
Rules for laying cabbage
The order of distribution of cabbage and the placement of other ingredients necessary for salting is presented as follows:
- Distribute at the bottom of the container a small amount of flour, which is covered with cabbage leaves.
- The next layer is cabbage.
- Sprinkle evenly with salt, add carrots.
- The procedure is repeated until the barrel is filled, taking into account the space for raising the brine during fermentation, as well as the placement of oppression.
- Laying the next layer of cabbage is preceded by light tamping by hand or a special pestle.
- The last layer is covered with cabbage leaves.
Before closing the lid, a canvas fabric is laid, on top of which oppression is placed.
Important! Periodic "piercing" the contents of the barrel with a small diameter stick will ensure uniform salting of the cabbage.
The oppression is a wooden circle, the diameter of which is smaller than the neck of the barrel. Weighting agents are installed on top of it - household items or stones cleaned of dirt. Handles this task well large saucepan with heavy filling.
How to pickle cabbage in an oak barrel
Cabbage salting is practiced both in shredded form and whole heads of cabbage. If the requirements for the preparation of the barrel for both options are unchanged, then the order of laying the blanks is different.
Whole heads
In this option, be sure to use a brine of 400 g of salt and 10 liters of hot boiled water. Keeping the proportion, cook required amount concentrate.
Preparation procedure:
- Before salting, choose cabbage forks of approximately the same size. In this case, the salting time will be approximately the same.
- The upper leaves are removed from the heads of cabbage, while the whole leaves are left to fill the voids, as well as the upper and lower layers, the torn ones are thrown in.
- Cabbage stalks may accumulate residues of mineral fertilizers that are dangerous to human health, so they are removed before salting.
- The bottom of the container, and at the end of the laying of the cabbage and the top, are covered with whole leaves.
- Vegetables are placed in layers. The gaps between the heads are filled with chopped carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes. Spices are added based on your own taste.
- The final step is pouring the brine.
After salting, a linen cloth is placed on the vegetables and oppression is placed. To prevent the formation of mold, remove the foam daily and wash the fabric.
How to salt shredded cabbage in a barrel
For salting slaw cabbage for every 10 kg of vegetable you will need:
- large salt- 250 g;
- carrots - 300-400 g;
- black peppercorns - 7-8 pcs.;
- any berries or apples to taste.
- The thickness of the shredded cabbage should allow for quick salting, but not be too thin. A finely chopped vegetable will undergo destruction of the leaf tissue structure.
- Grate carrots preferably on a medium grater. For more sweetness and softness of sauerkraut, the amount of carrots can be increased.
- Improve nutritional properties pickles can be done with beets. It is rubbed or cut into small pieces.
- For the speed of the process, it is better to use special automatic or manual household appliances and appliances.
- Layer-by-layer laying of the components in a barrel will ensure simultaneous salting of shredded cabbage: whole cabbage leaves - chopped main component - salt - carrots. This sequence must be repeated until the container is filled.
- Upper, final, layer - solid cabbage leaves, woven fabric and oppression.
Attention! If the barrel is used for the first time, the amount of salt should be increased, as the new wooden walls will certainly absorb it.
How long does it take to pickle
The time when you can sample sauerkraut in a barrel depends on the external conditions and characteristics of the container. If the barrel is small and it is possible to move it, after laying the ingredients, the first stage of salting is carried out with room temperature within 3-4 days. During this time, the cabbage will be salted and it can be used as food. Next, the container is moved for storage in the basement or cellar.
With large dimensions of the barrel, the laying is carried out directly at the place of subsequent storage. Before the first readiness of the dish should take from 8 to 14 days.
Terms and conditions of storage
It is necessary to store pickled cabbage in basements or cellars at temperatures from 0 to +5 ° C. High humidity is undesirable.
You can place a small barrel with a pickled vegetable in a cool closet of an apartment, where it is usually customary to store all fruit and vegetable preparations in banks for the winter.
Another option is the basement or basement of the house. The room should be prepared in advance: check the ventilation, detect backup heat sources, treat the walls with antifungal compounds.
It is necessary to install a barrel with pickled cabbage, taking into account the following recommendations:
- the location is chosen near the ventilation, since the fermentation process is accompanied by a specific smell;
- place the container with salted cabbage in such a way that you always have access to the barrel to remove the foam and pierce the workpiece;
- the barrel must be placed on a wooden or brick stand, this will prevent the formation of a fungal mass and prevent rotting of the wooden walls.
The shelf life of a vegetable pickled in a barrel depends on compliance with the rules for caring for the blanks, which includes: timely removal of foam, periodic replacement of linen for washing. With proper maintenance and observance of the thermal regime, cabbage, placed in a barrel in autumn, may well complement the menu even in early spring.
Conclusion
You can pickle cabbage in a barrel with your own hands without making much effort. All family members can participate in the salting process. For children, this can be a playful event, and for adults, it can be an occasion for a useful time together. In the cold season, sauerkraut will not only delight with its taste, but will also become a natural source of vitamins.
Crispy and fragrant sauerkraut has been one of the main dishes on the table of a Russian person for hundreds of years. This dish is included in national cuisines and other peoples - Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Poles, Germans, as well as residents of Asian countries. The secrets of making sauerkraut in Rus' were carefully kept and passed down from generation to generation, and the pickling process has become an unchanging annual tradition. Every year, in the month of September, Russian women in all houses were engaged in shredding and laying cabbage in barrels.
It is wooden ones that are considered ideal containers for obtaining fragrant and crispy sauerkraut. The best wood for making pickling barrels is oak. Thanks to the tannins contained in this wood, pickles are stored for a long time, acquire a unique aroma and a peculiar taste.
For salting cabbage in oak barrels, varieties of medium and late cabbage are used. It is chopped or chopped, mixed with the rest of the ingredients: salt, carrots, and other additives, and then laid down and thoroughly kneaded. It is customary to lay cabbage leaves at the bottom of oak barrels. Small heads of cabbage are laid whole or cut into several parts. In modern Russian cuisine, there are many ways to salt sauerkraut in oak barrels, but the following recipes for sauerkraut in oak barrels have gained particular popularity:
classic sauerkraut recipe
According to Russian popular belief, pickling cabbage should be done on the days of the new moon. Only then will it turn out crispy, white and tasty. The hostess in every Russian house knew that when salting cabbage, the stump should be removed, otherwise the dish will be bitter.
To prepare sauerkraut classic recipe you will need:
50 kg of cabbage;
1.3-1.5 kg of rock salt (regular, non-iodized);
a handful of cumin.
To preparatory stage cabbage should be treated responsibly. It should be washed, cleaned of green and spoiled leaves, cut out the stalk and chopped. You can chop the cabbage finely or by chopping into more large pieces according to your own preferences. Removed from the head are green, whole leaves should not be thrown away, but it is better to put them aside.
The oak barrel is pre-washed and scalded. The same green leaves that were set aside are laid at the bottom of the container. Shredded cabbage is mixed in small portions and rubbed by hand with the rest of the ingredients in a special wooden trough, an enamel basin or on a clean table. In the future, each portion of cabbage prepared in this way is stacked and tamped in a barrel.
Between the layers of shredded cabbage, you can put heads of cabbage cut into large pieces, while salt should be added. In this way, the barrel is filled almost to the top. It is recommended to leave 7-8 cm of empty container on top. Another layer of green, whole leaves is laid on top. All cabbage is covered with a clean, dense cloth, a wooden circle, and a load is placed on top. The main thing when salting cabbage is that it should be completely covered with juice.
In a warm room (20-25˚С), a barrel of cabbage should be kept for 10-12 days. During this time, the fermentation process will begin and end in the tank. Compliance with the correct temperature regime is probably the most important requirement for obtaining a quality product.
At the first appearance of foam on the surface of the brine, the cabbage should be pierced with a wooden stick. In the future, such an action must be performed daily until the end of the fermentation process. It is recommended to remove the appeared foam with a clean spoon, otherwise the microorganisms present in it may contribute to product spoilage. By the end of fermentation, the foam will cease to appear, and the brine will become clean. This is the signal to transfer the container from sauerkraut in a cool place (basement or cellar). Before this, it is necessary to remove the oppression, the circle and the fabric, wash everything well and put it in place. Sauerkraut is stored in a wooden barrel at a temperature of 0 to +2.
Cranberries are healthy and delicious berry, which gives sauerkraut a special flavor. To prepare sauerkraut with cranberries for 10 kg of fresh cabbage you will need:
300-350 gr cranberries;
250 gr of rock salt;
300 gr carrots;
1 teaspoon dill seeds (can be replaced with cumin if desired).
Cabbage must be cleaned of damaged and green leaves, chopped or chopped. Cranberries are thoroughly washed and dried. Carrots should be cut into strips or grated. All ingredients, except for cranberries, are mixed in small portions, rubbed with hands for better juice formation and put into an oak barrel. Each layer of cabbage is combined with a layer of cranberries until the barrel is filled to the top. The further salting process is the same as in the classic recipe.
Sauerkraut recipe with apples
To prepare sauerkraut with apples according to this recipe for 10 kg of fresh cabbage, you need to take:
0.5 kg sour apples(Antonovka has been used for these purposes since ancient times);
cumin and dill seeds, 1 teaspoon each;
230-250 gr salt.
Apples must be washed, peeled, core cut and cut into slices. Mix apples in small portions with chopped cabbage, salt and seeds, rub with your hands and put in an oak barrel, after covering the bottom with cabbage leaves. The process of cooking cabbage with apples is the same as in the classic version.
Recipe for sauerkraut with carrots
Most women use this recipe for sauerkraut with carrots. For 10 kg fresh white cabbage take the following ingredients:
1-1.5 carrots;
250 gr of salt;
10 g dill seeds (optional)
Carrots give a special taste to sauerkraut, enrich it with carotene. To prepare pickles, carrots must be washed, cut into small strips or grated (large). Cabbage is chopped, mixed with salt, carrots and dill seeds, rubbed with hands and placed in prepared oak barrels on a layer leaves removed. The technology for making sauerkraut with carrots is similar to the classic version.
chinese sauerkraut recipe
This salt is spicy and piquant taste. To prepare Beijing sauerkraut according to this recipe, you will need:
10 kg of cabbage;
0.9-1 kg of salt.
Heads of cabbage are washed, cut lengthwise into 4 parts and placed in a barrel. Each layer must be carefully sprinkled with salt. After filling the container with parts of Beijing cabbage, it is poured with cold boiled water until it is completely covered. From above, the pickle is covered with a clean cloth, a wooden circle is laid and oppression is set. A barrel of cabbage should be kept in a warm place for 2 days, then taken out to the cold. Sauerkraut will be ready to eat in a month. When using, it is necessary to ensure that the cabbage is always in brine. Periodically it is necessary to wash the fabric, circle and oppression.
A day before consumption, a special mixture of 1 kg is prepared. bell pepper, 0.3-0.5 kg red hot pepper and 0.2-0.3 kg of garlic. All ingredients must be crushed by passing through a meat grinder. For cooking spicy dish kimchi, you need to get the required amount of sauerkraut Beijing cabbage from the barrel and rinse in in large numbers cold water. Pieces of Chinese cabbage prepared in this way are well smeared between the leaves with a spicy mixture of peppers and garlic, placed in enamelware and poured boiled cold water until full coverage. capacity with Chinese cabbage must be kept in a cool place for at least 24 hours.
Many housewives pickle cabbage for the winter in order to be able to serve it as an independent salad, and also use it for variety of dishes. In most cases, the vegetable is finely chopped and then poured with marinade, but you can greatly simplify your task and cook whole heads of cabbage.
The processes are very similar, but it is important to have the right size container. For example, it can be a barrel, a large pot or a plastic bucket. Consider a few proven recipes.
How to pickle cabbage with forks for the winter?
A similar method of harvesting this vegetable is especially popular in Bulgaria. Made from whole leaves different snacks, for example, cabbage rolls or Korean salads. Prepared ingredients are designed for a capacity of 100 liters.
To cook cabbage with forks for the winter, take these products: 50 kg cabbage, 2.5 kg large sea salt and cold water. In addition, you need to take a plastic hose 1.5 m long. You can include other vegetables and spices in this recipe for taste.
Cooking steps:
- to pickle the forks, the heads of cabbage must be prepared by removing the leaves from them and removing the stalk. Make a cross cut on the fork. Fill the hole where the dense part of the vegetable was with salt;
- in the prepared container, tightly lay the cabbage with heads of cabbage, after lowering one edge to the bottom, and the other should stick out on the surface. If desired, you can put a couple of onions, quince or horseradish root. These ingredients will give the vegetable original taste and aroma;
- put the remaining salt into the water, mix well until completely dissolved, and then pour the brine into the container. The liquid should cover the vegetables. Put oppression on top so that the heads of cabbage do not float;
- for 5 days, it is necessary to mix the brine, for which you need a hose, which was first fixed in a container. Remove the pressure, and then, strongly blow into the free end of the hose about 10 times. This will be enough to mix the brine. For 3 weeks, the process should be repeated a couple of times. After a couple of months, cabbage is considered ready. A white film will appear on the surface of the liquid, which is one of the readiness signals. Using a slotted spoon, remove it. The process must take place in a cold room.
Salting cabbage for the winter with forks in a barrel
The ideal vessel for this procedure is an oak barrel. The forks prepared according to this recipe are not only delicious, but also very healthy. Due to the fact that whole heads of cabbage are salted, they can be stored until spring and enjoyed all winter. delicious meals. By the way, it was customary to cook vegetables in a barrel back in the pre-revolutionary era.
First you need to prepare the container. Take a barrel and rinse it thoroughly with a solution of soda and boiling water. After that, it must be completely filled with water, and left for 7 days. This is necessary so that the wood swells and subsequently does not absorb the solution. For pickling cabbage with forks, it is recommended to use a vegetable of late varieties. Also prepare carrots, tomatoes and Bell pepper. If you want to give the vegetable a beautiful color, then add beets.
Cooking steps:
- to start, clean the forks from the outer leaves so that a smooth and dense head of cabbage remains. By the way, cut leaves can not be thrown away, because they can fill the voids in the top row and after a few weeks they are considered ready;
- remove the stalk using sharp knife. Thanks to this, the salting process will proceed evenly. Put the vegetables in the prepared barrel, filling the voids with large pieces of carrots, tomatoes and peppers. These vegetables will make the taste of the product even more original;
- we will salt in brine, for the preparation of which combine 10 liters of purified water and 400 g of salt. Pour the liquid into the barrel, put the leaves in the voids and cover the top with a piece of linen. Put a cross and press down with a load, for example, with a stone;
- every week, it is necessary to take out the fabric and, together with the circle, wash it in water, removing the mold that has formed. In a couple of months everything will be ready.
How to salt cauliflower with forks?
You can cook not only white, but also colored forks, which also turn out to be very tasty. Separate inflorescences will be an excellent basis, for example, for Korean salads.
For this recipe for the winter, you need to take such products: 2 forks of cauliflower, 0.5 kg of carrots, 5 bay leaves, 6 peppercorns and the same number of garlic cloves. To make a brine for 1 liter, you will need: 1 tbsp. a spoon with a slide of salt and a little less than 1 tbsp. spoons of sugar.
Cooking steps:
- salting begins with the preparation of the vegetable: carefully review the forks, as they should be dense, white and without spots. Otherwise, they are considered unsuitable for salting. Rinse them in water, then soak for a couple of hours to remove insects. It is best to remove too hard legs. The next step is to lower the forks for 2 minutes. into boiling water and then into cold water. It is important not to overcook the vegetable, as it will become soft and unsuitable for further processing. Chop the peeled carrots on a regular Korean grater;
- To make a brine, dissolve salt and sugar in water. After that, put the liquid on the stove and boil. Put the forks in a saucepan, add the carrots, slices of garlic, laurel and peppercorns, and then pour them with the cooled brine. Put oppression on top and leave for 2 days at room temperature. After that, transfer the container to a cool place, and after 4-5 days the cabbage will be ready. Vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe for sauerkraut with apples
Another option for cooking a vegetable, which, thanks to apples, turns out to be fragrant. In addition, salted fruits are also very tasty. Most often, this recipe is used by people who want to cook delicious and juicy cabbage rolls in the winter.
To prepare sauerkraut, take: 3 heads, 1 kg of apples and salt, which must be taken on the basis that 90 g should fall on 1 liter. In general, you will need about 5 liters of water.
Cooking steps:
- cabbage prepared for this recipe should be cleaned of old leaves and various stains. Using a sharp knife, remove the stalks. Take a large container, pour it into warm water and dissolve the salt. Stir well until the salt dissolves;
- tightly pack the heads and apples in a container with brine. Cover with a layer of gauze on top and put oppression, for example, it can be a bottle of water. Leave for 5 days at room temperature. After the time has elapsed, rinse the gauze in running water from mold, and also turn the heads of cabbage over. In order for the workpiece to turn out crispy, it is recommended to add a couple corn on the cob. Put the gauze back on and set the oppression. After that, transfer everything to a cool place for a month.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in sauerkraut and everyone can cope with this process. Be sure to use the suggested recipes to get a tasty and healthy dish for your family.
kerescan - Aug 25th, 2015
Homemade pickling of cabbage for the winter for all of us is a process that seems to have long been known. But, are you doing everything right and how tasty is your sauerkraut? In this recipe, I will try to tell in detail how to salt the cabbage, what processes occur during pickling, and what to do so that the cabbage does not peroxide, does not taste bitter, but always remains fresh - tasty and crispy.
And so, how to pickle cabbage for the winter at home correctly.
To begin with, varieties of cabbage of medium and late ripening are suitable for salting. We clean the heads of cabbage, cut off the stalk, remove the upper leaves, wash, cut into 4 parts and finely chop.
Also finely chop (chopped into coarse grater) carrot. You can also add whole or chopped apples to cabbage, the Antonovka variety, red bell pepper, lingonberries, cranberries, caraway seeds are best suited for pickling. The taste of cabbage improves with berries and apples, and vitamin C is better preserved with pepper. Whole heads or heads cut in half can be placed between chopped cabbage.
It is preferable to ferment cabbage in a wooden barrel or tub, but in the absence of it, it will do enamel pan. Only now you need to remember that cabbage will be stored less in a saucepan than in a barrel or tub.
Thoroughly wash the pickling container, scald it with boiling water, put a layer of cabbage leaves on the bottom, then chopped and grated cabbage with salt, to which we add apples, carrots, berries, sweet peppers or one of the above. The layer thickness should be approximately 5 cm.
Next, we continue to salt the cabbage by tamping it with a plank or with our hands. But it is not necessary to compact the cabbage very much so that it is not soft. So we fill the tub to the top, leaving less than 10 cm on top. We lay out whole cabbage leaves at the top, cover with a clean linen cloth, and then with a washed wooden circle, well fitted to the tub. From above we press the circle with a clean stone. So that the cabbage does not spoil and does not darken, the circle should always be covered with brine.
For 10 kg of peeled cabbage, take 7-10 pcs. carrots and apples, 1 cup lingonberries or cranberries, 2 g cumin, about 250 g salt.
Delicious cabbage is obtained if 1/5 of the salt, which is supposed in the recipe for cabbage, is replaced with sugar. Sugar speeds up the fermentation process. If we add sugar to the cabbage, then instead of the prescribed amount of salt, take 200 g of salt and 50 g of sugar. The rest of the ingredients are the same.
Cabbage tastes perfect when it ferments at t 18-20°C for 7-11 days. If the temperature in the room is higher, then fermentation will be faster and the cabbage will no longer be so tasty, and if it is lower, fermentation slows down, little lactic acid is released and the cabbage will turn out to be bitter in taste. During fermentation, gases are released that must be removed. How to do it? Just pierce the cabbage with a long stick to the bottom in several places. This procedure must be done every day.
At first, the cabbage will increase in volume, and the brine may overflow. It should be scooped out into a clean bowl, and then, when fermentation stops, add it back to the container.
Also, it is necessary to remove the foam from the surface of the cabbage all the time, as harmful bacteria start up in it.
The cabbage is considered ready if bubbles on the surface cease to form, and the brine becomes transparent.
Now, let's prepare the cabbage for long-term storage: wash and scald a cloth, a circle and a stone with boiling water, wipe the sides of the tub with a cloth. Cloth, before wiping, moisten in a strong saline solution. If cabbage is stored for a long time, then you need to do this all the time, as mold forms.
The sauerkraut blank should be stored in a room with a temperature of about zero. Cabbage should always be covered with brine - without brine, vitamins are quickly destroyed in it. You should also not wash the cabbage, as you can wash valuable minerals.
Just like in a barrel, you can ferment cabbage in glass jars, but the process of cabbage fermentation in a jar is shorter in time - only 3 days. When the cabbage ferments, it should be closed with a tight lid and kept in the basement or refrigerator.
Sauerkraut in a barrel or tub keeps well all winter. It is good as a salad with onions, and fried - as a side dish for meat. Also, you can cook first courses from sauerkraut (kapustniki, borscht). And if you pickle cabbage with whole small heads, then in winter you can cook cabbage rolls with rice and meat. What methods of salting cabbage do you use? What are the secrets of sauerkraut in your family - pickling cabbage? As always, I look forward to your feedback in the comments below the recipe.
O healing properties Cabbage has long been known to everyone. In the process of fermentation, it acquires even more useful substances, which contribute to the improvement of the whole organism. How to salt cabbage for the winter to get a tasty and invigorating product? This question is asked by beautiful hostesses and even representatives of the stronger sex. The fact that wooden containers are used for pickling has been heard by many. And in which barrels cabbage is salted, and what ingredients should be put, let's try to figure it out together.
Even in the distant past, sailors loaded wooden barrels of sauerkraut onto the ship and escaped from scurvy. Then it was the most common vegetable containing great amount vitamin C. They placed whole heads of cabbage in an oak product and consumed them during sea trips.
The special properties of wood have always been valued in storage various products. oak barrel can be considered an ideal dish for pickling cabbage. Before starting fermentation, it is necessary to properly prepare a wooden container.
Barrel handling
If the product is new, then it is soaked in cold water for two weeks. In this case, it is advisable to change the water once every two days. After swelling of the wood, all leaks are eliminated. The barrel is scalded with boiling water, washed with a solution of soda. Then rinse everything again. The barrel for salting cabbage is ready for use.
In the case of storing empty containers previously used for pickling, it is enough to rinse with soda and scald with hot water. When salting cabbage in an oak barrel, they get a pleasant and rich taste. fermented product. But at the same time, do not forget about the secrets of proper salting.
Subtleties of cooking
Before you figure out how to salt cabbage in a barrel for the winter, you need to know the details about the vegetable itself, which variety is best for pickling. 
It is advisable to use cabbage heads cut before the first frost. The ideal option there will be late varieties of the product. We need vegetables of light, almost white, color. Then you get delicious crispy sauerkraut.
It is necessary to pay attention to the upper leaves. If they are cut, then the head of cabbage is frozen, and it is not suitable for salting.
You can shred cabbage in different ways. Some like to generally cut into squares or divide into large pieces. Not very small and not very large, the average degree of shredding is quite satisfactory. The stalk of self-grown cabbage is also used for salting. If the product was bought from an unfamiliar merchant, it is better not to use it, as it may contain nitrates. So, the cabbage is ready for pickling. We pass to the last stage of direct fermentation.
Salting secrets
A very simple cabbage ambassador old recipes. If you prepare a brine, you need to take rock salt at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. With dry sourdough, salt is thrown a little more, about 20 g per 1 kg of chopped product. As you can see, it’s easy and simple, and the cabbage turns out tasty and crispy.
Modern housewives for improvement palatability add various ingredients:
- carrot;
- cranberries;
- apples;
- beets.
Grated carrots add a special flavor and enhance the crunchiness of the cabbage. Beetroot changes the color of the product. Also add cloves, allspice and black pepper, cumin.
After being placed in a barrel, the product is kept for about two weeks at room temperature, and then lowered into the cellar - the best place for storage. I almost forgot to mention the correct filling of the wooden container.
Features of laying in a barrel
To preserve the taste of cabbage, the bottom oak product sprinkled with flour, preferably rye. Then the constituent parts of the future fermented product are laid out in layers:
- shredded cabbage;
- salt;
- grated carrot.
Slightly compacting the vegetable layers, fill wooden barrel, but not to the very top, otherwise the juice that appears will pour out. Cover the cabbage with a cotton cloth and press down with a wooden lid. Periodically, it is recommended to pierce the contents in an oak container with an ordinary long twig. This releases gas from the product and saturates it with a new portion of oxygen.
Unfortunately, I had to briefly outline how to salt cabbage in a barrel. But hopefully useful information will help to properly pickle ordinary cabbage and get a rather tasty, healthy and healing product.
