Before potatoes and other root vegetables were brought to Europe, cabbage was one of the most common vegetables on the table of our ancestors. The homeland of cabbage is the Mediterranean, after this vegetable was cultivated, its triumphal procession began around the world. Cabbage dishes were served in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome and Greece; there is no country in Europe that does not have cabbage dishes in its cuisine.
Our ancestors knew that cabbage is very useful and has not only good culinary, but also medicinal properties, which is why it was so appreciated. Cabbage contains a large amount of vitamins B, C, carotene, fiber, folic acid, calcium and potassium salts, sugar, fats and much more. Cabbage leaf is a well-known remedy for the treatment of rheumatic pains, its constant use relieves insomnia, improves digestion, and improves mood. Cabbage has antiseptic properties.
In terms of the content of vegetable proteins, it is the leader among most vegetables. Freshly squeezed cabbage juice literally raises sick people to their feet, so it is recommended to consume cabbage constantly.
Surprisingly, it is a fact – sauerkraut is ahead of fresh cabbage in its useful qualities. The fact is that during fermentation, a process takes place that preserves all the vitamins found in the fresh product, and in addition to this, during fermentation, vitamin B12 is formed, which is found only in algae. Lactic acid improves and stabilizes bowel function. Therefore, all nutritionists recommend constantly eating cabbage, fresh or sauerkraut.
And we will share a few recipes on how to preserve this product for the winter in order to replenish the vitamins that are missing in winter with its help.
Sauerkraut
Pickling cabbage is one of the most common ways to get a tasty and healthy product for the winter.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage – 1 pcs.
- Carrots – 1 pieces.
- Salt – 2 tsp.
- Sugar – 2 tsp.
Chop the cabbage into thin strips, grate the carrots on a coarse grater. Mix cabbage and carrots in a large container, add salt. Coarse salt is best for pickling cabbage. Mix everything thoroughly and add sugar. While stirring vegetables, you can squeeze them a little with your hands to form juice.
If salt and sugar are not enough for your taste, then you can increase their amount.
We put the finished vegetables in a clean jar, tamping tightly. Cover the jar with gauze and leave to ferment. The optimum temperature for this is 20-23 degrees.
The jar must be placed in a deep container, as the juice will stand out from the cabbage and drain.
The next day, using a wooden stick or just a fork, you need to pierce the contents of the can to the very bottom in several places, so gas will come out of the cabbage.
Sauerkraut takes an average of three days, after that, you need to cover it and put it in the refrigerator to enjoy its taste and a set of vitamins throughout the winter.
Sauerkraut salad with cranberries
The presence of cranberries gives winter preparations even more vitamins and a piquant sourness.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage – 2 kg.
- Cranberries – 150 g.
- Carrots – 1 pieces.
- Salt – 4 tbsp l.
- Sugar – 2 st. l.
- Bay leaves – 3 pcs.
Rinse and dry the cranberries. Chop the cabbage into thin strips. Peel and grate the carrots. In a large dish, combine cabbage and carrots with salt and sugar. Juice will start to come out immediately upon stirring.
Put a layer of cabbage in a container where sauerkraut takes place, put a bay leaf and a layer of cranberries, then another layer of cabbage, bay leaves and cranberries.
Cover the cabbage with a plate and put oppression on it, it can just be a jar of water. The optimum temperature for fermentation is 20-23 degrees, so we leave the cabbage at room temperature. The next day, you need to remove the oppression and pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick in several places so that the gas comes out of it. Repeat this procedure daily. Cooking time for cabbage is 3-4 days. After that, the finished salad must be put into the refrigerator and taken out as needed.
Sauerkraut with mushrooms
The original recipe for canning, the result is a ready-made full-fledged dish.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage – 1 pcs.
- Carrots – 1 pieces.
- Apple – 1 pcs.
- Champignons – 300 gr.
- Salt – to taste
- Dill or caraway seeds – to taste
Chop the cabbage into thin strips. Wash the mushrooms and cut into thin slices. Remove the core from the apple and cut into thin slices. For this recipe, it is best to take sour apple varieties, for example, Antonovka.
Carrots grate on a large grater.
Grind the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Put in layers in a container for fermentation: cabbage, apple, mushrooms, dill seeds. We cover the container with a plate and put oppression.
Cabbage is cooked for 3-4 days, during this time, the gas formed during fermentation needs to be released daily.
After the salad is ready, store it in the refrigerator.
Marinated Cauliflower
Carried away by winter harvesting, many forget that in addition to white cabbage, there are a large number of other varieties that can also be harvested for the winter.
Ingredients:
- Cauliflower – 1/2 head of cabbage
- Carrots – 1 pieces.
- Bay leaf – 1 pcs.
- Salt – 2 tsp.
- Sugar – 2 tsp.
- Vinegar – 2 tsp
- Peppercorns – 5 pcs.
- Carnation – 3 pcs.
- Water – 1 l.
Peel and cut the carrots into circles or other shapes you like. Wash cauliflower and disassemble into inflorescences.
Take a jar with a capacity of 1 liter, sterilize it, put bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns on the bottom. Fill the jar with cabbage and carrots.
Boil water and pour boiling water over cabbage. Leave on for 5 minutes.
Drain and boil again.
Add salt and sugar to the jar, pour boiling water over and seal it with a lid.
The salad is ready for the winter.
Korean style canned cabbage
Ingredients:
- Cabbage – 1 pcs.
- Carrots – 2-3 pcs.
- Beets – 1 pcs.
- Garlic – 1 Head
- Bitter pepper – 1 pc.
- Peppercorns
- Bay leaf
- Salt – 2 tbsp l.
- Sugar – 1 st.
- Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Vegetable oil – 0,5 tbsp.
- Water – 1 liter
Put in a clean 3-liter jar: coarsely chopped cabbage, cloves of garlic, coarsely grated carrots and beets, hot pepper on top. We repeat one more layer in the same sequence.
Prepare the brine separately: water, salt, sugar and spices. Fill vegetables with boiling brine. We leave the cabbage for 2-3 days at room temperature, systematically releasing the gas formed during fermentation. After the cabbage is ready, put it in the refrigerator.
On the pages of our site you will find many more recipes on how to cook delicious cabbage salads for the winter and preserve the maximum amount of vitamins in them.