How to ferment cabbage for the winter: a recipe

Most people love sauerkraut. How nice it is to get a jar of homemade blanks in winter. This sour snack goes well with fried potatoes, pasta and various side dishes. Our grandmothers fermented cabbage in large wooden barrels, thanks to which it could be stored for quite a long time. Now it is customary to cook a snack in small portions so that it does not have time to deteriorate. How is sauerkraut prepared for the winter? In this article, we will look at some tips that will help make the preparation even tastier and healthier. We will also see recipes for winter preparations with photos and step-by-step instructions.

What is useful sauerkraut

Each vegetable is useful in its own way and contains certain vitamins. White cabbage contains vitamin U, which is also called methylmethionine. It is he who helps the body fight stomach ulcers and gastritis. In general, this vegetable is very useful for the intestines.

Sauerkraut contains a huge amount of vitamin C. The most interesting thing is that even after six months, its concentration does not decrease. No other vegetables have this ability. Even during heat treatment, vitamin C does not evaporate, but degenerates into ascorbic acid. This is due to the fact that it is contained in the vegetable in the bound form of ascorbigen.

In addition, the preparation has a positive effect on the immune system and the body as a whole. Cabbage helps fight stress, all kinds of infections and intoxication of the body. It is rich not only in vitamin C, but also contains other trace elements, amino acids and minerals. In addition, it contains a lot of potassium, nicotinic acid and B vitamins. And the fiber it contains helps to remove toxins and toxins from the body.

Preparation of products for procurement

Lactic acid acts as a preservative in this dish. It is formed on its own when the lactic acid bacteria that are on the head begin to process sugar. Alcoholic fermentation produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. But so that the process of decay does not exactly begin, such preservatives are not enough. Therefore, salt is also used during cooking.

You should choose fairly dense, rather than loose heads of cabbage. For this, white cabbage of late and medium-late varieties is suitable. The weight of each head must be 800 grams or more. There may be small defects on the vegetable, but not more than 5% of the total head. You can list all varieties suitable for fermentation for a long time, but you should focus on those that are grown in your area. The main thing is that they are late.

Sauerkraut recipe for the winter

The preparation can consist of different ingredients. But to make it tasty and crispy, you need to follow the basic rules and proportions:

1. For fermentation, we take only late and medium-late varieties of cabbage. Early vegetables have a loose head structure and green leaves. Such heads of cabbage contain an insufficient amount of sugar, which worsens the fermentation process.
2. Many recipes also include carrots. In such cases, it is necessary to follow the exact proportions. The weight of the carrots in the salad should be only 3% of the total weight of the cabbage. If there is 1 kg of cabbage in the salad, then we take 30 g of carrots, respectively.
3. For harvesting take only coarse salt. Iodized for these purposes is not suitable.
4. Salts take from 2 to 2,5% of the total weight of vegetables. It turns out that for 1 kg of cabbage you will need about 20-25 grams.
5. To make the preparation more useful, you can use coarse sea salt.
6. You can also add various vegetables, fruits and other additives to the salad. Some throw cranberries, apples, lingonberries, beets, cumin and bay leaves into the harvest. Everyone can determine the amount of these ingredients to their liking.

How to ferment cabbage correctly

Sauerkraut is a quick and fairly easy process. But if you miss at least one stage, then the workpiece may simply not work out. Now let’s look at the whole process step by step:

1. The first step is to clean the heads of the top green or rotten leaves. All frozen or damaged parts are cut off. You should also remove the stalk.
2. Next, you need to determine how to ferment cabbage (whole or chopped). It is not very convenient to ferment whole heads, so most pre-cut the vegetable.

   

3. Then peel and grate the carrots on a coarse grater. A grater for carrots in Korean is also suitable.
4. Now the chopped cabbage is poured onto the table and rubbed well with the addition of salt. Also at this stage add all other additives. You need to grind the salad until it starts up the juice.
5. Next, you need to prepare a container for storing the workpiece. A wooden barrel or an enamel pot of the right size is best. The enamel must not be damaged.
6. Lay the cabbage leaves on the bottom of the container. Then the prepared salad is placed there. You need to lay out the workpiece in layers from 10 to 15 cm. After each layer, the salad is well tamped.

   

7. Some housewives who make harvesting in large containers like to put a whole head of cabbage inside. Then from such cabbage you can cook beautiful cabbage rolls.
8. Then the workpiece is covered with leaves and a clean towel, a wooden circle is placed on the barrel, and oppression is on top.
9. After 24 hours, the selected brine should come to the surface.
10. For the fermentation process to take place, the container is kept at room temperature.
11. During fermentation, bubbles and foam should stand out on the surface, which must be collected.
12. Next, you need to release gas from the workpiece. If this is not done, then all efforts will be in vain and the cabbage will simply deteriorate. To do this, every day or after 2 days the cabbage is pierced with a wooden stick to the very bottom in several places.

    

13. When the cabbage noticeably settles, it is necessary to remove the oppression from it and remove the leaves and the upper darkened layer of the cabbage. Then the wooden circle is washed using soda, and the towel is washed in plain water and saline. After that, it is squeezed out and the cabbages are covered again. Next, put a wooden circle and lighter oppression. The brine should cover the circle.
14. If the required amount of brine is not released, it is necessary to increase the size of the load.
15. The workpiece is stored in a cool room with a temperature of 0 to 5°C.
16. Readiness can be determined by color and taste. A properly prepared salad should have a slightly yellowish color, an appetizing smell and a sour taste.

How to make sauerkraut with beets and peppers

To prepare such a blank, we need:

• cabbage – 1 head;
• beets – 1 large or 2 medium;
• carrots of medium size – 2 pcs .;
• sweet bell pepper – 3 pcs.;
• dill – 1 bunch;
• Garlic – 4 cloves;
• black peppercorns – from 10 to 15 pcs.;
• granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l .;
• citric acid – 1 tbsp. l.;
• edible salt to taste.

Salad preparation begins, of course, with cabbage. First of all, it is washed and cleaned of damaged leaves. Then it is cut into 8 or 12 even parts, as shown in the photo below. Cabbage is set aside and proceed to beets, peppers and carrots. Wash the peppers, remove the cores and cut into strips. Carrots and beets are peeled, washed well under running water and cut in the same way as cabbage. You should get thin plates.

Then all the vegetables are laid out in layers in the prepared container, each layer, sprinkled with sugar and salt. Then you need to boil water, pour citric acid into a container with vegetables and pour boiling water over the entire contents. The water should completely cover the vegetables. Then the workpiece is covered with a clean towel and oppression is laid.

spicy sauerkraut recipe

To cook sauerkraut according to this recipe, you need to prepare the following ingredients:

• white cabbage – 4 kg;
• beets – 150 g;
• hot red pepper – half a pod;
• garlic – 50 g;
• horseradish (root) – 50 g;
• fresh parsley – 50 g;
• water – 2 l;
• granulated sugar – 100 g;
• edible salt – 100 g.

Now let’s take a closer look at a step-by-step recipe on how to ferment cabbage with horseradish and garlic. My head of cabbage and cut into large slices. Next, grate the horseradish root. Garlic is peeled, washed and passed through a press. You can also finely chop the garlic with a knife. We clean the beets from the skin and cut into cubes. Wash parsley under running water and finely chop with a knife. Hot red pepper must be washed and the core and all seeds removed. It is better to do this with gloves, after which you need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. All prepared ingredients are mixed.

Next, proceed to the preparation of the brine. To do this, boil 2 liters of water. After boiling, sugar and salt are added to the pan in the right amount. The solution is slightly boiled and cooled. Pour the prepared brine over the vegetable mixture. Then oppression is laid on top and cabbage is kept in this form for at least 2 days in a warm room. After the fermentation process subsides a little, the container is transferred to a colder place.

How to prepare sauerkraut for the winter

Cabbage can be pickled dry or wet. The dry method is different in that at first the vegetable is simply mixed with spices and carrots, and then the mass is very tightly packed into the prepared container. You can also lay out various fruits and vegetables or berries between the layers (according to the recipe). Sugar and salt are added to the brine, which must be boiled and pour over the packed vegetables. How to prepare such a brine is described a little higher.

In the second case, you need to grind the chopped cabbage with salt so that the juice begins to stand out. Then the workpiece is mixed in parts with carrots and spread everything in a large container. It is better not to lay out the entire mixture at once, otherwise it will be difficult to compact it. If the recipe contains additional vegetables or fruits, then we put them in portions between the layers of cabbage.

The billet is considered ready, but not completely fermented, when the foam stops forming. This salad is safe to eat. But in order to bring the workpiece to full readiness, it is necessary to keep the container in a cool place for another month. The temperature must not be lower than 0 and not higher than +2°C. Lettuce can be stored throughout the winter if you follow all the step-by-step instructions.

Conclusion

As we could see, fermenting cabbage for the winter is not at all difficult. This is a quick and pleasant process that does not require special preparation and high material costs. Everyone can afford to cook such a tasty and healthy snack for the winter. Moreover, now you know exactly how to ferment cabbage at home.