With the onset of autumn, a particularly hot time for preparing blanks for the winter begins. Indeed, at this time, many vegetables and fruits ripen in large quantities and they can be bought for almost nothing, while after a month or two the prices for the same products will bite very much. It is customary to harvest sauerkraut for the winter as one of the latest – after all, its early varieties are not very tasty in sauerkraut. And middle and late varieties become most delicious after the first small frosts.
Each housewife has, as a rule, her most favorite and reliable recipe for fermenting white cabbage. But there is a way to leaven cabbage that will interest anyone who loves tasty and healthy foods – sauerkraut with honey. After all, in recipes where natural honey is used as an additive during fermentation, two of the most healthy products are combined, and if you have the opportunity, be sure to try to cook this dish that is incredibly refined in taste, attractive in appearance and healthy in its properties. In addition, it can be stored even longer under normal conditions, because the antiseptic properties inherent in honey make it an excellent preservative.
Recipe “classic”
Such a recipe does not stand out as something particularly new; rather, it can be called old, since it was used to ferment cabbage more than a century ago. The composition of the ingredients for making sauerkraut according to this recipe is very simple.
- White cabbage – a large fork, weighing about 3 kg;
- Carrots – two medium or one large root crop;
- 3 dessert spoons without a slide of coarse salt;
- Honey, preferably dark-colored late varieties – 2 tablespoons;
- 5 peas of black pepper.
All contaminated and spoiled outer leaves are removed from the cabbage fork and then it is washed well in running water. Then the forks are cut into several parts so that it is more convenient to chop each part into strips with a knife or a special grater.
Carrots are washed, peeled and rubbed on a coarse grater. Chopped vegetables are mixed in an enamel or glass container, salt and pepper are added, mixed and kneaded well.
Then a clean heavy oppression is placed on top and left in a room with a temperature of about + 18 ° C + 20 ° C for 48 hours. At elevated temperatures, the fermentation process is faster, but the taste of cabbage deteriorates, and if the temperature is much lower, the process slows down, lactic acid is released in insufficient quantities and the cabbage may taste bitter.
It is necessary to pierce the workpiece daily with a long, sharp stick so that gases accumulated during fermentation can freely escape from it. The foam that appears on the surface also needs to be periodically removed – harmful bacteria can accumulate in it.
After 48 hours, part of the brine is poured into a mug, mixed with honey, and the cabbage is poured again with this sweet solution.
After another two days, according to the recipe, sauerkraut should ferment. Among many recipes for sourdough cabbage, it is with this method that the fermentation process is the longest, but the taste of the workpiece, as a rule, turns out to be more saturated. A sign of the end of the fermentation process will be the transparency of the brine and the cessation of the appearance of air bubbles on the surface of the cabbage. Now the cabbage can be moved to a cold place. The ideal temperature for its storage is from +2°С to +6°С.
Brine sourdough method
The previous recipe is great for fermenting juicy varieties of white cabbage, which themselves release a lot of liquid during fermentation. But cabbage is different and it is not always possible to determine how it will behave during the fermentation process. Therefore, there is another way of sourdough, using which you are guaranteed to get tasty and crispy sauerkraut.
You can use the same ingredients as in the previous recipe, but only pure spring water is added to them. You can use water passed through a good filter or boiled.
After cutting the vegetables, boil the water and dissolve the salt in it. For one and a half liters of water according to the recipe, you will need about 3 dessert spoons of salt. Then cool the resulting brine to a temperature not exceeding +40°C. And only then dissolve 2 tablespoons of honey in it.
All recipes using honey imply this basic requirement, even if they do not explicitly state it.
It is advisable to sterilize glass jars before placing a mixture of chopped cabbage and carrots in them. Vegetables are stacked very tightly, and lightly crushed on top with a spoon. After the vegetables are laid almost under the very neck of the jar, it is poured with honey-salt brine and placed in a moderately warm place. It is necessary that the brine covers all the vegetables with a head.
Since during the fermentation process, part of the brine will rise up and go beyond the jar, it is better to put it in some saucer. Already 8-10 hours after the start of fermentation, it is desirable to release excess gases from the workpiece by piercing it with a sharp fork or knife.
Cabbage prepared according to this recipe can be tasted within a day after production, although it will acquire its final taste only after 2-3 days. It should be stored, like any sauerkraut, in a cool and even cold place.
spicy cabbage
If you want to experiment with the taste sensations of sauerkraut, then try cooking it according to this recipe. All the main ingredients are taken in the same amount as for the classic version. Cabbage and carrots are cut in a convenient way for you. But in the manufacture of brine, in addition to salt, half a teaspoon of anise, dill seeds and cumin are added to boiling water. The brine, as usual, cools and honey is thoroughly dissolved in it.
Further, everything happens in the traditional way. Cooked vegetables are poured with brine with spices and honey and placed in a relatively warm place. As usual, cabbage can be considered ready and transferred to the cold, when gas bubbles cease to be released, and the brine brightens.
You can also use crushed apples, bell peppers, beets, grapes, and cranberries to give sauerkraut extra flavors. Try different options and surprise your home with a variety of tastes of such a traditional preparation for all.
