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Delicious sauerkraut. Sauerkraut

Preface

Sauerkraut for the winter - one of the most delicious, healthy and popular pickles. They love it as a separate dish and without it it is impossible to prepare some others (vinaigrette, cabbage soup, etc.) that are truly tasty. Sauerkraut is healthier than fresh cabbage - not only does it retain all the vitamins and microelements present in the vegetable cut from the garden, but it also adds active healing substances formed during the fermentation of the product.

Of course, you can ferment absolutely any cabbage. However, to really cook tasty dish, you should follow some recommendations for choosing this vegetable. First of all, it should be noted that it is best. Moreover, not every variety is suitable, and when purchasing or choosing a head of cabbage cut from a garden bed, you need to pay attention to its appearance.

You should use mid-late, or better yet, late varieties of white cabbage. The early ones are worse in that their heads are loose and contain much less sugar, which is necessary not only for the good taste of the product, but also for fermentation during pickling. Therefore the most best period for fermenting cabbage, mid-to-late autumn, when the forks of late varieties of this vegetable ripen and acquire the desired density.

You should only choose really well-ripened forks - they will contain sufficient sugar. It is best to take larger heads of cabbage, slightly flattened and almost pure white. Their impressive size will indicate sufficient maturity. However, the head of cabbage should not be too large either. Firstly, it will not be very convenient to cut it, and secondly, it is possible that such a vegetable was “fed” with fertilizers that accelerated its growth.

When choosing forks, you need to pay attention to the upper outer leaves covering them. They should be light green. If they are almost white, then most likely the heads of cabbage were frozen, and the seller, wanting to hide this, removed the top leaves.

The stalk should be without damage or signs of rot, dense and white. The leaves should be free of any inclusions, spots or holes. The smell of the head of cabbage should be vegetable and fresh. If it smells rotten, you need to choose another fork.

Selection of utensils for fermentation

The best utensils for fermenting any vegetables are wooden. Previously, oak barrels or tubs were used. If cabbage is fermented in such a container, it will additionally acquire a pleasant aroma and taste.

A worthy replacement for oak dishes is enameled. Important condition its application – enamel all over inner surface The container should not have any chips or cracks. You can use enamel tanks, pots and even buckets. Clay containers are also suitable.

If you have a basement or cellar, you must definitely take dishes of impressive size. Only in large quantities can cabbage be fermented truly well.

Steel, aluminum and plastic containers are completely unsuitable.

The lactic acid released from the cabbage during pickling and the brine itself will react with the metal or plastic. Because of this, the workpiece will have an unpleasant aftertaste, and the formation of harmful and even dangerous substances may occur.

When there is no basement or cellar and you have to ferment cabbage in the apartment, it is best to use glass jars. Their volume must be at least 3 liters.

Ingredients and their ratio

The main ones are cabbage, carrots and salt. We take as much cabbage as we are going to ferment. Carrots - at your own discretion. It gives sauerkraut a sweetish, pleasant taste and makes it more aromatic, juicy and crispy, and makes the appearance of the dish served more attractive. IN classic recipe 1 kg of carrots per 10 kg of cabbage is enough. But you can do more, as is offered in various other cooking options. If you use too many carrots, they will overwhelm the taste of the cabbage.

Salt is a separate conversation. The main thing is that it should not exceed 25 g per 1 kg of vegetables. Otherwise, the result will not be fermentation, but pickling. The second requirement for salt is that it must be non-iodized. It is better to use coarse, but fine grinding is also possible. Iodized salt will make the cabbage not very tasty, not as crispy, and may become unpleasant to eat - slippery.

You can ferment cabbage with the addition of various spices and seasonings: dill seeds, bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, horseradish and others. They will give the preparation a pleasant aroma and piquant taste. However, you need to be careful when adding them. If you overdo it, the spices will overwhelm the natural flavor of the cabbage.

Sugar is often added, especially if the cabbage is unripe or of early varieties. It is usually taken in the same proportions as salt - up to 25 g per 1 kg of vegetables. Firstly, sugar improves fermentation, and secondly, cabbage sauerkraut with it turns out to be more pleasant and delicate in taste, sometimes even sweetish, and also less sour.

Some people sauerkraut with the addition of fruits and/or berries, for example, plums, apples, lingonberries, cranberries. These ingredients give the product a pleasant sour taste. You can add beets. The cabbage will turn ruby ​​in color and unusual taste.

How to properly cut vegetables

You can ferment cabbage whole by dividing the head of cabbage in half or into several parts, cutting the leaves into large or small squares, triangles or rectangles, and also chopping it into narrow strips. Most often used last option. This way the vegetable ferments faster and more evenly. Moreover, you need to chop it quite finely, but you shouldn’t chop it too much either. Otherwise, the chopped pieces will soften during fermentation and the cabbage will turn into porridge and will not be crispy.

You can shred with a sharp knife. Even better - a special shredder designed for chopping cabbage. With its help, this vegetable will be cut correctly and quickly.

Using a grater to chop heads of cabbage is strictly not recommended. The pieces of leaves will turn out to be too small and crushed, they will no longer be crispy and juice will be released from them prematurely.

Regardless of the recipe, carrots can be grated on a regular grater with large or medium meshes. Korean-style carrots are often used for cooking.

If the recipe requires adding other products, then the berries are left whole, the plums too, or they are cut in half, but in any case the seeds are removed. and the beets are cut at your discretion: in half, into several parts or into slices, plates. Small and small ones are best left whole.

Methods and temperature conditions for fermentation

There are two main methods, conventionally called wet and dry. In the first case, cabbage is mixed with carrots and spices when they are used, and then placed tightly in a fermentation container or placed in layers with other products (apples, berries or others), if they are in the recipe. Then everything is poured with boiled brine, cooled or hot. If sugar is added, it is dissolved along with salt during boiling.

Using the dry method as the basis for the recipe, first mix or even grind the cabbage with salt and mash it a little so that it releases juice. Then mix with carrots. This is usually done in an enamel cup in portions. Take 1 proportional part of cabbage, salt and carrots, mix them and place them in a fermentation container, compacting them as shown in the video. Then do the same with the next portions. At the same time, other products (apples, berries, or others) are placed in the container in layers, if they should be present. The cabbage is not poured with either water or brine, but is fermented in own juice, which is released during fermentation.

If the recipe calls for sugar or spices, they are added while mixing the cabbage and carrots. You should not crush or compact the vegetables too much, otherwise the preparation will not turn out crispy.

Regardless of the method and recipe for fermentation, the next thing to do is cover the cabbage with clean gauze or cloth and press down with pressure (weight). To do this, place an enamel lid or plate of a suitable size on it in a wide container, and place a load on top - a washed natural stone or a jar of water. Metal objects will not work. If the cabbage is fermented in a jar, then you can leave nothing in at all or use a small jar of water.

The first few days - usually three days, sometimes more - the cabbage should be fermented at room temperature. During this period of vegetable harvesting, constant monitoring is required. It is necessary to regularly remove the foam formed as a result of fermentation and pierce the cabbage in several places with a clean wooden kitchen utensil to allow the gases released to escape. If you don’t do all this, then you can forget about a tasty, and even more so, crispy snack. The preparation will turn out bitter and soggy.

When the foam stops forming and the brine becomes lighter in color, the cabbage can already be eaten, although it is still under-fermented. The container with it should be placed in a cool, dark place. It’s better to go to the cellar, but in the absence of one, you can go to the refrigerator. To ferment completely, the cabbage must stand there for about another month. And then it is stored there for up to 9 months. The optimal temperature for further fermentation and subsequent storage is 0–+2 o C.


Sauerkraut is known to all readers. The most delicious is the one made with your own hands at home. You can buy cabbage at the market or grow it in your garden. If in ancient Rus' it was cooked in barrels, then modern people Now they are storing it in jars for the winter.

Sauerkraut is a fairly common way of preparing everyone’s favorite cabbage for the winter. You can ferment by shredded method, pieces and large or small plates. The quality of the product depends on the amount of salt. Oversalting and undersalting impairs the quality of fermentation. Knowing the middle and being able to compare the mass (volume) of cabbage by eye with the amount of salt is the highest skill.

Very tasty sauerkraut, quick cooking for the winter, in jars

You are invited to view a simple recipe for sauerkraut, crispy cabbage, which always turns out.

You will need:

Preparing the recipe:

Shred fresh cabbage with a knife, as in the photo.

Sprinkle salt on the eye and a little sugar.

Mash the cabbage with your hands so that it becomes soft and releases its juice.

Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.

Mix with your hands and squeeze again between your palms. We also put the coarsely broken one here. Bay leaf and peppercorns. Mix.

Place the cabbage into clean jars with your hands and compact with your fist.

We put cabbage to the top of the jar and see

that the cabbage had already given enough juice and rubbing it with your hands gave a positive result.

Place the jars of cabbage in plates and leave them on the table for 36 hours. Then close the lids and put in a cool place. After 3 days, the cabbage is ready to eat.

Open the lid, place on a plate, chop the onion, pour in some oil and enjoy a delicious and healthy sauerkraut salad.

Sauerkraut is delicious! Try it!

Sauerkraut - a quick way to prepare it in 3 liter jars, for the winter

Required:

  • Fresh cabbage
  • 3 carrots per 3 liter jar
  • For the brine: 1 tbsp. spoon of table food ground rock salt(heaped), 1 tbsp sugar, 800 ml boiling water

Preparation of the recipe - Sauerkraut:

Please note that we chop the carrots, not grate them. When sliced, it looks original.

If you don't have a special cutting board, just use a knife to cut it into thin strips.

We cut the head of cabbage into quarters and then cut the quarter using a special board for cutting vegetables. It turns out a beautiful thin straw.

Cut the cabbage in batches: Cut the cabbage, put it in a bowl, add the carrots, mix and put it in a jar. This is the sequence.

Add carrots to your taste. Here's a bowl with ready-made chopped cabbage. Please note that there is no need to mash and rub the cabbage between your palms.

We put it in a jar and try to pack it tightly.

To do this, compact it with your fingers and fist.

This way we collected a full 3 liter jar of cabbage.

Now you need to prepare the cabbage filling in a jar. Place 1 tbsp in a measuring cup. a spoonful of salt and 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar. Pour 800 ml of boiling water and stir.

Carefully pour this volume of filling into the cabbage in the jar.

If this volume of filling is not enough for you, then we repeat the process of creating the filling in the same way as before: again add 1 tbsp. spoon of salt and sugar and

pour 800 ml of boiling water, stir.

And add a secondary batch of filling to the jar to the very top.

Place the jar of cabbage in a deep bowl so that during fermentation, water does not get on the table or floor. At room temperature, cabbage will ferment for 1 - 2 days. As a result of fermentation, gas will be released and it needs to be helped to come out.

During the fermentation process, you need to approach and squeeze the gas out of the cabbage by pressing deeply with a long object. After 2 - 3 days, put the cabbage with the lid closed in the refrigerator. or another cool place. Our sauerkraut is ready.

Cabbage for the winter - a classic way to make sauerkraut, video recipe

In the past, cabbage was fermented in barrels in this way, without adding water, but only adding salt.

Sauerkraut with vodka - and this is, indeed, a delicious recipe for the winter

What you will need for a 3 liter jar:

  • White cabbage
  • Salt - 100 g
  • Sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons
  • Carrots and cumin - to taste
  • Vodka – 100 ml

Preparing the recipe:

Chop the white cabbage, add salt, add some grated carrots and cumin. There is no need to rub it with your hands.

Place the cabbage and carrots in a 3-liter jar and press tightly without compacting.

Heat 2 plastic lids, one single-edged and one double-edged, in hot water. Bend the first lid in half and stick it into the neck, straighten the lid on the cabbage, it should fit tightly. Close the second lid. Place it in the cellar or on the balcony.

After 10 days, remove the cabbage, remove the lids and pierce the center with a clean wooden stick. Let it stand for 2 hours, then remove the stick. Pour 2 tbsp into the cavity in the cabbage. spoons of sugar and pour in 100 ml of vodka. Close the jar with a lid and leave in the cellar for another 2 days.

The cabbage is ready. It turned out crispy and very tasty. In such a volume, the alcohol will be lost and unnoticeable, and during long-term storage it will completely disappear. There is no need to be afraid, after 3 - 5 days of sauerkraut, the cabbage will be harmless to everyone.

Sauerkraut with beets and horseradish

You will need for a 3 liter jar:

  • 2 - 2.5 kg - cabbage
  • 3 tbsp. spoons - salt
  • 3 - 5 pcs. - black peppercorns
  • 3 - 5 pcs. - allspice peas
  • 4 - 5 tbsp. spoon - sugar
  • 2 - 3 buds - carnations
  • 1 - 2 tbsp. spoons - grated horseradish
  • 1 PC. - small beets
  • Garlic, black ground pepper- taste

Preparing the recipe:

Place peppercorns, cloves, and grated horseradish on the bottom of 3-liter jars. Place sliced ​​cabbage, sliced ​​beets in layers in a jar, adding salt and sugar and adding garlic and ground pepper. Compact each layer with a masher.

Place the jars in a warm place for 3 days. Place plates under the jars, as liquid may leak out during fermentation. Don't forget to pierce the contents with a wooden stick.

After fermentation is complete, remove the jars of cabbage to the cold.

Sauerkraut with rye bread

Required:

  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Beet
  • Bay leaf, cumin seeds
  • 1/4 loaf rye bread

Cooking method:

Chop cabbage, carrots, beets (you can do without them), add bay leaves, cumin seeds, and salt to taste. Mix everything.

Place 1/4 loaf of rye bread on the bottom of the container and place chopped vegetables on top. Prick several times with a wooden stick.

After 3 days, put it in the cold.

Sauerkraut with raisins

Required Products:

  • Cabbage, carrots, raisins - in any ratio

Method for preparing the recipe - Sauerkraut:

  1. Chop the prepared cabbage.
  2. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
  3. Rinse the raisins.
  4. Place everything in an enamel pan and stir. Cover the top with a whole cabbage leaf and place a weight.
  5. After 3 days, the cabbage should be removed to a cool place.
  6. After 2 weeks, the cabbage is ready to eat.

Hello, dear readers. The holidays are approaching, and in addition to various delicacies there, I, for example, want to see sauerkraut on my table. We always have sauerkraut in winter, and today I decided to show you how we make sauerkraut. There will be several recipes, so to speak, for everyone. My parents fermented cabbage not only when they were 3 liter jars, and also in buckets, and even in barrels. Moreover, they fermented it with red beets, apples and even watermelons. I really liked soaked watermelons.

But today we will talk not about watermelons, but about cabbage. I will ferment the cabbage in a 3 liter jar.

How to ferment cabbage in a jar recipe No. 1

And for this I need cabbage, carrots, salt and sugar. I take a head of cabbage weighing 3.1 kg. And believe my experience, the cabbage will all fit into the jar.

Cabbage should be white and sweet. If the cabbage is bitter, then it may taste bitter when pickled. I chop cabbage; I have a special knife for this purpose. You can see it in the photo at the top right.

Then I peel one carrot and grate it. You can grate carrots using any grater.

Then I add one spoon of salt and two spoons of sugar. You need to use ordinary rock salt. Never use iodized salt. I add it right at the table, and now I mix it well and mash the cabbage with my hands. It's like I'm kneading dough. Don’t be afraid to mash the cabbage, it will turn out tasty and crispy.

After we remember the cabbage well, you can put it in a jar. Place the cabbage in a jar and tamp it down well with a wooden rocker. As you can see in the photo, all the cabbage fit into the jar. There's even some room left in the bank.

I didn't use water at all. The cabbage gave juice, and as you can see in the photo, there is enough juice to cover the entire cabbage. If you end up with a full jar, be sure to place the jar in a bowl or other container.

When the cabbage begins to ferment, in approximately less than a day, the juice will flow out of the jar through the top. During fermentation, carbon dioxide will be released, so it will push the juice out of the jar in the form of bubbles.

We leave the cabbage in the room. For cabbage to ferment well, it needs to stand at room temperature for three days. After three days the cabbage is ready. After this, put the cabbage in the refrigerator or a cold place. Of course, you can eat it after two days, but it will still not be sour enough.

If the cabbage tastes a little bitter, bring it back into the room at night. The bitterness should go away. My cabbage turned out tasty and crispy. I had this cabbage on my balcony for about two months, and there was no mucus or mold on top.

How to ferment cabbage in a jar recipe No. 2

My next recipe will be with brine. If in the first recipe I did not use water at all, then in this recipe there will be a lot of it. To prepare the brine, we need two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of salt. If desired, you can also add allspice and bay leaf.

I start cooking with brine. I boil 1.5 liters of water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. I mix it all well. As you can see in the photo above left, I don’t add water all the way to the top.

Then I put 5 peas of allspice and two bay leaves into hot water. We leave our brine to cool. In the meantime, let's move on to cutting the cabbage. Now I took smaller cabbage. For this recipe, cabbage weighing about 2.2 - 2.5 kilograms is suitable. This will be quite enough. And one big carrot.

As in the first case, chop the cabbage and three carrots. Only now I grate the carrots on a Korean grater. We don't mash the cabbage in this recipe and I like the carrots to look nice too. Before doing this, of course, don’t forget to clean it.

Now that we have chopped the cabbage and grated the carrots, mix it all well, but do not mash it.

Then you can put the cabbage in the jar. I don’t compact the cabbage too much, because we still need to fill it with brine. After we put all the cabbage in the jar, we need to wait until our prepared brine cools down to room temperature.

Do not pour hot water over the cabbage; you will kill the bacteria that cause the cabbage to ferment. And instead of fermenting, the cabbage may become moldy.

And after it has cooled, we fill our cabbage with brine. And then everything follows the same scenario. Leave the cabbage at room temperature for three days. At the same time, do not forget to place a bowl under the bottle with cabbage. The cabbage will ferment. At the same time, I periodically used a wooden skewer to release the air from the cabbage.

I want to tell you so that you are aware. During fermentation, about 0.5 liters of water leaked out of my bottle. So place the container appropriately. And don’t worry if suddenly the water in your bottle ends up at the bottom.

The cabbage floats and the brine remains at the bottom. Simply release carbon dioxide during fermentation with a wooden twig or skewer and push the cabbage down. The cabbage turned out crispy and slightly different from the first recipe. It's a little saltier, but just as tasty.

How to ferment cabbage in a jar recipe No. 3

The third recipe will be cabbage soaked in plain water. We'll just fill it with boiled water cold water, and in a smaller proportion. This recipe will not include photos of how to cut cabbage, I think you already know.

For this recipe we will need about 2.8 - 3 kg of cabbage. You can also take medium carrots. Although you can add more carrots, or you can add no carrots at all. Carrots act here only in a decorative role; they color our cabbage.

Chop the cabbage and grate the carrots. Mix all this well. Then add one spoon of salt and mix a little more. There is no need to mash the cabbage too much, as we did in the first recipe.

Now we place the cabbage in a jar, compacting it with a wooden rocker. Again, we don’t tamp too much. We don’t need the cabbage to release juice; we will fill it with water. It takes approximately 600 - 800 grams of water. This depends on the weight of the cabbage that we cut for pickling.

Now we put the cabbage filled with water to ferment. When the cabbage has fermented well, usually on the second day, completely drain the resulting brine. Moreover, it is advisable to pour the brine along with the cabbage into a bowl.

Squeeze out the cabbage and place it back in the jar. Moreover, it is advisable to swap the cabbage. Which was lying on top - we put it on the bottom of the bottle, and vice versa, the bottom one on top. We just squeeze the cabbage lightly. Add one tablespoon of honey to the resulting brine.

Dissolve the honey and fill our cabbage with the same brine again. Leave for another day in a warm place. After a day, put the cabbage in the refrigerator.

Cabbage in all three recipes turns out delicious. First taste classic cabbage. According to the second, it’s a little saltier and it turns out crispier, we didn’t crush it. According to the third recipe, the cabbage turns out a little sweeter, and the cabbage takes on some zest. Only it should not peroxidize.

There are a great many recipes for sauerkraut, and there is no point in describing them all. You can add different spices to all recipes. For example, black pepper, cloves, coriander, bay leaf. And if sauerkraut makes you bloated, you can also add dill seeds.

My godfather often adds dill seeds to the third recipe. Apart from the fact that the seeds themselves are then found in the cabbage, the cabbage turns out very tasty.

And a few more tips. My father says that you only need to salt cabbage according to certain days. If a man salts, then he must salt according to men's days. If a woman salts, then in a woman’s way. Moreover, he does not highlight all days. For example, a man should ferment either on Monday or Thursday. Women should ferment cabbage on Wednesday or Saturday, but better on Wednesday.

Strange as it may sound, I checked it somehow. I pickled the cabbage according to the usual recipe, only on Wednesday. So the cabbage was not so tasty, in my opinion, and it was soft and did not crunch.

What proportions of salt and sugar do you use when sauerkraut in a jar? You can write your recipe for sauerkraut.

Finally, check out a few more recipes.

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 found on the surface of fresh cabbage leaves. 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, fresh juice literally splashes out of them. These leaves taste slightly sweet, you want to eat them even fresh, without stopping.

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 desired value, then it will quickly soften, lose its appearance and become useless 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, and others only 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 with 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 a 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. Varieties of such shredders in this moment great multitude.


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.

Cabbage of these varieties is simply 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 a good fermentation process. And for better education juice, 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 With full responsibility relate to this order. 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 make the finished product taste 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. Simply insert the nylon lid 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 it vegetable oil, then you simply cannot find a better salad.


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 the very beginning. 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, natural fermentation occurs, but here we help it 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 pronounced White color. Bright cranberries are often used as an additive for flavor and color.

On Far East and more carrots are added in Siberia. 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, the berries in this process do not take up last place, This

  • 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 with a small amount of 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. Similarly, cover the top layer with cabbage leaves, gauze or a 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 they did this from year to year, and the barrel served its purpose throughout for long years, then 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 you get 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 are better in this regard; 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. At the final stage, you can bring several branches 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 inside, or one big Stone. 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 attitude 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.

I wish you excellent preparations and bon appetit!

Take a large WHITE head of cabbage. Young green cabbage is not good! Shred into thin, long strips. The smaller, the better. We don’t chop the stalk =) Many housewives have special shredders, but I cut it with a sharp Japanese knife on a cutting board. We put all this in a bowl or pan. Then add a couple of juicy carrots on a coarse grater and mix with your hands, pressing lightly.

We take a three-liter glass jar- I thought for a long time where to dig it up and... bought Tikhvinsky Apple Juice at Lenta for 89 rubles, which, moreover, turned out to be tastier than its analogues from cardboard bags. The juice was partially drunk with the family, and partially poured into a smaller container. I washed the jar and dried the inside thoroughly. Now you can put our cabbage-carrot mixture into it. We lay it as tightly as possible, constantly compacting it during the laying process. I used the most primitive puree masher for this. The final idea is to have a minimum of air and a maximum of cabbage in the jar. I deviated from the classics and added raw beets grated on a coarse grater to the mixture.

Time to prepare the brine. Attention, the recipe is very complicated! Take 1 liter of cold filtered water and dissolve 2 tbsp in it. l. coarse salt and 3 tbsp. l. Sahara. Under no circumstances take newfangled salts (iodized and low sodium). Also avoid salt that contains an anti-caking agent (it won’t hurt overnight!). Slowly pour the brine into a three-liter jar. If you filled the jar tightly, the brine will seep out slowly, and this is correct. The liquid should rise to the edge of the jar. If there is not enough, pour more filtered water into a glass, add a teaspoon of salt, stir and fill the jar to the top! Voila! Now we put the three-liter jar in some bowl or plate with high edges, and place it solemnly in the kitchen or in another warm place for several days. Do not place on drafts or window sills!

Next is the most important thing! The next day, or even earlier, the cabbage will begin to ferment. “Air” bubbles will begin to form in the jar, and the brine will begin to pour out of the jar (remember, we put the jar in a bowl?). Your task is to pierce the cabbage, releasing air from the jar, and pour back the escaped brine. It is convenient to pierce with a knitting needle, I don’t have one and I sharpened the tip of a bamboo with a knife Chinese stick from the sushi bar. Try to pierce the cabbage mass to the very bottom, enjoying the rapid release of bubbles to the surface! =) Without fanaticism! Do this as often as possible.

The fermentation process will take 3-4 days, and keep in mind - this is accompanied by a characteristic smell =) As soon as the air in the jar stops forming, the cabbage is ready! That is, you poke with a knitting needle, but there are no bubbles. I recommend transferring the treats into smaller jars, closing the lid and putting them in the refrigerator. The brine remains with the cabbage, do not throw it away! After cooling, place in a salad bowl, add thinly sliced ​​onion, aromatic, yellow sunflower oil and generously sprinkle with black pepper from the mill... a fork in one hand, a piece of Borodino bread in the other and... HOW TASTY IT IS!!!
By the way, sauerkraut contains great amount vitamins and minerals. Personally, my grandmother was saved from hepatitis in 1943 ONLY thanks to sauerkraut! And in Rus' it replaced any multivitamin complex all winter =) Bon appetit and be healthy!
P.S. And further interesting point! People suffering from gastritis and high acidity, fresh cabbage contraindicated. But sauerkraut goes without problems in any quantities =) Tested personally! The exception is buying cabbage from grandmothers or in supermarkets. In order not to wait 3-4 days, vinegar essence is added to the brine, and this is already - “Hello, heartburn!” =)