Sauerkraut for the winter: recipe and tips: choosing the most delicious and simple recipe

One of the traditional and much-loved dishes that people enjoy preparing for the winter is sauerkraut. Recipes and cooking tips travel from generation to generation; the best ones are posted on various culinary sites on the Internet. Sauerkraut can be added to many salads as a complete component, to cabbage soup instead of fresh cabbage, and this dish is also used as a side dish. There are many recipes from the national cuisines of Europe, where an important role is given to cabbage prepared using the sourdough method.

Example of finished sauerkraut

Choosing the right cabbage for pickling

In order for sauerkraut to turn out crispy, juicy, tasty, and at the same time be stored for a long time, you should approach the choice of heads of cabbage with special diligence. First of all, we are looking for white cabbage of winter varieties. The medium-late variety is not very suitable - it is much less juicy. The varieties “Snow White”, “Podarok”, Kolobok”, “Zimovka” are suitable for pickling.

When choosing a fork it is important:

Variety Why late varieties? Yes, because the early ones are not so juicy, and in the end the dish will turn out too sluggish and tasteless. Ideally, the head of cabbage should be hit by frost, and only after that should it be removed from the garden.
The color should only be white.
High density . Tap the fork and you will immediately determine whether the head of cabbage is dense or not.
Taste . If you break off a piece of leaf and try it, your taste will tell you: the sweetest and crunchiest one is ideal.

The fermentation process occurs due to a certain amount of lactic acid and sugars. Natural sugar content increases in late autumn, so when asked how to ferment cabbage for the winter, the answer is: after October 14th. By this time, the vegetable will survive the first frost and will not have time to become overly cold.

Where can I store it?

To preserve quality and taste, the optimal storage temperature must be maintained at 0...+2°C, while it will be possible to maintain the chemical composition at the level of the end of fermentation. A cool basement or cellar can provide this temperature. If there are no such conditions, then you can store it in the refrigerator or on a glassed-in balcony, or ferment the cabbage in small portions to eat it faster. At elevated storage temperatures, the acidity of cabbage decreases and it loses its elasticity.

Important! As the shelf life increases, the quality of the product deteriorates. Thus, the amount of vitamin C after 7 months of storage is reduced by half from the original content.

Main ingredients and proportions

All recipes for cabbage starter for the winter are both similar and different from each other. In general, the main ingredients are cabbage, carrots, and salt. It is usually prepared at the rate of 150 g of salt per 10 kg of cabbage.

There are many simple recipes. Some add beets, others add honey, some like it spicier and add black pepper.

Proper cutting of vegetables

Each housewife cooks to her own taste. Some people chop vegetables into large pieces, while others like them finely chopped. The general operating technique is as follows:

Vegetables need to be peeled. The top cabbage leaves are removed - they often cover the bottom of the jar and cover everything on top.
The stalk is completely cut out.

Before all work, it is better to wipe the cutting board with a strong saline solution: this will remove tiny particles with microorganisms.

Shredding process

The fork is cut in half, and then each part is further divided in half. Using a special knife for chopping, called a chop, or any large sharp knife, shredding occurs across the leaves.
It is best to chop into small pieces of 1-2 cm; if you chop too much, you will not achieve a pleasant crunch.

Fermentation temperature

The optimal air temperature in the room where the fermentation process takes place should not fall below 17 and rise above 25 degrees. This leaven retains a large amount of sugars and few volatile acids. Vitamin C is preserved.

Utensils for fermentation

Today there are a lot of recipes for sauerkraut in three-liter jars, but it will be tastiest to pickle or ferment this vegetable in wooden tubs. An excellent option would be dishes made of oak, birch, or linden. In the absence of wooden containers, enamel or plastic containers are quite useful.

Any container must be intact and without damage, since the fermentation process may react with the walls of the container.

If there is a choice, preference is given to opaque dishes.

Storage mode

When the starter has passed active fermentation, it is better to lower the containers into a cold room, a cellar, where the temperature is kept around 0 or minus 2 degrees. This temperature is needed to inhibit the development of mold. If mold gets into such a dish, the taste will be greatly spoiled.

Cooking method

The moment has come when you can salt the cabbage: the date is just right, all the kitchen utensils are in place, and the food is also available. This means that everything is ready to begin the cooking process. Take the cabbage and cut it with a knife or shred it on a large special grater. If you need to do everything as quickly as possible, then the second device is best suited. If aesthetics are what matters, not speed, then take a knife. Cut the heads of cabbage into two parts, and then chop against the leaves from the center. Now we put the crushed product into the prepared large bowl.

Grate or chop carrots and other ingredients: apples, berries, etc. Mix everything and add salt. And now the most enjoyable part of the whole cooking process - you need to roll up your sleeves and mash the cabbage as if you were kneading dough. After this, put pressure on the future appetizer No. 1 and wait until it sours.

How to make cabbage crispy

To make cabbage crunchy in winter, you need to know how to ferment cabbage correctly.
If you cook such a dish in brine, you won’t have to mash the vegetables so that they release their juice. Homemade cabbage pickled in brine turns out tender and crispy. For a 3-liter jar, take 2.3 kg of white cabbage, 1 large carrot, 4 bay leaves, do not forget about peppercorns, but this is optional. For the brine you will need 1.5 liters of water and 2 tablespoons of table salt, and the same amount of sugar.

Sourdough process

How to make sauerkraut : First, prepare a brine from water, sugar and salt, simply mixing all the ingredients. The forks, peeled from the top leaves, are chopped, and the carrots are grated on a coarse grater. Vegetables are mixed together.

Vegetables, bay leaves, peppercorns are placed in a clean jar in layers and compacted properly, then brine is poured into the jar to the very edges.

The jar is covered with a lid, but not tightly (!), you can even use gauze instead of a lid, but for this you need to fold it in several layers. The jar should stand in a bowl, as the brine will rise and overflow.

For three days, monitor the starter, occasionally adding brine, and periodically piercing the vegetables with a long stick to allow excess air and gases to escape.

You should like the taste, but leave the preparation a little under-fermented.

Another option is to ferment cabbage in a bucket for the winter. The proportions are as follows: 5 kg of chopped vegetables, 100 g of salt and 150 g of carrots. Preparation involves chopping vegetables, mixing them thoroughly until the juice is released, adding salt and compacting them into a clean enamel or plastic bucket.

If possible, you can add a little grated horseradish or oak bark (preserving the pharmacy packaging): the salad will have much more crunch.

Use iodized salt

For preparation, you need to use only regular salt, without any additives. If you ferment cabbage with iodized salt, it may begin to rot and taste bitter. Your favorite dish will definitely be spoiled. This will happen thanks to iodine, which is part of this salt, which slows down the fermentation process. Also, the cabbage will not be crispy; mold or darkening may appear on it, which will significantly deteriorate the taste of the product.

According to some housewives, they use iodized salt and see no difference. They can be recommended to conduct a small experiment: ferment part of the cabbage with regular salt, and the other part with iodized salt. The difference will be immediately noticeable. Although salt with iodine is very useful, it is not suitable for pickling.

Sauerkraut for the winter: the best recipes

Every housewife, sooner or later, will think about sauerkraut for the winter and will look for recipes according to which she will prepare this dish and say: “Very tasty!”

We have selected several recipe options for salting cabbage: both the classic recipe and with various additives.

Classic recipe for sauerkraut for a 3-liter jar

Cabbage - (2.3-2.5 kg);
Carrots – 2 medium
Salt - at the rate of 25 g per 1 kg of cabbage.

Convenient to store food in jars

The fork is chopped quite thinly, the carrots are grated on a coarse grater. All vegetables are placed in a large bowl and sprinkled with salt. The dish is simply mixed, but not ground.
Now you need to take a wooden masher and compact the dish until the juice appears.
The basin is covered either with a wooden circle or with a lid slightly smaller than the basin.
Four-liter bottles of water can be used as oppression.
The salad is pierced with a wooden stick and waited for readiness. If the room is fresh, the starter will take 5-7 days to prepare.

Sauerkraut with apples

Take 10 kg of pre-chopped and thoroughly mashed vegetables and cut 1 kg of apples into halves. Salt needs from 180 to 200 g. The fermentation proceeds according to the usual scenario, with the difference that the cabbage has already given juice before adding apples.

Sauerkraut with apples

Sauerkraut with horseradish

2 kg of chopped white cabbage is mixed with 0.5 kg of bell pepper cut into strips, 5 carrots grated on a fine grater, 2 grated horseradish sticks and 1-2 heads of garlic.

For the marinade, take a liter of water, 1 glass of sugar and the same amount of 9% vinegar, 100 g of sunflower oil, 1 tbsp of table salt. Mix everything except vinegar, boil for 5 minutes and cool.

The vegetables are mixed and transferred to a jar, compacted and filled with marinade. Then cover with a lid and hide for 4 days in a cold place.

Sauerkraut with honey

Take a peeled head of cabbage about 2 kg, one large carrot and 3 tbsp. spoons of salt, 0.% l of water and 1.5 tbsp. spoons of honey. The cabbage is chopped, the carrots are chopped on a coarse grater.

Sauerkraut with honey

The vegetables are immediately placed in the jar and properly compacted. The brine is prepared from the remaining products: boil water, honey and salt must be completely dissolved. Cool the brine slightly and fill the jar to the top. Do not cover tightly with the lid.

NOTE!
This instant sauerkraut is incredibly tasty.

Sauerkraut with beets

For 5 kg of white vegetables, take 500 kg of carrots and 350 g of beets. This amount of food requires 100 g of salt, 25 black peppercorns and 5 allspice, 2 bay leaves, rye crust. You can add cumin and cherry leaves to taste.

The beautiful color of the dish has a beneficial effect on appetite! Pieces of crust are placed in a large enameled bowl. They activate fermentation very well. All pieces are covered with whole cabbage leaves. Finely chopped cabbage (coarsely possible) and coarsely grated carrots and beets are placed in another large container - the vegetables are mixed in it. Mix everything together with spices until the juice releases.

Now they put everything into a bowl with crusts of bread and cover it under pressure. When the brine comes out, once a day the vegetables are pierced with a long wooden object to release the gas.

Sauerkraut without brine

Mix 1.5 kg of chopped white cabbage with one grated carrot (to taste), then add 30 g of salt. After thorough mixing, compact as tightly as possible into an enamel container under pressure.

Sauerkraut without brine

How many days does it take to ferment cabbage? The dishes stand for three days on a tray at 20-22 degrees. We collect all the juice that ends up on the tray and put it in the refrigerator.

It is better to pierce the cabbage with a bird cherry branch up to 4 times a day.

If the dish has stopped fermenting and the juice no longer rises, then you can put all the cabbage in a dry sterilized jar, close it with a nylon lid and put it in the cold.

And now the answer is where to put the juice: if the cabbage dries out within a month, then add the juice to the jar. This dish will be preserved better if you add vodka to the juice (1 tbsp per 1 liter of juice).

If the juice is not saved, then add the following brine: dilute 2 tbsp per liter of water. l salt and 1 tbsp. l vodka.

Pickled spicy cabbage (cooked in Korean)

For variety, you can make kimchi. The recipe is simple: take 3 kg of white vegetables, 2 carrots, 1 head of garlic. The marinade consists of 1 liter of water, 2.5 tablespoons of salt, sugar, vinegar and sunflower oil, take a glass each. Spices will add piquancy.

The cabbage can be shredded or simply cut, it is better to grate the carrots on a Korean grater, and cut the garlic into large cubes. All vegetables are mixed and marinade is prepared. In a saucepan, mix all the marinade ingredients in boiling water and bring to a boil again, but do not boil.

While the marinade is boiling, pour it onto the vegetables and immediately apply pressure. This cabbage is ready in 12 hours. The salad can be placed in jars and stored in the refrigerator for long-term storage.

Kimchi Share your delicious recipes!

The best days for salting in April

When to ferment cabbage in April 2022 according to the lunar calendar, you should definitely look, since only in accordance with the phases of the Moon and constellations can you achieve the preparation of a crispy and juicy snack. Secret recipes and useful pickling tricks are passed down from generation to generation, and professional astrologers make it easy to navigate in a ready-made table of successful days. With it, you can always decide in advance on the appropriate time for pickling.

April Day	Lunar day	Moon in Zodiac sign	Day of the week	Adviсe
1	8-9	Cancer	Wednesday	It is possible that the pickle will become moldy or turn black.
2	9-10	Cancer	Thursday	Same warnings, but the likelihood of failure increases.
3	10-11	a lion	Friday	Today everything is conducive to successful preparations, don’t miss the moment.
4	11-12	a lion	Saturday	Another good day for pickling cabbage in April 2022, according to the advice of astrologers.
5	12-13	Virgo	Sunday	And it’s a bad day for preparations in general, and you need to give yourself a break from routine on God’s day.
6	13-14	Virgo	Monday	Avoid by any means possible.
7	14-15	Scales	Tuesday	A mediocre period in all respects.
8	15-16	Scales	Wednesday	It is worth refraining from preparations before the full moon, especially since other factors are not very successful.
9	16-17	Scorpion	Thursday	Salting is undesirable; the resulting product will be of extremely low quality.
10	17-18	Scorpion	Friday	Only if you can’t wait, maybe you’ll get lucky.
11	18	Sagittarius	Saturday	This is a great time for homemade preparations; it is advisable to use soft heads so that the snack has time to salt.
12	18-19	Sagittarius	Sunday	It is better to rest, but the position of the stars is very favorable.
13	19-20	Capricorn	Monday	Mediocre moment for pickling cabbage, the choice is yours.
14	20-21	Capricorn	Tuesday	Exactly the same as the previous day.
15	21-22	Aquarius	Wednesday	Act on your intuition, as the luminaries give conflicting forecasts.
16	22-23	Aquarius	Thursday	It’s worth waiting a little and rescheduling the preparations for another time.
17	23-24	Aquarius	Friday	Neutral day, proceed if you are ready to take a risk.
18	24-25	Fish	Saturday	Extremely unfavorable, you will spoil the food and waste your nerves.
19	25-26	Fish	Sunday	God Himself ordered to wait.
20	26-27	Aries	Monday	An ambiguous forecast, but there is no categorical prohibition.
21	27-28	Aries	Tuesday	Everything is very difficult, listen to your intuition.
22	28-29	Aries	Wednesday	The day before the new moon may not be entirely favorable, despite the positive direction of the luminaries.
23	29,1,2	Taurus	Thursday	You will not achieve successful pickling on a new moon.
24	2-3	Taurus	Friday	The ferment will go well if the negativity of the new moon does not interfere. Listen to your intuition.
25	3-4	Twins	Saturday	A very average day, if you are confident in your skills, then you can test them in practice.
26	4-5	Twins	Sunday	We start work only as a last resort.
27	5-6	Twins	Monday	It is better to wait, because, most likely, failure awaits you.
28	6-7	Cancer	Tuesday	In no case.
29	7-8	Cancer	Wednesday	It's better to put it off, you'll spoil the food.
30	8-9	a lion	Thursday	The moment is not ideal, but much better than the previous couple of days.