Sauerkraut. Cabbage pickled with onions and apples

The basis of pickling is the principle of creating an acidic environment in cabbage due to the formation of lactic acid as a result of the vital activity of certain types of microbes.

Fermentation, as a rule, is carried out in barrels (or tubs) made of different types of wood (except pine). Before sauerkraut, barrels should be thoroughly washed with a hot salt solution (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) using a washcloth and rinsed well with water. To disinfect barrels, it is advisable to fumigate them with sulfur: cover the barrel with 0.5 teaspoon of burning sulfur for 15–20 minutes.

If a new barrel is used for fermentation, then before using it, immediately before pickling, you should fill the barrel with water and change it periodically for 15–20 days. Then all the harmful substances from the barrel will pass into the water. This precaution will avoid unwanted consequences, otherwise the fermented cabbage will quickly turn black.

If there is not much fermented cabbage, you can use ordinary glass jars for preservation or enamel dishes (basins, pans, etc.).

The fermented cabbage should be covered on top with a cloth, then with a wooden lattice circle, on which a weight should be placed. The weight should be sufficient in weight so that the cabbage does not float, but also does not wrinkle.

The canvas, circle and weight must be kept clean, for which they should be thoroughly washed with hot boiled water about once a week.

After 2-3 days, the cabbage can be placed in jars. On top, across the narrow necks of the jars, you can insert stalks that will press the cabbage and prevent it from rising and the brine from leaking out. The jars must be placed in a cool place. Sauerkraut cannot be stored without brine. To prevent mold from appearing on the surface of the brine, sprinkle a small amount of mustard powder on top.

Only certain varieties of cabbage can be fermented. Mid-season varieties of white cabbage and its hybrids are best suited for this purpose. However, you can also ferment red cabbage. Heads of cabbage taken for pickling should contain a lot of sugar and have fairly strong leaves.

Very often, when sauerkraut is used, carrots are used, which are also rich in useful substances and preserve them. Instead of carrots, beets or pumpkin are sometimes added. To improve the taste, you can add apples, berries (for example, lingonberries or cranberries), currant branches, dill, and caraway seeds to the cabbage. The most suitable temperature for fermentation is 15–20 °C, at which gas bubbles and foam will appear only on the second day.

After this, lactic acid fermentation should begin, which lasts about 9-10 days, then gases cease to be released, the brine becomes transparent and loses bitterness. Sourdough can also be made at a lower temperature, then the cabbage will cook for a longer time. At 13–15 °C this process will take 2 weeks, at 10–13 °C - 3 weeks.

It is advisable to store sauerkraut at a temperature of 1–0 °C. A lower temperature will negatively affect the taste of cabbage and its vitamin C content.

The amount of ingredients in the recipes is indicated per 1 kg of cabbage.

Sauerkraut.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 300 g of carrots, 1-2 bay leaves, cumin and anise seeds to taste, 25 g of salt.

Cooking method

Peel a head of cabbage with white and rough leaves, removing the top green, dirty and damaged leaves. Remove the stalk, shred the cabbage using a knife or hand shredder, or chop it.

Leave a few leaves whole.

Some of them need to be placed on the bottom of a prepared enamel container (for a larger amount of cabbage, you can use a barrel). Place shredded cabbage in layers on top, sprinkling each layer with salt and shredded carrots.

Add bay leaf and cumin and anise seeds. While filling the container with cabbage, carefully compact each layer with a tamper or your hands. This is necessary to remove air and better release the juice.

Cover the top of the cabbage with whole leaves and clean gauze folded in 2 layers. Then put a wooden circle and a weight, which can be used as a container of water. The weight of the load should be 10% of the weight of the cabbage (100 g of weight per 1 kg of cabbage). After a few hours, the cabbage will settle and juice will be released. On the 2-3rd day the fermentation process will begin.

To preserve the nutritional and taste properties of cabbage, as well as its storage stability, fermentation should occur at a temperature of 18 °C. Typically fermentation ends after 10–15 days. During this time, about 1% lactic acid accumulates in the cabbage, which protects it from spoilage. During fermentation, you need to monitor the cabbage: periodically remove the foam from the surface to prevent the development of harmful microorganisms and the appearance of mold.

Cabbage pickled with beets.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 2 cloves of garlic, 20 g of horseradish root, 20 g of parsley, 100 g of beets, 1 bell pepper.

For the brine: 500 ml water, 5 g sugar, 25 g salt.

Cooking method

Wash the peeled head of cabbage, cut it into 4 parts, remove the stalk and place the cabbage in an enamel bowl.

Peel the beets and grate them on a coarse grater.

Crush the garlic, horseradish root and bell pepper, seeded, and grate on a fine grater. Chop the parsley.

Place the products prepared in this way in a container with cabbage. Bring water to a boil, add salt and sugar, stir and cool. Pour the prepared brine over the cabbage. Close the container with a lid and a weight and leave to ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days, then put in a cool place for 1 week.

Before eating, you can chop the cabbage and add vegetable oil to taste.

Sauerkraut with berries and apples.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 100 g of apples, 100 g of carrots, 30 g of salt, cranberries, lingonberries to taste.

Cooking method

Select a dense head of cabbage, wash it, remove the stalk and outer leaves, cut the head into 4 parts, leaving a few whole large leaves. Shred or chop the cabbage in a wooden trough or tub, mix with grated carrots and apples.

Place part of the prepared cabbage in a thoroughly washed and scalded jar lined with cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with salt, add cranberries and lingonberries, and then lay out the rest of the shredded cabbage, cover with cabbage leaves on top and put under pressure for a day. Remove the foam that appears on the surface, pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick to release the gases formed between the layers.

It is recommended to store prepared cabbage at room temperature for no more than 1 week; after this period, it should be placed in a cool place.

Cabbage pickled with bell peppers and carrots.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 300 g of carrots, 200 g of bell pepper, 0.5 celery root, 50 g of salt, parsley, black peppercorns and bay leaf to taste.

Cooking method

Wash the prepared dense head of cabbage under running water, remove damaged upper leaves and stalks, and chop. Mix carrots, bell peppers, celery, cut into strips, with cabbage, add chopped parsley. Sprinkle everything with salt and leave for several hours.

When the juice is released, transfer the cabbage to a jar, compact it well, add black peppercorns and bay leaves, and cover with cabbage leaves on top. Close the lid with a weight and leave for fermentation. After a few days, place the jar in a cool place. Remove the top layer before use.

Spicy sauerkraut.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 1 clove of garlic, 200 g of carrots, 30 g of salt, ground black pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Wash a strong, dense, intact head of cabbage, peel it, cut it into 4 parts and remove the stalk.

Peel the carrots and grate them on a coarse grater, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add crushed garlic. Stuff the cabbage with the resulting mixture, placing it between the leaves. In this case, the leaves need to be crushed with your hands so that the cabbage is saturated with salt. Place tightly in an enamel pan and place under pressure until the juice appears.

If the released juice does not completely cover the cabbage, prepare a brine from 300 ml of water and 20 g of salt, boil, cool and pour it over the cabbage.

Cabbage pickled with pumpkin and rowan.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 200 g of pumpkin, 25 g of rowan, 10 g of caraway seeds, 50–60 g of salt, ground red pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Peel, wash and chop the cabbage. Peel the pumpkin and grate on a coarse grater. Place rowan berries in boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Mix cumin, salt and pepper. Place cabbage and pumpkin in layers in a jar, adding rowan berries and a mixture of spices.

Cabbage, pickled with heads of cabbage.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 50 g of salt, dill seeds to taste.

Cooking method

Select small heads of cabbage and peel them from the top leaves. Cut most of the heads of cabbage in half and chop the remaining ones. Leave a few cabbage leaves whole.

Place the halves of the heads of cabbage in the prepared container, sprinkle with salt. Mix shredded cabbage with salt and place in a container with heads of cabbage, filling the free space; also cover the heads of cabbage with shredded cabbage and dill.

Then cover the cabbage with whole leaves and a double layer of gauze, and place a weight on top. Storage temperature conditions are the same as in the previous recipe.

Cabbage pickled with sugar.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 100 g of carrots.

For the brine: 500 ml water, 25 g sugar, 40 g salt.

Cooking method

Peel the cabbage, rinse, remove the stalk and chop. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.

Prepare the brine: add salt to slightly cooled boiled water, stir until it is completely dissolved. Pour the prepared brine over the cabbage, leave at room temperature, covering with gauze folded in 2-3 layers.

After 2 days, pierce the cabbage in several places to release accumulated gases. After another day, drain the brine, add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Stir the cabbage, remove the foam if necessary, pour in the prepared brine and keep in a warm room for another day. After this, the container with cabbage should be placed in a cool place.

Cabbage pickled with onions and apples.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 250 g of apples, 250 g of onion, 0.5 tablespoon of cumin, 15 g of salt, ground red pepper to taste.

Cooking method

Cut the peeled and washed head of cabbage into 4 parts, remove the stalk. Chop the cabbage, peel and grate the apples, cut the onion into rings, mix everything, sprinkle with salt, cumin and pepper, and put under pressure. Leave in a warm room for 10 days, periodically piercing the cabbage with a fork, then put in a cool place for 1 month.

After this period, the cabbage will be ready for consumption.

Cabbage pickled with vegetables.

Required:

1 kg of red cabbage, 500 g of onion, 500 g of celery (roots), 500 g of carrots, 500 g of bell pepper, 500 g of beets, 100 g of sugar, 5 g of citric acid, 100 g of salt, dill seeds to taste.

Cooking method

Cut the onion into rings. Cut carrots, celery and beets into curly pieces, bell peppers into small pieces, place in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and immediately cool in cold water.

Wash the cabbage, chop finely, dip in boiling salted water (1 teaspoon of salt per 1 liter of water) for 2–3 minutes and cool quickly in cold water. Place the prepared vegetables in a large container, add salt, sugar, citric acid and dill seeds. Mix everything thoroughly and place in prepared jars.

Cover the vegetables with gauze, place mugs with weights on top and leave at room temperature for 10–15 days, periodically piercing the vegetables with a wooden stick to release the formed gases. When the fermentation process is over, close the jars with nylon lids and put them in a cool place.

Sauerkraut with pickles.

Required:

1 kg of white cabbage, 600 g of pickled cucumbers, 25 g of dill seeds.

For filling: 1 liter of water, 40 g of sugar, 60 g of salt.

Cooking method

Peel the cabbage from the outer leaves, wash and chop.

Grate good quality cucumbers on a coarse grater. Place everything in a pickling container, add dill seeds.

Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water and pour hot brine over cabbage and cucumbers. Cover with gauze, place a weighted circle on top and leave at room temperature for 10–12 hours, periodically shaking the container and piercing the cabbage with a wooden stick. After this, cover the container with a tight lid and put it in a cool place.

Sauerkraut is one of the favorite dishes in every family, especially in winter. We often ask ourselves the question: how to make sauerkraut? Many people think that for this they will need a barrel or a trough, but, for sure, every housewife has a large saucepan - this is perfect.

Be sure to shred the cabbage thinly - this will only benefit the dish, and thoroughly grind it with salt - a man's hands will not interfere with you here.

How long should you ferment cabbage?

When preparing sauerkraut according to a traditional recipe, the fermentation time is 3-5 days in a warm room, then the cabbage is exposed to the cold. If you want to try quick sauerkraut, then try the recipe with hot marinade. In this case, the cabbage will be ready to eat in a few hours.

How to cook sauerkraut?

The sauerkraut recipe is very easy and quick. I advise you to buy a shredder; this thing will always come in handy around the house, and not only for making sauerkraut, but for slicing any other vegetables.

Ingredients:

• white cabbage – 1.5 kg;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar – 30 g.

Preparation

Chop the cabbage and carrots or cut them into small strips. Grind with salt, add sugar. Place in a pan, preferably enameled, and place under pressure for 5 days. Every day, pierce in several places with a knife or a wooden stick to release accumulated gases and skim off the foam that bacteria produce on top. It is necessary to keep the pan in a warm place to speed up the fermentation process. After five days, the cabbage should be sweet, sour and crispy. Before serving, season with vegetable oil and finely chopped green onions.

Sauerkraut with apples

Traditionally, cabbage is accompanied by various additives: carrots, cranberries, apples, beets. You can make sauerkraut with apples by adding 3-4 apples per 1.5 kg of cabbage when pickling. The apples will need to be pre-washed and, after peeling the seeds, cut into slices. The cabbage will turn out sweetish and will appeal not only to adults, but also to children.

Sauerkraut with beets

When you add beets to sauerkraut, you will get a very beautiful pale pink salad. And if you add garlic, you will delight your family with a spicy and spicy snack.

Ingredients:

• white cabbage – 3 kg;
• beets – 1 kg;
• salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• boiled water – 1 l;
• black peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
• vinegar - 1 tbsp.;
• sugar – 1 tbsp;
• bay leaf – 3 pcs.

Preparation

We clean the cabbage from damaged leaves and cut into squares. Peel the beets and cut into thin slices. Mix cabbage with beets and prepare the marinade: Heat one liter of water in a saucepan, let it boil and add black pepper, salt, sugar, bay leaf. Boil over low heat for about 10 minutes. Then add vinegar and boil for another minute. Pour the marinade over the cabbage and beets, mix, and place under pressure. Let it stand in a warm place for 3-4 days, then transfer it to a bottle and put it in the refrigerator. You can serve it as a salad, pre-seasoned with vegetable oil.

As you can see, preparing sauerkraut is not difficult, a little patience and the vitamins in which this dish is so rich will appear on your table in winter. The benefits of sauerkraut are enormous: it has strengthening and anti-inflammatory properties, contains vitamin C, B, potassium, zinc, iron, lactic acid. In addition, sauerkraut is a low-calorie dish, and you can use it for cosmetic purposes if you make a face mask.

Our ancestors have been able to ferment cabbage since ancient times. And often sauerkraut was practically the only source of vitamins in the winter; they ate it every day. The easiest recipe for sauerkraut- chop the head of cabbage, grind it with a little salt and put it under pressure, after a few days the sauerkraut in its own juice is ready. Whenever possible, housewives added cranberries, lingonberries, carrots, apples, and caraway seeds to it. Let's find out more about beneficial properties of cabbage and how to ferment it correctly.

The benefits of sauerkraut

Surprisingly sauerkraut is considered healthier than fresh. When fermenting a vegetable, the amount of vitamins increases, which are much better absorbed. So sauerkraut is an excellent affordable source of vitamins. Wonderful beneficial properties of sauerkraut Even doctors note. It affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, improves immunity due to the high content of vitamin C and more. Sauerkraut contains a lot of folic acid and B vitamins, almost all minerals, which together help normalize metabolic processes and strengthen blood vessels. Cabbage removes cholesterol and, thanks to the presence of rare vitamin U, promotes effective regeneration of the gastric mucosa. Besides, sauerkraut- natural oncoprotector.

It takes a long time to describe the beneficial properties of sauerkraut, including:

• improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (vitamin U) and normalizing cholesterol levels,
• cabbage strengthens the nervous system (B vitamins),
• strengthening the immune system (vitamin C) and preventing diseases - a remedy for vitamin deficiency (antioxidants and vitamin-mineral composition),
• weight loss (tartronic acid) and normalization of metabolism (iodine, nicotinic acid),
• lowering blood sugar levels (low carbohydrates, high fiber) - a serving of sauerkraut 100-120 grams per day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14% and slows down the decline of mental abilities for 11 years,
• antihistamine (vitamin U), bactericidal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, etc.

The most important beneficial properties of sauerkraut are anti-cancer. Studies have shown that eating sauerkraut helps prevent cancer cell division. The substances contained in sauerkraut have a particularly intense effect on malignant tumors of the intestines, mammary glands, and lungs. For example:

• three servings of sauerkraut per week will reduce the risk of lung cancer by 33-72% and prostate cancer in men by 41%;
• Four servings of sauerkraut per week will have invaluable benefits in reducing the risk of breast cancer by almost 50%;
• Five servings of sauerkraut per week have been shown to reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 51% and significantly reduce the risk of colon and rectal cancer, as well as peptic ulcers and related stomach cancers.

All beneficial qualities of sauerkraut are stored for ten months from the date of preparation. Love sauerkraut, and cook it yourself!

How to properly prepare sauerkraut

To make sauerkraut, you need to know a few culinary secrets and have a good recipe. We will tell you how to make sauerkraut crispy, healthy, and tasty. The process of sauerkraut should be controlled; to do this, prepare thin wooden sticks and pierce the cabbage with them to remove carbon dioxide and create optimal conditions for lactic acid bacteria, and oxygen access will be detrimental to listeria and other pathogenic bacteria.

Prepare for the process of sauerkraut in advance, prepare everything you need. Kitchen utensils, knives, chops and everything else used in the process of preparing cabbage for pickling must be clean. To maximize the beneficial properties of sauerkraut, you need to follow a number of rules:

• when to ferment cabbage

• how to choose cabbage for pickling

Choose late varieties of cabbage; the head of cabbage should be dense and slightly crunch when pressed. It’s better to choose the whitest cabbage you can find; such cabbage will be crispy. You definitely need to pay attention to the stalk: it should also be dense and juicy.
To pickle cabbage, take only whole, clean heads of cabbage, without the slightest contamination with soil, slugs or caterpillars, mercilessly remove the top layer of leaves until the cabbage is clean.
If you choose cabbage in late autumn, check that it is not frozen.
Of two heads of cabbage of equal size, choose the heavier one. The denser the leaves, the tastier the snack will be.

• what to ferment cabbage in

It is best to ferment cabbage in a wooden tub; you can also use glass or, in extreme cases, enamel dishes.
Plastic buckets are contraindicated for cabbage. The same as stainless steel containers.
A stone (clean) or a jar of water is suitable as oppression. It is better not to place metal objects on cabbage.

• how much salt to put and what salt to use

It is better to use coarse rock salt for sauerkraut. Iodized salt is contraindicated for cabbage; it makes it soft. How much salt to put in sauerkraut is a matter of taste. On average, add 1-2 tbsp. salt per 1 kg of cabbage.

• how to cut cabbage

Usually cabbage is finely shredded, and the shredder should not be too thin, otherwise the cabbage will turn out soft. The stalk must be removed before slicing, but you can chop it separately and add it to the cabbage; the fact is that the stalk contains many useful substances. This makes sense if you grew the cabbage yourself and you are sure that the stalk has not accumulated nitrates and chemicals. Sometimes the cabbage is cut into squares, and sometimes the head of cabbage is simply cut into quarters or halves.

• how to ferment whole cabbage

• to make the cabbage crunchy

An easy way to make cabbage firm and crispy is to pour cold water over it before pickling.
Another way to add crunch to sauerkraut is to add some horseradish root to it.
Adding carrots to the cabbage will also add crunch and make the cabbage even tastier.

• what to add to sauerkraut

The ideal pairing for cabbage is carrots; it makes the cabbage crispy and flavorful. Allspice and black pepper, cumin, dill seeds, cloves, hot fresh peppers will be an excellent addition to sauerkraut. Cranberries, lingonberries, apples, plums pleasantly and usefully diversify the taste of sauerkraut. Beets added to cabbage will give it a ruby ​​color and a slightly unusual taste.

• Cranberries. It will enrich your preparations with B vitamins, potassium, iodine and magnesium. But contrary to popular belief, cranberries will not add ascorbic acid. In terms of vitamin C content, cranberries are inferior to cabbage. But cranberries contain a lot of rare vitamin PP, without which most of the ascorbic acid is simply not absorbed. So cabbage will definitely be healthier with cranberries!
• Horseradish. Contains potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper and sodium. The substances that make up horseradish promote the digestion of heavy food, so sauerkraut with horseradish is the best side dish for pork or jellied meat.
• Lingonberry. This berry contains a lot of potassium, which supports the heart and protects blood vessels. In addition, lingonberries have a slight diuretic effect, which helps to avoid swelling after eating salted cabbage. In addition, lingonberries will increase the shelf life of sauerkraut - organic acids, which are abundant in this berry, will prevent the preparation from becoming moldy.
• Apples. Contains B vitamins and some iron. But the main advantage of apples is their ability to eliminate bloating and turbulence in the intestines. And both are not uncommon if you overdo it with sauerkraut.
• Beetroot. It contains a lot of dietary fiber, which enhances intestinal motility, that is, serves to prevent constipation. In addition, beets contain a substance called betaine, which improves heart function and protects the liver.

• how to add carrots to sauerkraut

Carrots should not be grated on a regular grater, but cut into very thin strips or use a Korean carrot grater. Grated carrots will give the cabbage a pinkish color, but if the carrots are thinly sliced, the sauerkraut will remain white.

• useful tips

Horseradish leaves, which cover cabbage, protect it from mold and disease.

When cleaning a head of cabbage, you need to remove several large sheets from it - they line the bottom of the fermentation pan and cover the cabbage on top.

Tamp the cabbage properly when you put it in for fermentation, so it will give more juice. But be careful; if you overdo it, the cabbage will be soft.

During the fermentation of cabbage, you need to pierce it with a wooden stick or a knitting needle in several places: excess gases will come out and the unpleasant smell will disappear.

After a week, the cabbage can already be eaten, but it is better to ferment it for another week in a cool place (at a temperature of 12-15 ° C).

How to properly store sauerkraut

Sauerkraut should be stored in a cool place. The optimal storage temperature is about zero degrees. Sauerkraut should not be frozen during storage - it will become soft. Cabbage can also spoil due to temperature changes. If the temperature is high, the cabbage will begin to ferment vigorously. Be sure to ensure that the brine covers the cabbage, otherwise it will darken and spoil.

The best storage container is wooden. Vitamins are preserved somewhat worse in glass. But it’s better to avoid enamel pans - the nutrients won’t stay in them for long.

During fermentation, the amount of vitamins in cabbage increases.

Sauerkraut recipes

• Sauerkraut with cranberries

• Sauerkraut with bell pepper

Peel and chop the cabbage and carrots. Peel bell peppers, remove seeds and cut into strips. Combine everything, add spices and mix thoroughly. Place the cabbage in a container under a press and leave for 3-4 days at room temperature. Several times a day you need to pierce the cabbage to release the gas. To store sauerkraut for a long time, you need to transfer it to a jar, compact it, pour the resulting juice on top and put it in the refrigerator.

• Sauerkraut in Russian style

11 kg of fresh cabbage, 400 g of carrots, 250 g of coarse salt. You can add 0.5 kg of apples (preferably Antonovka) and, to taste, cumin, dill or anise seeds.
Method for preparing sauerkraut:
Cut all the leaves until they are white and tightly adjacent to each other.
Cut them into thin strips or “squares”. Add a little salt and rub the cabbage until it becomes slightly moist.
Place a little rye flour on the bottom of a clean bowl and whole leaves on top. Then a layer of cabbage, salt and shredded carrots. You can add apples and herb seeds. Compact everything. When the container is filled, place cabbage leaves on top, 3-4 layers of gauze and a sterile plate under pressure (its weight is 15% of the cabbage weight).
Fermentation temperature is 15-22 °C.
Remove the resulting foam and pierce the cabbage to the bottom with a thin wooden stick once every 1-2 days, after scalding it with boiling water. When the brine becomes light and the taste is without bitterness, it is ready.
Place the cabbage in a cool place (ideally 0-3 °C), the brine should always cover it. If there is mold (this happens), remove it and scald the plate and the pressure with boiling water.

• Cabbage pickled with hot pepper

Ingredients for sauerkraut:
1 head of cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 2 tbsp. l. salt, 1 red hot pepper
Method for preparing sauerkraut:
Finely chop the cabbage. Finely chop the pepper. Grate the carrots. Mix cabbage with peppers and carrots. Place the mixture tightly in a three-liter jar, about 6 cm short of the neck. Put salt and sugar on top, pour in enough cold boiled water to just cover the cabbage. Place the jar in a deep tray and leave to ferment for three days. From time to time, pierce the contents of the jar with a knitting needle.

• Sauerkraut without salt

Ingredients for sauerkraut:
Honey - 2 tbsp., bell pepper - 2 pcs., cabbage - 1 head, garlic - 4 heads., rye bread - 5 pcs., carrots - 2 pcs.
Method for preparing sauerkraut:
Peel the cabbage and slice thinly. Mash well to release the juice slightly. Peel the garlic, chop finely and mix with cabbage. Wash the carrots and peppers, cut the carrots into strips and the peppers into squares. Place rye crackers and half the honey in a fermentation bowl. Then - a layer of cabbage and knead it (the thickness of the layer in the kneaded state is about 5 cm), then a layer of vegetables (the thickness of the layer in the kneaded state is about 1 cm). So fill the entire jar, pour the remaining honey on top. Leave the cabbage at room temperature for a week. Pierce with a needle every day. When ready, store in the refrigerator.

• Sauerkraut according to the classic recipe

Ingredients for sauerkraut:
Cabbage, rock salt, cumin, carrots, apples, lingonberries.
Method for preparing sauerkraut:
Chop the cabbage, cut the apples and carrots into strips. Place the cabbage in a container, sprinkle with salt, caraway seeds, add carrots, apples and berries. Each row must be kneaded until juice forms. Place a weight on the cabbage. And make holes twice a day with a wooden knitting needle to allow excess gas to escape. After two weeks, cover with cabbage leaves and eat slowly.

• Cabbage in white wine

Ingredients for sauerkraut:
2-3 heads of cabbage, 1 bottle of white semi-sweet wine, 3-4 tbsp. l. coarse salt.
Method for preparing sauerkraut:
Chop the cabbage and rub with salt. Place in a large container and pour white wine over the cabbage. Compact the cabbage, place a weight, wait 2 weeks, periodically making punctures with a wooden knitting needle.

• Cabbage in brine

How to choose quality sauerkraut

It’s quite difficult to do this in the store, since you won’t be able to taste the cabbage. And the taste and smell of cabbage are the main indicators of its good quality.

• In the store, carefully read the label; cabbage should not contain vinegar or citric acid.
• At the market, be sure to smell and taste, and it’s best to find your seller who grows cabbage.
• It is best to take cabbage from a tub so that it is packaged in a bag in front of you; it is better not to take pre-packaged cabbage - it may turn out to be soft.
• the color should be white-golden, sometimes with a pinkish tint. Cabbage should not be gray; dark spots are unacceptable.
• the brine is a little viscous, a little slimy - this is normal, and is not a sign of a low-quality product.
• When buying cabbage at the market from an unfamiliar seller, it is better to try it. And don't buy cabbage that isn't crispy.
• If the cabbage is hard, but not crunchy, it means it was treated with boiling water, so it salts out faster, but loses vitamins.
• The larger the cabbage is cut, the more vitamins are preserved in it.
• The taste of cabbage should be sour and salty, fresh, without signs of mold or staleness. Often cabbage is also sweetened, but this is a matter of taste, and such cabbage is not suitable for cooking.

Sauerkraut - contraindications

It is not recommended to use sauerkraut in cases of high acidity, exacerbation of gastritis and ulcers, and in children under 5 years of age. Be careful: cabbage contains a lot of salt and oxalic acid, which is not good for the kidneys.

I make sauerkraut at home all the time, almost all year round.

I use a 3 liter glass jar. The technology has been worked out almost to perfection (place a crust of black bread on the bottom of the jar, compact the cabbage mixed with carrots and salt tightly, pierce it twice a day, add the juice back into the jar). And my cabbage is always ready on the third day after cooking.
To know if the cabbage is ready, just taste it - there should be enough acidity.

Three days after cooking, I put the jar of cabbage in the refrigerator, where it is safely stored (but not for long - everything is eaten over the next 4-5 days).

★★★★★★★★★★

Comments

Everything is correct. I just wish it didn't have black bread.

What don't you like about black bread? Are you a theorist or practitioner? The crust of black bread speeds up the fermentation process necessary for sourdough. Besides, it was not you who asked the question)) (this is about “I would like it without .....”) In the author’s question there is nothing at all about black bread, but only about the timing of fermentation. About my personal experience - please send me a private message.

In general, you can do it as you want (even without black bread). Your right)) Afterwards, please write how your sauerkraut turns out and how you made it. Thank you for your answer))

The cabbage ferments for 5 days.

It is chopped, salted and pressed with hands so that the juice begins to stand out. Carrots and beets are also added to cabbage.
Portions of cabbage are loaded into a large container (tank or tub).
When the container is full, place a circle on top of it and crush it with a weight.
The container is left in the house for several days. At this time, it should sour and ferment.
Every day the cabbage should be pierced with a wooden stake in order to release the gas.
While the cabbage is fermenting, a sour smell will emanate.
This is when this smell stops, then the cabbage is considered fermented.

After this, the cabbage is transferred to jars and lowered into the basement for storage.
Cabbage finally becomes edible after a month.

Now that the heating is on, the cabbage sours faster.

In 2-3 days you can get an excellent product.

Chop, salt, mix with or without carrots - it doesn’t really affect the taste. (It is believed that a little adds sweetness, and with it the cabbage somehow becomes more beautiful and “more fun.”) Mash it with your hands actively until the juice appears and put it under pressure. To prevent the top layer from weathering and darkening in the air, a large sheet or clean cloth is placed on top. On it is a “circle”, a large plate or lid with a weight. After 2 days, if the cabbage is fermented in a heated room, just try it. If it matches your ideas about sauerkraut, remove the weight and poke several holes in the cabbage to the very bottom, “so that the bitterness comes out.”

After another day you can pack it and put it in the refrigerator.

Over-acidified cabbage, and especially fermented cabbage, believe me, is worse than under-acidified cabbage - it will “arrive” in the container and will definitely take its toll. But the peroxided one is only suitable for cabbage soup and hodgepodge.

It should not smell like sourness or alcohol (especially not rotten meat!), but exude a special spirit that stimulates the appetite. And it should crunch on your teeth.

A lot of juice comes out, especially when you mash the cabbage. He will go to work. When the cabbage is under pressure, the container with it is placed in another container where the juice will be collected.

A little juice can be added to the packaged cabbage if it seems dry. Don't throw away the rest! This is an excellent vitamin balm, which also helps against a number of ailments. Store it in a jar in the refrigerator.

So in a warm room all cycles are shortened. Keep this in mind.

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Previously, when we salted cabbage, it was ready on the third day. But in the last two years, salting has taken longer, although the temperature in the apartment has not changed.

I think the type of cabbage still plays a role. Before this, cabbage from our own plot was used for pickling - Podarok, Slava and Gribovskaya late. Now there is no land, we have to buy it. But we don’t know what varieties it is.

Salt the cabbage as usual: chop finely, add grated carrots, salt only with coarse (rock) salt. If there are dill seeds, add them, as well as bay leaves. We knead each row tightly. After that, cover it with a napkin and put pressure on it.

When the cabbage begins to bubble well, pierce it twice to release the gases. If it becomes softer, it means it’s ready. We transfer them into bags and into the freezer or onto the balcony if the temperature is sub-zero.