Previously, they started chopping cabbage on September 27, on the day of the Vozdvizhenya holiday: “On Vozdvizhenya the first lady is cabbage!”, “Then we chop cabbage from Vozdvizhenya!”, “A good man has pies with cabbage on Vozdvizhenya Day!” On this day, cabbage dishes were always placed on the table. Cabbage was fermented, salted, stewed, and made into pie fillings and kulebyak.
Our topic today is autumn sauerkraut. To make cabbage tasty, juicy, crispy and not spoil for a long time, you need to follow several rules. They say that excellent sauerkraut with a special ringing crunch is obtained during the new moon. But this is a folk sign, and we will tell you about culinary secrets.
Cutting a head of cabbage to make sauerkraut
Classic recipe for sauerkraut for a 3 liter jar
Preparing sauerkraut in a three-liter jar may seem like a tedious process, but for a long time you will be provided with an excellent product that you can not only eat, take it from the jar to the table. There are many dishes in which sauerkraut will be the main ingredient.
Tip: for fermentation, it is advisable to use cabbage of medium and late growth.
Most often, housewives use the classic recipe for sauerkraut in a jar, and since no heat treatment is required, all vitamins and nutrients are retained in the product.
Ingredients:
- 3 kg cabbage
- 0.5 kg carrots
- 2.5 tbsp. salt
Remove the top leaves from the cabbage, cut it into pieces and cut out the stalk. You can cut the cabbage in a convenient way, but it should be small. Most often I use a knife to cut cabbage, but you can use a shredder.
Choose fresh, firm carrots and it is advisable to try them. Since the juicier and sweeter the carrots taste, the more beautiful and appetizing the sauerkraut will be. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
Place the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl or pan and toss with salt. Crush the cabbage a little so that it begins to release its juice.
Tip: you should not use iodized salt for sourdough, as the cabbage will lose its crispness and become soft, and the salt will also get an unpleasant aftertaste.
The jars and lids must first be thoroughly washed and sterilized.
You can put a cabbage leaf on the bottom of the jar, after which you can start filling. The cabbage must be laid tightly, pressing down. If it is not convenient for you to reach into the jar with your hand, you can use a rolling pin or other kitchen utensil.
Tip: fill the jar with cabbage, not all the way to the top. It is necessary to leave a small space at the top to accommodate the brine.
To let the cabbage release its juice, place a plastic lid inside the jar and place a small bottle of water on top for weight. It is better to place the jar on a large plate or in a bowl, as the juice may leak over the edges.
Leave the cabbage to ferment for 5-7 days, but periodically it needs to be pierced so that bitterness does not accumulate. Do not forget to also remove the foam when it appears on top of the jar. After 5-7 days, you can close the jar with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for storage.
Tip: If you want to add sugar, it is better to do it before serving. Sugar is not added to the classic recipe for making sauerkraut, as it will speed up the fermentation process.
How to prepare cabbage for pickling?
Once you have decided on the recipe, it’s time to prepare the vegetables. The most important thing is, of course, cabbage.
First of all, the vegetable is thoroughly washed. Next, you need to tear off the damaged leaves. Crumpled, lethargic, withered ones are also removed.
Then cut out the stalk. Its density is different from the rest of the cabbage, so it is not needed. Next, the vegetable is chopped. The shredder depends on the recipe. It can be straws, crumbs or even layers. Most often they chop into medium strips, since they are the easiest to work with.
Crispy sauerkraut in a jar: a very tasty recipe for the winter
Dishes made from cabbage often appear on our table, because this product is not an expensive one; cabbage can be prepared in various ways - both as the main ingredient and as an additional one. But if we are talking about sauerkraut in a jar, then it must be crispy.
Tip: It is best to use cabbage that was removed from the garden in the first two days. Of course, this cannot be observed when buying it in a store or at a market, but if you grow your own vegetables, then this fact will be useful. Take only strong and dense heads of cabbage.
Ingredients:
- Cabbage – 3 kg
- Carrots – 300 gr
- Salt
Let's prepare crispy sauerkraut for two 2 liter jars. Be sure to first rinse the jars with boiling water after washing. The top leaves from the cabbage heads need to be removed.
Tear off one good leaf from the head of cabbage for each jar and wrap a piece of rye bread in it. Place these “stuffed cabbage rolls” on the bottom of the jars.
Cut the cabbage heads in half lengthwise and cut out the core. Finely chop the cabbage in a convenient way - you can use a knife or shredder.
Carrots will need about 300g. After cleaning, grate it on a coarse grater; you can use a Korean carrot grater.
Weigh the total mixture of cabbage and carrots. We calculate how much salt is needed: for 1 kg of mixture 25 grams of salt. Grind the cabbage with salt so that it releases a little juice and mixes with salt.
We put the product in jars, press each portion with our hands, and if your hand can’t fit, then use a rolling pin to compact the cabbage. Fill the jar up to the neck with cabbage.
We do not close the jars tightly with a lid and be sure to place them in a bowl, as juice will flow out, which will be useful later. Place bowls with cabbage and a dark place in the room for a day.
During these days you need to approach the cabbage several times and pierce it with a stick - a skewer. And leave it for another 2-3 days. We also periodically approach and pierce with a stick to the very bottom. This is necessary to get rid of excess bitterness. In 2-3 days the cabbage will be ready. Top up the jars with juice from the bowl and store crispy sauerkraut in jars for the winter in a cool place - a cellar or refrigerator.
Tips and Tricks
When you prepare marinated cabbage for the winter year after year, you will inevitably acquire some tricks in preparing the brine. Here are some of them.
- You should use regular table salt. This is not only cheap and cheerful, but also correct. It is with it that the brine turns out to be the most delicious.
- It is better to use ready-made table vinegar rather than dilute the essence. This is the most important element in the marinade. If the recipe specifies the table version, then it is better to buy a bottle than to dilute the essence. You can make just a little mistake, but the taste of the dish will not be the same.
- Cabbage juice adds flavor to the marinade. In order for the vegetable to release juice, you need to use pressure - press down on the shredder for several days with a heavy object.
- Adjust the amount of carrots to your taste in any recipe.
Sauerkraut in a jar: quick recipe in 1 day
Modern housewives do not like to spend a lot of time cooking, so they are looking for quick and simple recipes for sauerkraut in a jar. It is an ideal snack and can often be a complementary element to other dishes, so many are interested in the question of how to quickly make sauerkraut in a jar in one day.
Useful fact: just 200 grams of cabbage per day provides the body with vitamin C
Ingredients:
- 2 kg cabbage
- 300 g carrots
- Vinegar (70%) – 1 tsp.
- 3 bay leaves
- Peppercorns – 9 pcs.
- 3 aspirin tablets
- Garlic (optional)
For the brine:
- 1 liter of water
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. Sahara
From this amount of products you will get a three-liter jar of sauerkraut in one day.
Peel the cabbage from the top leaves and remove the stalk, cut it with a knife or shredder. Grate the carrots with a coarse grater and place the cabbage and carrots in a bowl.
Tip: Carrots add sugar to the future dish, so most often sugar is not used. This quick sauerkraut recipe contains sugar, so you can add less carrots.
While mixing the ingredients, press the vegetables a little so that they release their juice. There is no need to do this vigorously, as the snack will not turn out crispy.
To prepare the brine, boil 1 liter of water and add sugar and salt. The brine must be poured into the jar carefully, not abruptly, so that it does not burst. Add 1 aspirin tablet, bay leaf and peppercorns to the brine jar.
Fill the jar to the middle with cabbage, pressing down with a spoon, add another aspirin tablet, bay leaves and a few more peppercorns.
Tip: If you add garlic, chop it finely and place part of it in the middle, and the second clove on top of the jar.
Fill the jar with cabbage up to the shoulders so that the cabbage is packed tightly. The brine should cover the cabbage completely. Top with more bay leaves and peas. Place the jar in a bowl so that the brine pours into the bowl after the fermentation process. Cover the jar with a lid and leave it in the room for 12 hours.
You will see the fermentation process in the morning or after 12 hours. Using a wooden skewer, pierce the cabbage to the bottom - you will see bubbles on the surface. We release them so that the cabbage does not become bitter and soft. It is better to pierce in several places to the very bottom. Do this several times during the day.
After 24 hours, the sauerkraut will be ready. You can check this by tasting it. In this case, you should not wait for the end of the fermentation process; we will stop it artificially by adding a spoonful of vinegar to the jar. After this, pierce the cabbage a couple more times so that the vinegar penetrates to its full depth.
Close the jars with nylon lids and place in a cool place. This instant sauerkraut in a jar in a cold place can be stored for quite a long time.
With onion
The preparation does not require additional addition of oil and onions before eating. It goes well with any dish, and is eaten by many on its own, without anything else.
Ingredients:
- cabbage - 3.5 kg;
- carrots - 150 g;
- onion, preferably salad varieties, - 120 g;
- salt - 60 g;
- sugar - 100 g;
- water - 500 ml;
- vinegar, 9% - 50 ml;
- oil, odorless - 50 ml.
Process:
- Heat water in a saucepan until boiling.
- Add sugar and salt.
- Add oil, boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Add vinegar and remove from heat.
- Remove the top layer of leaves from the heads of cabbage, cut out the stumps, and chop into medium-thick strips.
- Wash, peel and coarsely grate the carrots.
- Peel the onion, cut into half rings or smaller pieces (optional).
- Mix the vegetables and place them in a plastic or glass container.
- Pour over the marinade and leave on the table for 10-12 hours. You need to make sure that the marinade covers the top of the vegetables. You can deliver the cargo.
- Cover the container with a lid and place it in the refrigerator. Use the finished product for salads, vinaigrettes, “secondary” (as an addition to a side dish).
Sauerkraut with brine in a jar: a homemade recipe
Of course, the result of pickling vegetables depends on the quality of the product. It is advisable to use late varieties of cabbage with dense heads of cabbage. Take large heads of cabbage for pickling. Since cabbage is one of the most accessible products, there are many recipes for making sauerkraut with brine in jars for the winter.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium sized carrots
- 2.5-3 kg cabbage
- 1.5 liters of water
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. Sahara
- Bay leaf
- Peppercorns
To make brine, you need to dissolve salt and sugar in water. First boil water in a kettle and pour it into a saucepan, adding salt and sugar, bay leaf and peppercorns. Stir until dissolved and leave to cool.
Peel the cabbage from the top leaves and chop it. The carrots must be grated on a coarse grater.
Place the mixture into a three-liter jar with your hands, pressing it to the bottom.
Tip: When storing cabbage, it must be completely covered with brine, otherwise the cabbage will immediately become moldy.
The brine must be poured cooled, but not cold. Otherwise, boiling water can destroy beneficial substances. You need to fill it up to the neck, and do not close the jar. Place the jar in a clean bowl as the brine will spill out of the jar. Leave the jar open without a lid for 3 days in a dark place.
Tip: To prevent dust from getting in, you can cover the top of the jar with gauze or other light cloth.
To release carbon dioxide and prevent bitterness from building up in the cabbage, pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick a couple of times a day. The brine that is poured out must then be returned back.
You can tell that the cabbage is ready by looking at the brine: if it bubbles, then the fermentation process is complete. This sauerkraut can be stored for about 8 months in a cool place.
Answers to frequently asked questions
How much salt do you need?
Depends on the recipe. In general, when preparing marinade and brine for cabbage for the winter, it is recommended to start with 2% by weight of vegetables, and then add to taste. In addition, the amount of salt also depends on the amount of sugar.
Is it possible to pickle red cabbage?
Yes, if it meets all quality requirements: density of the head, absence of rot and damage, juiciness.
Which heads of cabbage are best suited for pickling?
An experienced housewife can prepare a high-quality dish from almost any vegetable. But still, it is best to pickle ripe, juicy specimens of mid-season and late varieties weighing from 700 grams. White cabbage varieties are considered the most delicious.
The most delicious recipe for sauerkraut in a jar
If you listen to some tips for preparing sauerkraut, it is difficult to spoil it, and yet there are recipes that differ from the classic version. It is best to use late-ripe cabbage, but ferment it within the next couple of days after cutting. This is due to the fact that the cabbage has time to gain nutrients and natural sugar.
Cranberries go very well with cabbage. It will add an original sourness to the dish and will also look beautiful on the plate. Cranberries can be added during the fermentation process, or before serving.
Ingredients:
- 2-2.5 kg cabbage
- 2 small carrots
- Half a cup of cranberries
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 black peppercorns
- 5 peas of allspice.
- 1 liter of water
- 1 tbsp. Sahara
- 2 tbsp. salt
Pre-sterilize a three-liter jar. We cut the cabbage with a knife or use a special tool - a shredder. Grate the carrots onto a coarse grater and place them with the cabbage in a large bowl. Add cranberries, peppercorns and bay leaves.
In this case, the vegetables must be mixed carefully so as not to crush the cranberries, but so that they and the spices are evenly distributed throughout the preparation.
We put the vegetables in the jar, but not tightly, so as not to crush the berries, and you can start preparing the brine.
To make the brine, boil water and let cool to room temperature. Add salt and sugar to it, mixing everything thoroughly. All ingredients must dissolve in water. Pour the brine into a jar with cabbage.
Let the cabbage ferment for three days. To do this, place the jar in a clean bowl so that the fermentation juice can be poured into it. Morning and evening, pierce the cabbage with a stick. Carbon dioxide will be released, which can make the cabbage bitter. The juice from the bowl can be poured back into the jar so that the top of the cabbage is always covered with liquid.
After three days, the fermentation process will be completed and the jar can be closed with a nylon lid and sent for storage in a cold place - a cellar or refrigerator.
