When to pickle cabbage in 2022, the most favorable days are in October, November and December according to the lunar calendar

When should you ferment cabbage?

There are a number of recommendations according to which you should ferment cabbage:

• Moon phase. It is believed that it is better to ferment cabbage during the waxing moon. On the days of the full moon and new moon, you cannot salt, ferment, or preserve cabbage; it will turn out soft and not juicy enough.
• Moon sign. Housewives also use the lunar calendar to determine the best time for sauerkraut. Favorable signs for pickling cabbage: Aries, Taurus, Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn. Unfavorable lunar signs for pickling: Cancer, Virgo and Pisces.
• Moon day. Some housewives believe that the most favorable days of the moon for salting will be: 5, 6 and 7 lunar days.

Note! You should always cook in a good mood. Since each person has his own horoscope, the moon affects everyone differently.

Unfavorable days

The period of the waning moon or the New Moon is considered unsuitable for salting. To successfully pickle cabbage, you need bacteria that stimulate fermentation. In the waning and New Moon phases, their activity is reduced. Therefore, fermentation proceeds slowly. Because of this, the cabbage becomes soft and its taste deteriorates.

Additionally, astrologers advise paying attention to the passage of the Earth’s satellite through the zodiac constellations. The signs of Virgo, Cancer or Pisces are considered unsuitable for harvesting cabbage for the winter. The snack prepared these days quickly deteriorates and mold develops in it. On the days of the waning moon, you should not open jars with winter preparations. Cabbage quickly dries out or turns sour these days. Below is a table with unfavorable days for preparing snacks in 2022.

Winter preparations begin in the fall, immediately after harvesting. This period in Siberia, the Urals and other regions coincides with the holiday of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on October 14 according to the Orthodox calendar. But if the preparation begins in the next phase of decline, the product turns out to be tasteless. This period is also called the “snotty week” for cabbage. In 2022 it falls on November 1-15. The product salted these days becomes soft and covered with mucus. Pickling cabbage, even on favorable days, will not be successful if the cooking technology is not followed.

Bon appetit!

The reader already knows how and when to salt cabbage correctly. I would also like to mention that this dish is incredibly popular in Ukraine, Germany and France. Therefore, it would probably be wrong to say that this is an original Russian dish. And it doesn’t really matter where it comes from. The main thing is that it is incredibly tasty and healthy. Therefore, eat for health and get vitamins, especially now, when it’s winter outside, and the body so needs the missing microelements.

Sauerkraut is a tasty and vitamin-rich preparation that is easy to prepare, but also easy to spoil. To make pickling a success every time, find out when to pickle cabbage according to the lunar calendar in 2022, find out the favorable phases for the process. The Earth's satellite influences the fermentation processes used to ferment the vegetable. Take this feature into account when deciding to start preparing a crispy and aromatic preparation in the Year of the Dog.

Not every housewife can make tasty and crispy sauerkraut. The dish will require high-quality ingredients, a proven recipe and a suitable day. The technology for preparing fermented treats will not cause any difficulties. The vegetable is finely chopped (shred finely), grated carrots, salt, sugar, and spices are added as desired. The ingredients are mixed, the mixture is compacted into glass containers. The fermentation process takes place for 1-3 days at room temperature, and the finished treat is stored on the refrigerator shelf.

In addition to the traditional method of sourdough with carrots, there are ways to prepare a salty treat with the addition of a variety of plant products. With the additions, the preparation will acquire a special taste, but will not lose its beneficial properties. Additives used:

• apples;
• caraway;
• beets;
• lingonberries;
• prunes;
• quince;
• grape;
• basil;
• pumpkin;
• bell pepper

To ensure that the cabbage preparation is guaranteed to come out crispy, special components containing tannins are used. This could be oak bark or horseradish root. Oak bark can be purchased at a pharmacy. A teaspoon of one of the two components per kilogram of cabbage is enough to make the treat crispy. The components will add piquancy to the appetizer, harmoniously combining with the main ingredient.

Which cabbage is best to salt?

Be careful when choosing the main component for fermentation; the taste of the dish depends not only on a successful day according to the lunar calendar, but also on its components. Only thoroughly ripened, clarified heads of cabbage are suitable for pickling. If the cabbage is not ripe, its leaves will be dark green. It is not recommended to salt such a product, as bitterness will appear and the juiciness will not be enough. Use heads of cabbage that are tight, not bursting, not spoiled. Choose a late variety of cabbage, for example:

• Belarusian;
• Dobrovolskaya;
• Sava;
• Present;
• Menza;
• Kharkovskaya.

Not all winter varieties are suitable for pickling. Amager and Cromon will not make a tasty product, even if you follow the salting rules. Dutch and Chinese varieties are also not suitable for pickling. To prepare the preparation, it is better to use heads of cabbage grown in your own garden bed. This ensures their quality and safety. When purchasing a product, in addition to its appearance, pay attention to its taste. If the cabbage leaf is bitter, do not buy a head of cabbage, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain.

What kind of salt

An important ingredient that should be carefully selected for a recipe is salt. To salt the product, do not use iodized salt. Iodine slows down lactic acid fermentation, which must take place actively for a high-quality result. The trace element will cause the darkening and softness of the finished product. Choose medium to coarse rock salt.

What is the best way to salt

The taste of finished salted cabbage is influenced not only by the day of the lunar calendar and the selected products, but also by the container used for pickling. Traditionally, barrels and tubs made of wood are used, but a three-liter glass jar or enamel pan is suitable, sometimes plastic containers are used. It is forbidden to salt cabbage using aluminum dishes. During storage, the vegetable will acquire a metallic taste, darken and become unfit for consumption. Wash the starter container thoroughly and treat with boiling water before placing the cabbage preparation.

Pickling rules

Before choosing the day in February 2022 to ferment cabbage according to the lunar calendar, it is important to decide on the vegetable itself and use only suitable varieties. It is recommended to take hybrids of medium and some types of late ripening.

A vegetable that ripens too late is very dense and hard, so it must lie in storage for some time before fermentation. After a couple of months, the cabbage will “reach” and be enriched with sugar, which is necessary for the fermentation process to occur.

For reference!

When preparing cabbage, you do not need to use a large amount of carrots; 1 tablespoon is enough for a 3-liter jar. Ideal combination: 250 grams of carrots per 10 kilograms of cabbage. Add salt in the same amount, and sugar at least 50 grams.

Such heads of cabbage will be suitable for pickling. Although salting and pickling can be done earlier, the fermentation process involves the use of more suitable fruits.

Answers to frequently asked questions

When can I take the first sample?

If you did everything correctly, you can eat after 5 days.

Can you ferment any variety?

Yes, if the head of cabbage fits the parameters.

What is the best way to chop cabbage, into strips, into squares?

Of course, how to cut vegetables depends on the recipe, but usually they are cut into strips. It’s more convenient to work with such a shredder later.

What varieties are suitable for pickling

Only cabbage forks that are cut just before the first autumn frosts are suitable for long-term storage and pickling. This is due to the fact that during such a long time in the garden the vegetable has time to fully ripen, and it also reaches maximum concentrations of beneficial compounds. Of the mid-season cabbage varieties, it is recommended to use the following:

• Menza F1;
• Present;
• Belarusian;
• Merchant's wife F1;
• Glory 1305;
• Anniversary F1;
• Dobrovodskaya;
• Midor F1;
• Krautman F1;
• Megaton F1;
• Atria F1.

However, if you have the opportunity to grow or buy late-ripening cabbage, it is better not to use mid-ripening varieties for making pickles. There are certain late-ripening species that are almost always (subject to the preparation technology) tasty when fermented. These late varieties of cabbage, which are well suited for pickles, include:

• Aggressor F1;
• Kolobok F1;
• Valentina F1;
• Geneva F1;
• Amager F1;
• Mara;
• Turkiz;
• Snow White;
• Kharkov winter;
• Moscow late.

Early mature varieties of cabbage are not used for pickling, since the delicate foliage of such cabbages contains very few sugars. If you use such raw materials, the finished pickle will not be crispy and overly soft. However, even if a suitable variety of cabbage is taken - late or mid-season, not every fork can be used for pickling.

Favorable days for pickling cabbage in October 2022 according to the lunar calendar

It is recommended to choose a day taking into account the phase of the moon and the constellation in which it is located. The best days to pickle cabbage in October 2022 are listed in the table.

It is ideal to harvest cabbage when all factors are combined, but if this does not work out, then simply choose a day during the new moon.

Unfavorable days for salting

It is not advisable to ferment cabbage during the Full Moon. The taste will be low, and the leaves themselves will become limp. It is also recommended to avoid the new moon. The dish will turn out to be a bit dry, it will spoil quickly, and the vegetable will not crisp up.

Additional unfavorable days are considered to be days when a celestial body moves to a zodiac constellation:

• Cancer;
• Fish;
• Virgos.

There are not many dates in October 2022 when you should not pickle vegetables. Prohibited numbers: 4-5, 16-18, 26-27, 31. If possible, avoid days that are called women's days.

How to choose the right cabbage for pickling for the winter

However, the main thing that determines the taste of pickling is cabbage. A high-quality head of cabbage will produce a crispy product rich in vitamins.

Therefore, it is very important to choose the right raw materials. Mid-late and late-ripening white cabbage varieties are most suitable for pickling. You can chop red cabbage.

The basic requirements for a head of cabbage are:

• dense structure. This means that the sauerkraut will turn out crispy and juicy;
• no visible damage or rot. Otherwise, the dish will simply turn sour.

Before you start cutting and preparing the dish, carefully inspect the head of cabbage for damage and rot.

ON A NOTE. Naturally, the fork should be fresh, not limp. This is a mandatory, self-evident condition.

If only the top leaves are torn or dented, you can tear them off. If most of the leaves are slimy, flaccid, and too soft, then such a specimen is not suitable for fermentation.

Conditions for salting

To get a high-quality product, most recipes indicate such additions as where to place the container with cabbage or whether pressure is needed on top. Such features are tied to recipe points. But, a weight placed on top of the chopped cabbage leaf is needed in non-brine cooking methods. If a saline solution is prepared for fermentation, then such a measure is not necessary.

Fermentation of cabbage begins after 24-48 hours. If the temperature is maintained at a level from 18ºC to 20ºC, fermentation will be completed on the 11-12th day. If the readings on the thermometer are from 20ºC to 25ºC, then the product is expected to be ready in 7-8 days. Accelerated or delayed fermentation greatly affects the taste of the finished sauerkraut, so it should be disturbed at normal temperature conditions.

What determines the taste of sauerkraut

The taste of sauerkraut depends on the quality of the raw materials, the amount of salt and the total pickling time.

It is also very important how exactly you cut the vegetables. Coarser cuts produce more crispiness, while finer cuts produce more juiciness.

The influence of additional ingredients cannot be excluded. By the way, this is why it is not recommended to use too many additives. An important rule: whatever you add should complement the sauerkraut, but not overwhelm its flavor.

ON A NOTE. On average, it is recommended to cut 1 kg and use 20 grams (level tablespoon) of salt for this mass.

Common mistakes

Without much experience in pickling cabbage, it is easy to make a number of mistakes that seem far from obvious.

• Do not ferment in metal or plastic containers. Upon contact with metal, an oxidation process occurs and the dish may deteriorate. Fermented in glass, wooden, ceramic containers. It is acceptable to use enamel containers, but they should not be chipped.
• Do not salt cabbage during the full moon or new moon. These days, fermentation bacteria are not active. As a result, the dish turns out “wadding” and tasteless without the necessary crispiness.
• In salting, do not use any other salt other than table salt. It is this type of salt that is suitable for preparing fermented dishes. Iodized, sea and other types can only ruin the salting.
• They ferment the dish from the wrong head of cabbage. For sourdough, you need to take dense, white forks without signs of rot or visible damage. It is also very important to remove all torn and chewed leaves.
• The recipe is not followed. Experienced housewives can predict how adding an ingredient will affect the taste of a dish, but for beginners it is better to stick to the chosen recipe.
• The shredder is not thoroughly mixed. Be sure to mix everything thoroughly, otherwise the workpiece will be unevenly salted.

Where and how to store cooked cabbage

The finished cabbage is placed in a cellar or basement, refrigerator or on a glazed balcony . Store in the container in which it was prepared, or place in glass jars.

The optimal storage temperature for fermented snacks is from 0 to +2°C. At higher levels, the acidity of the product decreases and it loses its elasticity.

The shelf life in barrels at optimal temperature is 8 months, in glass jars - 6 months.

Making sauerkraut

The basic recipe for the popular snack contains few ingredients - cabbage and salt. But to improve the taste, carrots, dill seeds, caraway seeds, pumpkin, beets, and sugar are added. Less common supplements are lingonberries, apples or cranberries. They are placed in a layer to give an unusual aroma and taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 kg of white cabbage;
• 4 tbsp. coarse table salt;
• 400 g carrots.

Preparation:

Chop the cabbage into strips using forks and place in an enamel container. Add salt and rub thoroughly with your hands so that the cabbage releases juice. The peeled carrots are chopped into the same strips and added to the total mass. The contents of the container are thoroughly mixed several times.

The prepared mixture is transferred into three-liter glass jars, having previously sterilized them. The mass is compacted tightly so that there are no air bubbles left. After a few hours, the condition of the cabbage and carrot mass is checked. The released juice should completely cover it. If necessary, the liquid level is increased by adding boiled water.

Successful sauerkraut recipes

There are many ways to ferment cabbage. Each housewife must choose the most successful ones herself. This is done through trial and error.

We have prepared some of the most delicious ways to pickle cabbage for the winter.

Kvasim with carrots

Classic recipe. To prepare you will need:

• cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - 1 kg;
• salt - from 3 tablespoons to taste;
• black peppercorns - 8 pcs.;
• allspice peas - 8 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 10 pcs.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the cabbage into medium strips.
2. Chop the carrots. It's better to use a grater.
3. Mix without crushing.
4. Distribute seasonings and salt. Mix again, crushing the slices with your fists until the juice begins to flow.
5. Place in a container and crush with a masher.
6. Let it ferment for a week in a warm place.

Red sauerkraut with beets

An interesting preparation that has an interesting taste and color.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 1.5 kg;
• beets - 0.1 kg;
• salt - 2 tablespoons.

Let's prepare it like this:

1. Blanch the beets and cool them.
2. Cut the cabbage as finely as possible. You can use a grater with a knife-shaped side.
3. Chop the beets.
4. Mix the vegetables, add salt, knead until juice appears.
5. Place it in a jar or, better yet, in a bowl.
6. Cover with a plate with pressure.
7. The pickling is ready in three days.

How to salt with onions

The usual recipe, but there is a small nuance to it. You can’t add a lot of onions, otherwise the pickling will turn out sour and very sharp.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 2 kg;
• carrots - 0.3 kg;
• sugar - 2 level tablespoons;
• salt - 1.5 - 2 tablespoons without a slide;
• onion - 1 piece;
• table vinegar 9% - 100 ml;
• sunflower oil - 150 ml;
• water - 500 ml.

ATTENTION! In this recipe you will have to prepare a marinade.

Algorithm:

1. We cut the cabbage, chop the carrots.
2. Mix the chopped vegetables.
3. Place in jars.
4. Prepare the marinade: boil water, dissolve granulated sugar and salt, add vinegar and oil. Stir until smooth, remove from heat.
5. Pour the marinade into jars.
6. Roll up the lids.

Useful tips

The best month to ferment cabbage is November.

Intercession has already passed (October 14), after which it has been customary since ancient times to make winter preparations; it is freezing in the mornings. It is 10 days after the first frost that sourdough and pickling begin. Only mid-season varieties should be selected - the leaves of the forks are sweeter, retain crispness and juiciness.

To make the preparations tastier, you need to ferment cabbage in November not only according to the lunar calendar, but also taking into account the following tips:

1. If you have a cellar, it is better to use wooden barrels for long-term storage. If you plan to eat it right away, the preserves are placed in enamel buckets or pans. In apartment conditions, you will need glass jars for preparations.
2. To prevent the cabbage from spoiling, it is recommended to put an aspen sprig in it.
3. Sauerkraut should be stored in a cool, dark place.
4. The best additional ingredients are carrots, cranberries, lingonberries and apples.
5. Seasonings that give a special taste are bay leaves, cherry branches, currant leaves, caraway seeds, dill, allspice, caraway seeds.
6. You can ferment cabbage in November in large batches and little by little. In the first case, you should not chop all the prepared forks at once - the workpieces may wilt.
7. When using cans, be sure to place them in a basin - juice will be released along with the gas, which will definitely overflow.
8. Before installing the oppression, boiled, ironed gauze should be placed on the surface of the container.
9. The optimal fermentation temperature is 19–22 °C. If you put it in a warmer place, the snack will cook faster, but it will no longer be suitable for long-term storage.
10. The duration of salting is 3–7 days. It is advisable to pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick two or three times a day to speed up the release of gases. If this is not done, bitterness will appear.
11. The resulting foam must be removed regularly.
12. If, after fermenting to taste, you realized that you had chosen the wrong variety, a rather dry cabbage with a thin leaf, you need to add a little more cool boiled water and sugar.

Interesting! One of the signs of peasant Rus': women should not ferment cabbage on menstrual days. She will turn sour. Surprisingly, it still works.

Ingredients for the simplest cabbage recipe:

• 2 medium-sized heads of cabbage;
• 4 carrots;
• 2 tbsp. l. salt, not iodized;
• 4 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
• 2 liters of water.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Chop the forks and grate the carrots.
2. Dissolve sugar and salt in boiling water and cool.
3. Mix the vegetables and knead them slightly with your hands, but without turning them into porridge.
4. Place the slices in jars, filling them up to their shoulders, and compact them.
5. Fill with brine and pierce with a wooden stick.

Leave the containers in a dark place at room temperature. Pierce to release gas for another 2-3 days. As soon as foam stops forming, the containers can be tightly closed and stored.

Modern housewives do not have to make sauerkraut in November 2021 according to the lunar calendar. Modern household appliances - a stove and a refrigerator - will help them follow technological processes. But if you use the recommendations of astrologers and folk signs, the preparations will turn out much tastier.