If any of us is asked to name the top five garden plants that came to mind, then cabbage will definitely be among them. This vegetable plant can be safely attributed to the most important in the human diet.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many housewives are thinking about how to cook sauerkraut.
In cultural agriculture, cabbage was introduced in prehistoric times. Archaeologists confirm that cabbages were already in use during the Stone and Bronze Ages. At a time when the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks looked after cabbage, there were only up to ten varieties of it. In the nineteenth century, this number increased to three dozen. Now hundreds of varieties of cabbage are cultivated, grown, used for food all over the world!
The South Slavic tribes adopted the experience of growing cabbage from the colonists who inhabited the Black Sea regions. After a while, cabbage was also recognized in Russia.
The distribution area of cabbage is very extensive. This plant is grown by gardeners in all parts of the world with a fairly temperate climate. The exceptions are areas of permafrost and deserts.
Such popularity of cabbage, as well as its importance in human food, is determined by its composition. The main valuable substances that cabbage contains are vitamins and fiber, carotene and polysaccharides, nitrogenous substances and mineral salts.
The great mathematician and philosopher of ancient Greece, Pythagoras, highly appreciated the benefits of cabbage and even developed new varieties of it. The inhabitants of ancient Rome knew about the medicinal properties of cabbage. Official medicine recognized the healing properties of cabbage after an anti-ulcer factor called "vitamin U" was found in its juice. Cabbage leaf juice is prescribed in the treatment of gastritis, colitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Traditional medicine prescribes juice from cabbage leaves as a remedy for the treatment of festering wounds, it is used in the treatment of edema and gastritis, liver diseases and getting rid of constipation. Cabbage is used for dietary nutrition with excess weight and gout, it is recommended for use in diseases of the gallbladder and atherosclerosis. It is also noticed that cabbage juice rejuvenates the skin. These properties are used in beauty masks and other skin care products.
homemade sauerkraut
Different types of cabbage are eaten: white and red cabbage, Savoy and Brussels sprouts, Beijing and broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi and many others. Many different dishes can be prepared from cabbage. But the leader in the cabbage menu, of course, is homemade sauerkraut. This dish will be called its national dish in Germany in Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, Belarus, the Czech Republic and a number of other countries.
Sauerkraut is a delicious independent dish and a side dish for meat dishes, they make filling for pies and pies, dumplings, pancakes, etc. from it. It is not only very tasty, but also very useful. Sauerkraut in winter is the richest source of vitamin C. It contains trace elements iodine, zinc and magnesium that are important for the activity of the human body. In addition, this product regulates the metabolic processes of the body and normalizes the intestinal microflora, enriches the body with valuable trace elements and enzymes.
Traditional medicine advises the use of sauerkraut and also pickle from its fermentation for numerous ailments. Healers heal with the help of a vitamin assistant and a banal cold, and such difficult diseases as bronchial asthma and even epilepsy. Sauerkraut will help with beriberi and fever, hemorrhoids and gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers. It is also used in the treatment of umbilical hernia in children, with cuts, burns and insect bites. Sauerkraut helps with liver diseases, heartburn and the treatment of many more diseases. Repeated studies by scientists suggest that sauerkraut has specific substances that can stop the growth of cancer cells and malignant neoplasms. This is especially true for processes that can occur in the lungs, intestines and mammary glands. And yet, sauerkraut for "male power" is a very faithful assistant.
An interesting fact is that the famous cartographer and discoverer of unknown lands, James Cook, going on a long and dangerous journey, took 60 barrels of sauerkraut on board as provisions. It was sauerkraut that saved the crew of his ship from scurvy.
Every family knows how to cook sauerkraut, and there is always a secret, its own zest and traditions.
How to choose cabbage for sauerkraut
There are several basic ways to ferment cabbage at home: ferment cabbage chopped with a knife or a special shredder, ferment finely chopped cabbage (or chopped) in a special wooden trough. There are lovers who ferment cabbage, cut into quarters, halves and even whole heads of cabbage.
The main ingredients of sauerkraut are cabbage itself and salt evenly distributed in it. Additives for sauerkraut can be very diverse. These are carrots and bay leaves, cranberries and apples, cumin and dill seeds, pumpkin and allspice peas, beets and much more, depending on the preferences of each family and the region in which you live.
It is very important which cabbage to pickle. For salting choose late varieties of cabbage. The cabbage forks that you choose for pickling for the winter should be with white, juicy and crispy leaves.
Thrifty housewives choose large heads of cabbage for sourdough. This is advisable because there is much less waste from one large fork of cabbage than from two small ones. In the process of preparing cabbage heads, they cut off the upper leaves of a darker color with a greenish color, any darkening, rotten places, frostbitten or simply deformed leaves during transportation. By the way, don't throw them away. You will read below how to use such leaves in the process of salting cabbage. If you plan to salt whole, halves or quarters of a head of cabbage, then for a more uniform salting of the cabbage, the stalk is also cut out of it.
To make sure you choose the right one, cut open the cabbage and just taste it. If you like the taste of cabbage, feel free to start pickling. If not, make something else out of it.
An interesting fact: sauerkraut can be cooked without salt. After all, its taste is acquired due to lactic acid fermentation caused by certain bacteria. Although cabbage fermented in this way is stored less. Salt in this case acts as a preservative.
Dishes for salting cabbage for the winter
Sauerkraut for the winter should be done in a certain bowl. From time immemorial, wooden containers of various sizes have been used for these purposes, many are returning to this option now. On the one hand, cooking sauerkraut in a wooden container (except for conifers) gives its own specific pleasant aroma, and on the other hand, wood is an environmentally friendly material that does not adversely affect the human body.
Many housewives use enameled dishes, for example, buckets, to ferment cabbage. In this case, you should carefully examine its inner surface. It is not advisable to use dishes with chipped or cracked enamel for pickling cabbage and storing it for a long time. The sour cabbage brine can corrode the exposed metal, and at the same time give the cabbage an unpleasant aftertaste.
You can use food-grade plastic containers for sauerkraut at home, although gourmets believe that such a container does not have such a “saturated” taste.
Your recipe for making sauerkraut may be wonderful and proven over the years, but it is advisable not to use aluminum dishes for sour cabbage! In addition to the fact that aluminum oxidizes under the influence of lactic acid released during fermentation of cabbage, it also gives your adored cabbage a grayish color and a specific metallic taste.
When is the best time to pickle cabbage?
The answer to this question will be given to you by mothers, grandmothers, neighbors in the country, employees and other advisers. In Russia, sauerkraut, depending on the region, began in different ways. In some regions, they tried to do this immediately after the celebration of the church holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, that is, after September 27th. Residents of other regions did not start salting cabbage before Sergius Day, which is celebrated on October 8th.
Many housewives try to ferment cabbage according to the lunar calendar, while some others are guided by family traditions or folk signs. So what days to ferment cabbage?
Folk omens say that cabbage fermented shortly after the new moon turns out to be the most successful. Approximately 5-6 days. The growing moon also "contributes" to the delicious salting of cabbage, but with a waning moon, this is not advisable. Adherents of the moon know that her calendar does not recommend fermenting cabbage on a full moon. Allegedly, cabbage cooked for the winter during this period becomes soft and overly sour.
Many housewives adhere to the principle that the day to pickle cabbage should be “male”, that is, Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. The last one is preferable. They say the letter "P" guarantees that the cabbage will xRRrust.
And the experience of numerous generations of housewives advises women not to ferment cabbage on “critical days” and until the 40th day after the birth of a child.
How to pickle cabbage
So, we have come to the most important question - how to properly ferment cabbage. We will proceed from the fact that we need a traditional, “classic” recipe for sauerkraut. Many years, even centuries of experience of a huge army of housewives crystallized the most optimal proportions for pickling cabbage.
And these proportions are as follows: 10 kg of cabbage and 200 gr. salt. Sauerkraut recipe may be different, starting with the salting method. This is dry salting (when the cabbage is rubbed with dry salt by hand), “wet” salting (when the cabbage, packed in a prepared container, is poured with brine). Wet salting, in turn, is divided into cold and hot (custard).
There is nothing more common than sauerkraut with carrots. This is the most traditional addition to cabbage. And here the opinions of the hostesses were divided again. Some of them believe that carrots should be grated on a coarse grater, while others prefer to cut carrots into thin circles or long straws. Who cares? Chopped carrots do not give as much juice as grated ones. This is why cabbage cooked with sliced carrots ends up having a lighter, uncolored color, and with grated carrots it has a reddish "fox" tint.
To diversify the taste of sauerkraut, large or whole small sour apples, strong plums, lingonberries and cranberries, cut into slices, will also help you. You can add pickled and salted mushrooms, celery and sweet bell peppers, etc. to sauerkraut. Allspice and cumin, cloves and bay leaves, horseradish and celery will not be superfluous in addition to the vigorous cabbage taste.
Cooking sauerkraut
Cabbage, chosen with predilection, is brought home and cleaned, as described above. We chop or chop the cabbage, grind it with salt, add the desired amount of carrots (or other flavor enhancers, if desired) to it and place it in the prepared container. Lay the cabbage in small portions, tamping it with a special wooden pusher, or with the fist of a loved one. This is necessary so that as little air as possible remains between the layers of cabbage. When the last cabbage is laid, the clean cabbage leaves left by us are laid on top, you can put a clean, dense natural rag (for example, a linen towel) on top of them. A wooden circle was usually placed on top of this in a wooden container, and oppression was placed on top of it - most often a rather massive stone of a rounded shape.
We, based on the home conditions of the city hostess, lay a flat plate of a suitable size on top and put a 1-2 liter jar of water on top - instead of oppression. If the cabbage is juicy enough, then after that almost the entire plate is filled with the released juice. There's no need to clean it up! If your container is filled to the brim with cabbage, then you should take care in advance that the juice that stands out does not spill out.
How much to ferment cabbage
Now the cabbage should ferment. To do this, leave the container with cabbage for 5-7 days at room temperature. Every day you will need to collect the resulting foam, remove the oppression from the plate and pierce the cabbage. It is convenient to do this with a wooden stick. And you need to pierce to the very bottom. This is done in order to “leave bitterness”, as our grandmothers say. You will notice that every day there will be less and less liquid covering the plate. Gradually, the cabbage will begin to smell like sauerkraut, then it must be removed to a cold place to stop fermentation. The specialist determines the ideal temperature for storing sauerkraut in the region of zero.
Note to hostess:
Your cabbage will be crispy if you don't overdo it by chopping it too thin.
- Do not "knead" the cabbage with salt too actively: it is enough to mix these components, squeezing slightly.
- Carefully compact the cabbage layer, and do not forget about oppression!
- To guarantee a crunch, add a little oak bark or grated horseradish root to the cabbage when pickling. These plants contain tannins. On the one hand, they are very harmoniously combined with the taste of cabbage, and on the other hand, they will not let it become soft.
- Start the process of fermenting cabbage at a temperature of 19-22 degrees. This process ends around 00 C.
If your family is not numerous, then you will need a recipe for sauerkraut in a jar.
You will need 3 kg of shredded cabbage, about 50 gr. salt, carrots (apples, cranberries, etc.) to taste. Grind until juice appears and, tightly tamping, put in a 3-liter jar. If your hand does not fit into the jar, ask one of the younger family members to tamp the cabbage, or use a rolling pin.
We put a jar of cabbage in some kind of container that will not allow the juice to spread (a plate, tray, etc.) and leave it in the kitchen. After a day, the juice will begin to foam. Carefully remove it, and do not forget to pierce the cabbage with a wooden stick to the very bottom, as described above. It is advisable to do this procedure at least a couple of times a day.
When there is no brine left on the surface of the cabbage (it goes into the cabbage), and its top layer takes on a “sluggish” look, you can put the jar of cabbage in the refrigerator or other cold place. Cabbage in a jar is ready! It’s good to let the cabbage in the jar cool before you start sampling: it’s much tastier that way. And if you add fragrant vegetable oil and finely chopped onion - it's just delicious! Especially under hot potatoes and lard with a layer.
If for some reason you didn’t succeed in fermenting cabbage in the fall, you can do it at any other time. If you certainly wanted to decorate the New Year's table with sauerkraut, but you didn’t have time to sauerkraut in December, a quick preparation of sauerkraut can help you.
Many people love Beetroot Cabbage for the Lazy. This recipe will surely appeal to ladies who are limited in time, but who want to pamper their household.
In addition to the fact that this sauerkraut is fast, the process of its preparation will take quite a bit of time. To prepare it you will need:
White cabbage - 5 kg
- large beets - 1 pc.
- garlic - 1-2 heads
- hot pepper 2-3 pcs.
We clean and cut the garlic. Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds and internal membranes. Slice thinly and mix with garlic. We clean the beets from the skin and cut the raw beets into thin strips or three on a coarse grater. Cut the cabbage into fairly large pieces, approximately 3x3 cm pieces.
Further, all of the listed components will be laid in layers in a prepared container - for example, a plastic bucket. This must be done so that the cabbage is laid quite tightly, but also loosely, so that the brine evenly comes into contact with its pieces.
So: a layer of cabbage, garlic with pepper, beets. There will be 2-3 such layers. The top layer is cabbage, spread out as evenly as possible. Its contents should not rise above the upper edge of the container.
All this charm will need to be poured with brine, which is prepared from the following components:
For 1 liter of water:
- 2 tbsp. l. salt
- 0.5 st. Sahara
- 1/3 cup vinegar 9%
- 8-10 peas of allspice
- 3-5 bay leaves.
For the indicated amount of cabbage, about 3 liters of brine will be needed.
Let the water boil, dissolve salt and sugar in it. The water should cool slightly, after which we pour vinegar into it and pour the cabbage with the resulting marinade. Cabbage tends to float, therefore, in order for the top layer to cook evenly - on top of the cabbage we arrange oppression from a flat plate of a suitable size and a can of water, as described above.
Then we must be patient and wait. The most impatient can start trying after a day. Such cabbage is really ready in 4-5 days. It turns out it is a bright beet color. Sweet and sour taste and spicy aroma will surely delight your household. Be sure to clean the ripened cabbage in the cold: staying warm, it will become more spicy and sour from day to day.
Sauerkraut Dishes
Sauerkraut was a very popular dish in Russia. They harvested it every autumn a lot, and then all winter they ate it in its natural form and prepared all kinds of dishes from it.
Sauerkraut soup cooked by an experienced housewife is the pinnacle of pleasure! A rich broth combined with sauerkraut and spices will perfectly warm you up after work or a walk in the cold.
You will need: meat on the bone (pork knuckle, smoked meats are perfect) - 0.5 kg; sauerkraut 500-600 g; potatoes - 6-7 pcs.; carrots - 1 pc.; onion - 1 pc., garlic - 2 cloves; 1 st. l. tomato paste. Vegetable oil or pork fat for passivation, water, salt, spices to taste, sour cream and herbs to decorate the finished dish.
1. Wash the meat, fill it with water and cook for about an hour.
2. Put the sauerkraut into the boiling broth. If it is cut into long strips, cut into shorter pieces. Rinse before laying in the broth is not necessary! Cook for 1 more hour.
3. We take out the meat, remove it from the bones, cut it into pieces and put it back into the broth.
4. Put the whole peeled potatoes in the broth and cook until fully cooked. We take it out, push it apart (not in mashed potatoes, but in large pieces, but not cut), put it back into the broth and continue to cook over low heat.
5. Pass the carrots, grated on a coarse grater and chopped onions with garlic in fat (of your choice), flavor with tomato paste, stir thoroughly.
6. Combine cabbage soup with frying, salt to taste.
7. Put greens and a spoonful of sour cream in a plate with cabbage soup.
Aged one night in the cold, cabbage soup acquires a completely different, richer and more pleasant taste.
Stewed sauerkraut (Latvian cuisine) is prepared as follows: 1 kg of sauerkraut, 0.5-0.6 kg of grated carrots, 2 onions, fat (vegetable, chicken, pork - of your choice), cumin.
Fry finely chopped onions in fat, add grated carrots, give time for these vegetables to "sweat" a little together. Add sauerkraut, a little water and simmer. After 30-40 minutes, add 1-2 tsp. cumin, stir and bring to a boil.
This dish, cooked in vegetable oil, is quite suitable for vegetarians and for eating during church fasts. If you cooked on animal fat, then this is just an amazingly tasty dish. It will serve as a wonderful side dish for any meat dish.
Braised sauerkraut is an excellent filling for pies, dumplings, puffs and other dough products, and a delicious independent dish, and a side dish for meat. This dish is prepared similarly to the previous one, but with the addition of fresh cabbage.
You will need 2 pcs. onions and carrots, 0.5 kg of sauerkraut and 1 kg of fresh white cabbage.
Carrots, chopped or grated on a coarse grater, are fried with onions, cut into half rings until golden brown. Shredded fresh cabbage is placed on top, mixed and fried for 1-12 minutes. Add sauerkraut, salt, mix everything. Reduce heat to low, close the lid and simmer for about half an hour. Cabbage in the finished dish should not be too crispy, but not turned into porridge. Add spices to your taste a couple of minutes before turning off the finished dish.
Sauerkraut for the winter is a good Russian tradition that helps to fortify and diversify the diet in the cold season.
Sauerkraut is one of the favorite dishes in every family, especially in winter. Often we ask ourselves: how to make sauerkraut? Many people think that for this you will need a barrel or a trough, but, for sure, every housewife has a large saucepan - this one is perfect.
Be sure to finely chop the cabbage - the dish will only benefit from this, and grind it thoroughly with salt - men's hands will not interfere with you here.
How much to ferment cabbage?
When preparing sauerkraut according to the 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 taste 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, the thing is always useful on the farm, and not only for making sauerkraut, but for cutting any other vegetables.
Ingredients:
- white cabbage - 1.5 kg;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- salt - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar - 30 g.
Cooking
Cabbage and carrots chop or cut into small strips. Grind with salt, add sugar. Fold in a saucepan, best enameled, and put under oppression for 5 days. Poke several times daily with a knife or wooden stick to release any accumulated gases and skim the top of the foam that bacteria release. Keep the pot in a warm place to speed up the fermentation process. After five days, the cabbage should be sweet and sour and crispy. Before serving, season with vegetable oil and finely chopped green onions.
Sauerkraut with apples
Traditionally, various additives go to cabbage: carrots, cranberries, apples, beets. You can make sauerkraut with apples by adding 3-4 apples during salting per 1.5 kg of cabbage. Apples will need to be pre-washed and, peeled from seeds, cut into slices. 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 get a very beautiful pale pink salad. And if you add garlic, you will please the 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.
Cooking
We clean the cabbage from damaged leaves and cut into squares. Peel the beetroot and cut into thin slices. Mix cabbage with beets and prepare the marinade: 
We 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 cabbage with beetroot marinade, mix, put under pressure. We stand in a warm place for 3-4 days, then we transfer it to a bottle and send it to the refrigerator. Serve as a salad, pre-filled with vegetable oil.
As you can see, it is not difficult to cook sauerkraut, a little patience and vitamins, which this dish is so rich in, will appear on your table in winter. The benefits of sauerkraut are enormous: it has firming 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 sauerkraut recipe- chop the head of cabbage, rub it with a little salt and put it under oppression, after a few days the sauerkraut in its own juice is ready. As far as possible, the housewives added cranberries, lingonberries, carrots, apples, caraway seeds to it. Learn more about beneficial properties of cabbage and how to ferment it correctly.
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The benefits of sauerkraut
Surprisingly, but sauerkraut is considered healthier than fresh. When fermented in a vegetable, the amount of vitamins increases, which are much better absorbed. So sauerkraut is a great affordable source of vitamins. wonderful health benefits of sauerkraut even doctors say. It affects the work of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, improves immunity due to the high content of vitamin C and not only. Sauerkraut contains a lot of folic acid and B vitamins, almost all minerals, which together helps to normalize metabolic processes and strengthen blood vessels. Cabbage removes cholesterol and, due to the presence of rare vitamin U, contributes to the effective regeneration of the gastric mucosa. Besides, sauerkraut- natural oncoprotector.
It is possible to describe the beneficial properties of sauerkraut for a long time, among them:
- improvement of the digestive tract (vitamin U) and normalization of cholesterol levels,
- cabbage strengthens the nervous system (B vitamins),
- strengthening immunity (vitamin C) and disease prevention - a remedy for beriberi (antioxidants and vitamin and mineral composition),
- weight loss (tartronic acid) and normalization of metabolism (iodine, nicotinic acid),
- lower 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 by 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 cells from dividing. 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 be invaluable in reducing the risk of developing breast cancer by almost 50%;
- Five servings of sauerkraut per week has 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 ulcer and related stomach cancer.
All health benefits of sauerkraut stored for ten months from the date of preparation. Love sauerkraut and cook it yourself!
How to cook sauerkraut
To prepare sauerkraut, you need to know a few culinary secrets and have a good recipe. We will tell you how to make sauerkraut crispy, healthy, tasty. The sauerkraut process should be controlled, for 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.
Get ready for the sauerkraut process in advance, prepare everything you need. Kitchen utensils, knives, cuts 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 pickle cabbage
how to choose cabbage for sauerkraut
Choose late varieties of cabbage, the head should be dense and slightly crunchy when pressed. It is better to choose the whitest head of cabbage you find - such cabbage will crunch. Be sure to pay attention to the stalk: it should also be dense, juicy.
For sauerkraut, take only whole, clean heads of cabbage, without the slightest contamination with earth, slugs or caterpillars, ruthlessly remove the top layer of leaves to a clean fork.
If you choose cabbage in late autumn, then check that it is not frozen.
Of two heads of equal size, choose the one that is heavier. The denser the leaves, the tastier the snack will be.
what to pickle cabbage
It is best to ferment cabbage in a wooden tub, you can also use glass, in extreme cases - enameled dishes.
Plastic buckets are contraindicated for cabbage. Just like stainless steel containers.
As oppression, a stone (clean) or a jar of water is suitable. It is better not to put metal objects on cabbage.
how much salt to put and what kind of salt to use
For sauerkraut, it is better to use coarse rock salt. Cabbage is contraindicated in iodized salt, it makes it soft. How much salt to put in sauerkraut is a matter of taste. On average, put 1-2 tbsp. salt per 1 kg of cabbage.
how to cut cabbage
Usually the cabbage is finely chopped, and the shredder should not be too thin, otherwise the cabbage will turn out soft. The stalk must be removed before cutting, 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 your own cabbage, and you are sure that the stalk has not accumulated nitrates and chemicals. Sometimes the cabbage is cut into squares, and sometimes the cabbage is simply cut into quarters or halves.
how to ferment a whole cabbage
In order for the head of cabbage to be salted evenly, it is necessary to make a cross-shaped incision on the stalk.
Leaves from pickled cabbage can be used for cabbage rolls.
to crunch cabbage
An easy way to make cabbage dense 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 cabbage will also add crunch to it and make cabbage even tastier.
what to add to sauerkraut
An ideal pair for cabbage is carrots, it makes the cabbage crispy and fragrant. Allspice and black pepper, cumin, dill seeds, cloves, hot fresh peppers will be a great 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. Enrich your preparations with B vitamins, potassium, iodine and magnesium. But ascorbic acid, contrary to popular belief, cranberries will not add. In terms of vitamin C content, cranberries are inferior to cabbage. But on the other hand, there is a lot of rare vitamin PP in cranberries, without which most of the ascorbic acid is simply not absorbed. So with cranberries, cabbage will definitely be healthier!
- Horseradish. Contains potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper and sodium. The substances that make up horseradish contribute to the digestion of heavy food, so sauerkraut with horseradish is the best side dish for pork or aspic.
- Lingonberry. This berry has 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 workpiece from becoming moldy.
- Apples. They contain B vitamins and some iron. But the main advantage of apples is the ability to eliminate bloating and seething in the intestines. And both are not uncommon, if you overdo it with sauerkraut.
- Beets. It contains a lot of dietary fiber, which enhances intestinal motility, that is, they serve 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 grater for Korean carrots. Grated carrots will give the cabbage a pinkish color, and if the carrots are thinly sliced, the sauerkraut will remain white.
- helpful tips
Horseradish leaves, which cover the cabbage, protect it from mold and disease.
When you clean a head of cabbage, you need to remove several large sheets from it - they line the bottom of the saucepan for pickling and cover the cabbage from above.
Pack the cabbage well when you put it to ferment, so it will give more juice. But observe the measure, if you overdo it, then the cabbage will be soft.
In the process of cabbage fermentation, it must be pierced with a wooden stick or a knitting needle in several places: excess gases will come out, an unpleasant smell will disappear.
After a week, cabbage can already be eaten, but it is better to ferment for another week in a cool place (at a temperature of 12-15 ° C).
How to properly store sauerkraut
You need to store sauerkraut in a cold place. The optimum storage temperature is around zero degrees. Sauerkraut should not be frozen during storage - it will become soft. Also, cabbage can deteriorate due to temperature changes. If the temperature is high, then the cabbage will begin to ferment vigorously. Make sure that the brine covers the cabbage, otherwise it will darken and spoil.
The best storage container is wooden. In glass, vitamins are stored somewhat worse. But it is better to refuse enameled pans - useful substances will not linger in them for a long time.
During fermentation, the amount of vitamins in cabbage increases.
sauerkraut recipes
Sauerkraut with cranberries
head of cabbage (3 kg), carrots - 150 g, cranberries (fresh or dried) - 70 g, salt - 100 g, pepper - to taste
Peel and shred the cabbage. Peel and chop or grate the carrots. Mix cabbage with carrots, salt and pepper to taste. Knead everything well with your hands until the juice appears. Add cranberries and mix again.
Pour everything into a suitable container and place the load on top. From time to time it is necessary to pierce the cabbage with a sharp stick to the very bottom in order to rid the cabbage of an unpleasant odor. It takes about 10 days to cook such cabbage.
Sauerkraut with bell pepper
3 kg of white cabbage, 200 g of carrots, 200 g of bell pepper, 7 black peppercorns, 5 bay leaves,
3 tbsp salt
How to cook sauerkraut:
Peel and chop cabbage and carrots. Peel the Bulgarian pepper from partitions, seeds and cut into strips. Combine everything, add spices and mix thoroughly. We spread the cabbage in a container under the press and leave for 3-4 days at room temperature. You need to pierce the cabbage several times a day so that the gas comes out. For long-term storage, sauerkraut should be transferred to a jar, tamped, pour the resulting juice on top and put in the refrigerator.
Russian sauerkraut
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.
How to cook sauerkraut:
Cut off all the leaves until they are white and close together.
Cut them into thin strips or "squares". Add a little salt, grind the cabbage to become slightly damp.
Sprinkle a little rye flour on the bottom of a clean dish, and whole leaves on top. Then a layer of cabbage, salt and shredded carrots. You can add apples and seeds of spicy plants. Tamp everything. When you fill the container, put cabbage leaves on top, 3-4 layers of gauze and a sterile plate under oppression (its weight is 15% of the mass of cabbage).
Fermentation temperature - 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.
Put the cabbage in a cold place (ideally 0-3 ° C), the brine should always cover it. If there is mold (it happens), remove it and scald the plate and oppression with boiling water.
Cabbage sautéed with hot peppers
Sauerkraut Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, 2 carrots, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 2 tbsp. l. salt, 1 red hot pepper
How to cook sauerkraut:
Shred the cabbage finely. Finely chop the pepper. Grate 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 so much cold boiled water to just cover the cabbage. Put the jar in a deep pan and leave to ferment for three days. From time to time, pierce the contents of the jar with a knitting needle.
Sauerkraut without salt
Sauerkraut Ingredients:
Honey - 2 tablespoons, Bulgarian pepper - 2 pcs., Cabbage - 1 head, garlic - 4 heads, rye bread - 5 pcs., carrots - 2 pcs.
How to cook sauerkraut:
Peel the cabbage and cut into thin slices. It is good to mash so that the juice starts up a little. Peel the garlic, finely chop and mix with the cabbage. Wash the carrots and peppers, cut the carrots into strips, and the pepper into squares. Put rye croutons and half of honey in a sourdough dish. Then - a layer of cabbage and crush it (the thickness of the layer in the crumpled state is about 5 cm), then a layer of vegetables (the thickness of the layer in the crumpled state is about 1 cm). So fill the entire jar, pour the rest of the 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 classic recipe
Sauerkraut Ingredients:
Cabbage, rock salt, cumin, carrots, apples, cranberries.
How to cook sauerkraut:
Chop the cabbage, cut the apples and carrots into strips. Put the cabbage in a container, sprinkling with salt, caraway seeds, adding carrots, apples and berries. Each row must be crushed until juice is formed. Put a load on the cabbage. And twice a day, make holes with a wooden needle so that excess gas comes out. After two weeks, cover with cabbage leaves and eat slowly.
Cabbage in white wine
Sauerkraut Ingredients:
2-3 heads of cabbage, 1 bottle of semi-sweet white wine, 3-4 tbsp. l. coarse salt.
How to cook sauerkraut:
Shred cabbage, rub with salt. Put in a large container, pour over the cabbage with white wine. Tamp the cabbage, put the load, wait 2 weeks, periodically making punctures with a wooden knitting needle.
cabbage in brine
How to choose quality sauerkraut
In the store, this is quite difficult to do, since you won’t be able to try 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.
- in the market, be sure to smell and try, and it is 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 with 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.
- brine - a little viscous, a little slimy - this is normal, and is not a sign of a low-quality product.
- when buying in the market from an unfamiliar seller, it is better to try cabbage. And do not buy non-crispy cabbage.
- if the cabbage is hard, but not crunchy, then 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-salty, fresh, with no 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 with high acidity, with exacerbation of gastritis and ulcers, for children under 5 years old. Be careful: cabbage contains a lot of salt and oxalic acid, which is unfavorable for the kidneys.
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Did you know that sauerkraut for the winter is the best way to store a delicious vegetable? In boiled cabbage, there is no longer even half of the folic acid, in comparison with fresh. When fermented, all useful trace elements are preserved, the volume of which increases during the cooking process. To make it delicious and store it for a long time, you need to follow some recipe rules, otherwise you won’t get crispy cabbage ...
When should you pickle cabbage?
Before embarking on the process, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the many intricacies of an easy task that will allow you to cook delicious crispy and fragrant cabbage. There are a lot of arguments about when you can start salting for winter storage, but there is no definite answer. 
Previously, cabbage began to ferment when the first frosts began. It is the first frost that saves heads of cabbage from the characteristic bitterness, because our grandmothers still use folk calendars. This method is well suited for those who have harvested on their own plot. So you can be sure of the quality of the grown crop.
To ferment cabbage according to the lunar calendar or not, decide for yourself and consider some recommendations. The most delicious cabbage is obtained when fermentation occurs on the 5-6th day after the onset of the new moon, on the growing moon. If salted to a decreasing level, the cabbage will be soft and sour.
Pickling container - which is better?
It is believed that wooden barrels (tubs) for pickling are the best containers for pickling vegetables, it is in such dishes that cabbage will be the most delicious and crispy. Unfortunately, at home, especially in an apartment, you cannot place such a container, and not everyone can afford to buy a real tub specifically for pickles.
in the photo - a barrel for sauerkraut 
in the photo - the process of preparing for sauerkraut
At home, as a rule, housewives sour cabbage in enameled pots, wide basins, three-liter or five-liter jars, buckets, and the taste is no worse. Before starting the process, you need to check that there are no various kinds of chips and detachments on the enamel.
Plastic containers, buckets are very popular and in demand because of their lightness and strength. True, in such a container, the cabbage will not have a rich juicy taste. You can salt cabbage in the winter in almost any household utensils, except for aluminum products. The fact is that in the process of fermentation, lactic acid is formed, which reacts with aluminum and oxidizes it. As a result, instead of crunchy and fragrant, cabbage comes out gray, with a metallic taste.
What cabbage is used for pickling and what else is added?
For winter fermentation, not all varieties and hybrids are taken, it is necessary to use only late and mid-late cabbage - Slava, Aros, Morozko, Arctic F1 and others. It is easy to distinguish late heads of cabbage, they are rather small in size and very dense, with rather thick and rough leaves. Early cabbage is not suitable for pickling because of the delicate soft leaves, which will become even softer during fermentation. Mistresses with experience advise taking large heads of cabbage, there is much less waste and it is more convenient to chop.
in the photo - a head of cabbage for sauerkraut
For sauerkraut, you will need white cabbage, carrots and ordinary rock salt (large), the proportions are as follows - for 5 kg of chopped vegetables, take 100 g of salt and 100-150 g of carrots. Such a number of ingredients have been used since ancient times, so this sauerkraut recipe is considered a classic. The output product is moderately sour and fragrant, not too salty.
To give a piquant taste, housewives add cranberries, lingonberries, apples, bell peppers, dill seeds or caraway seeds when fermenting. As a rule, additional ingredients are used to taste at their own discretion. Cabbage does not always turn out crispy, so experienced chefs resort to a little trick, put grated horseradish, oak bark bought at a pharmacy in the amount of 5-8 g / kg, which will give strength and an excellent crunch.
Proven Sauerkraut Recipe
Prepare the heads, remove the top shabby foliage, remove the stalk. Measure out the required amount of coarse salt and other additives. Carrots are washed, peeled, cut into rings or strips, rubbed on a grater. Grated carrots will give the finished cabbage an orange hue.
The head of cabbage is cut into two halves or more, based on the size and convenience of shredding in the future. Shred should be thin straws, placing the knife across the head. For ease of cutting, a chef's knife or a chopping knife is used. The last kitchen tool should be used carefully, novice housewives need to be careful, you can easily get hurt. Using a chopping knife, the product is obtained in rather small chopped sizes. Do not chop the head of cabbage too thinly, narrow strips later will not have a pleasant crunch and strength.
in the photo - slicing carrots for sauerkraut 
in the photo - slicing cabbage for sauerkraut
Shredded cabbage is put in a large cup (the container for pickling will be separate) and salted, carrots are added, mixed with hands until the juice is released. They are placed in containers for fermentation (jars, buckets, basins, etc.) in small layers, carefully tamping with a hand or a wooden crush until juice is formed. When one layer is laid, additional ingredients are laid on top (cranberries, dill, lingonberries, etc.). Alternating layers, fill the container completely, to the very top.
On the laid cabbage we lay out clean leaves from heads of cabbage that remained during cleaning, put a load on top. Use a wide plate or dish, turn upside down, put a large stone or put a three-liter jar full of water. The released juice from the cabbage is not drained when installing the load. If sour in jars, do not close with lids, just put on top of the neck. In the process of fermentation, to collect excess juice, substitute dishes of suitable sizes under containers, jars, basins.
How many days does cabbage ferment and how to store the finished product?
The laid cabbage is left in a room at an air temperature of +19 ° ... +22 ° С for 3-7 days, depending on the quantity and volume of the container. A lower temperature hinders the kvass process, as a result, the product sours for a long time or the process stops altogether. A high degree will soften the cabbage and strongly sour.
in the photo - the process of fermenting cabbage
To find out if the fermentation process is going on, look at the surface, the resulting foam and bubbles indicate the correct course of the processes. The foam is removed as it forms. Once fermentation has begun, cabbage must be pierced daily using wooden spoons (back side) to remove the resulting gases. They pierce to the very bottom to rid the cabbage of bitterness.
After 3-4 days, the cabbage will settle, the amount of juice released will decrease, which means that the product is ready. Do not rush to store, first taste it, which should be pleasantly sour if everything was done correctly. Fresh cabbage must be left to ferment for a couple of days until fully cooked.
Sauerkraut should be stored at a temperature of 0 ° ... + 5 ° С. In the cellar, refrigerator, basement, balcony, loggia, cabbage can be stored for the winter if the conditions are appropriate. Another way to store for a long period is to freeze sauerkraut. Pack into bags, put in the freezer and use as needed. Enjoy your meal!
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