How to ferment cabbage at home, so that it turns out juicy and crispy

Fermentation is a kind of preservation method based on the effect of lactic acid on a vegetable. To ferment means to salt. Nowadays, a similar method of harvesting is used only for vegetables and some fruits. For example, apples. But in ancient times, even fish was fermented in some regions of Russia. With the advent of refrigerators, freezers and high-tech canning methods, fermentation of fish has ceased to be relevant. You can not say about white cabbage, which is most delicious and crispy just when it lay in an oak barrel. For pickling cabbage must be finely chopped. However, methods are known for salting a vegetable in whole or in large pieces. The latter is especially tasty when adding beets.

5 names of one dish

Many experienced housewives know how to ferment cabbage at home. The secrets and nuances of this process are actually simple to the point. Fermentation is a biochemical method of conservation. Fermented carbohydrates released from the vegetable, under the influence of lactic acid bacteria, turn into lactic acid. Subsequently, this substance acts as a natural preservative and for a long time keeps the product suitable for human consumption.

Recipes suggesting how to cook sauerkraut with carrots - countless. As well as countries in which this dish is considered traditional. The table will tell you what name a salted shredded vegetable has, depending on the state in which it was preserved.

Table - What is the name of sauerkraut in different countries of the world

10 secrets of its preparation

The best period for the starter culture of the white queen of beds starts in early October and ends with the fall season. To make sauerkraut in a jar for the winter to be balanced, crispy and moderately salty, use the ten secrets that inherited modern housewives.

1. Late grade. For the fermentation process to be at a high level, there must be enough sugar in the fork. It will ensure the formation of a large amount of lactic acid, which preserves the product. Later pickles are perfect. Their secret is in the high content of the sweet ingredient.
2. Bookmark the new moon. Ancient signs say that the most delicious cabbage is obtained when its laying is made on the new moon. Believe it or not is up to you. But be aware: this recommendation has been tested for many centuries and has proven to be effective.
3. The amount of salt. One of the most pressing questions is how much salt is needed for the starter culture. Ideally, to obtain a three-liter can of product, 60 g of salt is needed. However, in late cabbage varieties there is a characteristic bitterness.To neutralize it, 40 g of salt and 20 g of sugar are added to a three-liter container.
4. Optional vinegar. Vinegar appears in many recipes. But it is believed that he does not bring benefits to the dish. Rather, the opposite: deprives the appetizer of some of its inherent beneficial properties. According to the rules, pickling should take place without the help of additional acids. Use vinegar is only if it was cooked at home.
5. Correct oppression. Arranging oppression for a pot, bucket or barrel is easy. But what if you make fermented vegetable in an ordinary three-liter jar? To do this, take a plastic bag, draw water from the tap into it and release the remaining air. In a 3/4 jar filled with cabbage, gradually stick a bag of water - oppression is ready for pickles.
6. Additives. Sauerkraut for the winter is prepared with cranberries, and with plums, and with lingonberries. Sometimes cloves of garlic are added to it. And some prefer ginger. The taste is unusual and unique. But the classics of the genre are still considered carrots. The proportion of carrots and cabbage is 1:10. But onions should be discarded, it significantly reduces the shelf life of the dish.
7. Seasonings. To give the vegetable an interesting and mouth-watering aroma, caraway and black pepper are often added to it. The list of popular seasonings includes anise, bay leaf and zira. The peoples of the Caucasus do not conceive of starter culture without burning ground pepper. Koreans also love that for a while the food turns the gourmet into a fire-breathing dragon.
8. The way of slicing. This parameter affects the final taste of the dish. To get a rich meal, you must use a shredder. Only with its help the main ingredient can be cut thinly and long - like spaghetti.
9. Storage temperature. Fermented and stored white-headed vegetable is necessary at a temperature from 0 ° C to 2 ° C. Frost is the enemy of the product. Frozen cabbage will remain juicy, but it will lose its texture and in consistency will become like spilling porridge.
10. Normalization of fermentation. Very quickly after salting under oppression, foam will begin to form. The housewife's task is to regularly remove it from containers with vegetables. The first and second day, salted cabbage should spend at room temperature, and after that - go to the link in a cool place.

Classic Sauerkraut Recipe

Feature. Classic sauerkraut consists of only four ingredients - the cabbage itself, carrots, salt and sugar, taken in certain proportions. Before starting the culinary process, the heads of cabbage should be thoroughly washed under running water, removing spoiled leaves and making sure that the rot does not get into the container with salt. It is more convenient to make salting in a wide bowl. For example, in a plastic bucket or basin. But if there is no place to store such a colossus, then a glass jar will fit as an alternative. If you want cabbage to have a sweetish flavor, increase the amount of carrots in the recipe. The period of fermentation of a white-headed vegetable depends on the variety and temperature conditions in the apartment. But on average, the cooking period is 14 days.

Grocery set:

• white cabbage - two medium heads of cabbage;
• fresh carrots - 500 g;
• table salt - two tablespoons;
• granulated sugar - a tablespoon.

What do we do

1. Finely chop the cabbage with a knife or a special shredder.
2. Three carrots on a coarse grater.
3. We mix vegetables in one container, add seasonings and grind thoroughly so that the gifts of the bed release juice.
4. We ram the vegetable mixture into the prepared container, organize the oppression and leave it for a couple of days at room temperature.
5. Two days later, remove the container with pickles in a cool place (cellar or refrigerator).

Other ways to salt a vegetable

The reason for the popularity of sauerkraut is quite logical: in Ancient Russia, this appetizer was considered the most popular in the winter and spring, when fresh vegetables were an inaccessible luxury, and vitamins could be obtained only from salty preparations. Vitamins, minerals and other properties are stored in the product for about eight months. And due to the lack of heat treatment, in the process of cooking vegetables practically do not lose their healthy benefits.

Pink with beetroot

Feature. Sauerkraut with beets is a supply of vitamin C for the winter. Both vegetables are rich in ascorbic acid, as well as an abundance of potassium and phosphorus. In addition, beetroot contains betaine, a substance that positively affects the absorption of protein by the human body. A white-headed vegetable is chopped or chopped into pieces, and through interaction with beets, it acquires a pleasant pink color.

Grocery set:

• white cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - two pieces;
• beets - two medium root crops;
• garlic - two pieces;
• odorless vegetable oil - 2/5 cup;
• 9% acetic acid - 2/5 cup;
• table salt - a tablespoon;
• granulated sugar - three tablespoons with a slide.

What do we do

1. Chop the cabbage finely and finely, chop the carrots with beets with a coarse grater, chop the garlic into thin plates.
2. We prepare hot brine based on drinking water: boil the liquid, add crystallized ingredients and mix until they are completely dissolved.
3. Step by step we lay out the vegetable ingredients in the jar: cabbage, then beets, and then carrots. The top layer must be cabbage.
4. Fill the contents of the jar with the prepared marinade, add vinegar and cover with a nylon cover. To roll the blank under the tin lid, the jar must be sterilized before the cabbage is laid out, and then sterilized again in a water bath after it has already been filled.

Honey with pepper

Feature. Instead of sugar for salting, you need to use honey. A beekeeping product nourishes the appetizer with additional beneficial properties. Honey has a strengthening and tonic effect on the body, strengthens the immune system, protects against the effects of carcinogens. It improves digestion, stimulates the intestines and due to the fructose content is allowed for use by people suffering from diabetes. Before adding honey to the dish, it must be melted by organizing a water bath. It is important not to heat it to a temperature above 60 °C, otherwise the product will lose all the benefits it contains.

Grocery set:

• white cabbage - 3 kg;
• bell pepper - 500 g;
• carrots - three medium root vegetables;
• pure drinking water - 1 l;
• honey - four tablespoons;
• salt - one and a half tablespoons;
• chili pepper - one pod;
• dried dill seed and anise - a pinch.

What do we do

1. Grind bell pepper in small cubes.
2. Shred cabbage, and three carrots on a coarse grater.
3. Tamp in a glass jar.
4. Instead of the top layer, put one chili pepper.
5. We dilute honey in warm drinking water until completely dissolved.
6. Pour the contents of the jar with syrup and, instead of the lid, cover the container with gauze.
7. We keep it for two days at room temperature, and on the third we put it in the refrigerator.

With apples and mushrooms

Feature. Mushroom supplement - an opportunity to diversify traditional dishes. Mushrooms can choose at your discretion. It is important to remember that edible mushrooms, for example, champignons, do not need preliminary heat treatment. But conditionally edible, for example, honey agarics, butter or white, it is better to pre-boil in a slow cooker for about 40 minutes.

Grocery set:

• cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - two root crops;
• sweet and sour apples - three pieces;
• champignons - 1 kg;
• table salt - four tablespoons.

What do we do

1. We cut the mushrooms into plates, chop the cabbage, chop the carrots on a coarse grater.
2. From the apples we cut the middle with the seeds and cut the flesh together with the skin into small slices.
3. Sprinkle shredded cabbage with salt and knead it slightly with your hands so that it releases juice.
4. We put vegetables and fruits in a jar as follows: alternate cabbage with the rest of the ingredients, and cover the contents with a whole cabbage leaf on top.
5. We set the oppression, keep it for two days at room temperature, and then remove it for two weeks in a cool place.

Quick fermentation method

Feature. Sometimes the hostess does not have two weeks for the fermentation process. In this case, you can try a quick method of leaven. A significant acceleration of the process is due to vinegar - it acts as the main preservative. Such sauerkraut is called daily allowance, because you can feast on it already 24 hours after cooking. The vegetable will find the most saturated taste in three days. Therefore, if you have so much time, let it brew in a cool place.

Grocery set:

• white cabbage - forks;
• fresh garlic - four cloves;
• carrots - three small root vegetables;
• vegetable oil - half a glass;
• 9% acetic acid - 3/5 cup;
• sugar - 100 g;
• drinking water - half a liter;
• salt is up to you.

What do we do

1. Shred the cabbage, discard the stump, and grind the carrots using a grater for Korean carrots.
2. Pass the garlic through a press, in a single bowl, mix all the vegetable ingredients.
3. Pour the indicated amount of water into the pan, boil on the stove, pour vinegar and vegetable oil into it, add salt and sugar.
4. After boiling the marinade, fill them with the contents of the jar, let the cabbage cool to room temperature and send it to the refrigerator.

The role of the main ingredient

Sauerkraut, canned in brine for the winter, can be not only an independent snack for meat and spirits. Often, it plays the role of the main ingredient in hot dishes and salads. The table will tell you the most popular dishes that are made from sauerkraut in our country.

Table - Popular Sauerkraut dishes

The most popular is the classic fermentation recipe. To give a spicy flavor to such a cabbage, you can add 100 g of grated horseradish to it along with carrots.

Due to the effect of lactic acid, sauerkraut for the winter in terms of utility is several times higher than its fresh "sister". It is rich in B vitamins and is a real storehouse of the well-known antioxidant - vitamin C. Cranberry improves the appearance of the dish, and also performs an important function - it contains benzoic acid, which provides the cabbage with a long shelf life without loss of vitamin composition. As for the brine, it is completely priceless: fermented cabbage juice is popularly known as the best anti-hangover.

Reviews: “Sauerkraut is mom’s undoubted hit”

Our mother salts immediately in 3-liter jars. Carefully approaches the choice of varieties of cabbage. As a rule, this is “Glory”. But recently, it is rarely seen on the market. Mom buys exactly white, juicy cabbage. Another nuance - adds a lot of carrots to cabbage. She cooks it often, starting in the fall. Sauerkraut is an undoubted hit of mom.

Paprika, http://forum.hlebopechka.net/index.php?showtopic=3878

And I have a special knife - for a shredder. It turns out thinly. We used to do a lot and store it, though on the balcony, but the cabbage froze and we literally chopped it off with pieces of ice.And in the cellar is the basement in our country house and you won’t run into it in winter ... And yes, I know that you can’t do anything at all on the waning moon, even cut your hair, force-energy leaves a person. You can not plant plants on a waning moon - they will grow poorly. But on the growing moon - please. True, I would not think about cabbage, I will know.

Svetlana http://forum.say7.info/topic68464.html

Apples are really soaked, though I personally cut them a bit too large. My cabbage juice did not turn white, but on the contrary, on the second day it was dark (from mushrooms). If it is warm in the room, then cabbage could be tasted already for 2-3 days. It all depends on taste preferences. It was cool in my kitchen, so I leavened a little longer. One small caveat: this cabbage is not stored for a long time !!!! After 2 weeks in the refrigerator, she was not so tasty. Valeria, do not worry !!!! I, too, for a very long time could not learn how to ferment cabbage (even simple, without additives). If your cabbage does not suit you, then cook cabbage soup from it. Believe me, cabbage soup turn out to be excellent (I always, when cabbage fails, I cook cabbage soup from it) !!! And the next time and get a cabbage !!!!

Irisha https://www.edimdoma.ru/retsepty/60105-kvashenaya-kapusta-s-gribami

There is such an urban recipe, when there is no need to store the crop, but just to eat .. take a three-liter jar, it contains 2.5-2.8 kilogram heads of cabbage and two medium carrots. You can add a handful of cranberries or a couple of pinches of dill seed - giving a cool flavor. But I do not like it, I only make cabbage and carrots. I cut cabbage, rub carrots, mix, cram into a jar, a little tamping, but not to the top - it’s better to leave cm 3 from the top of the jar empty, pour 2 tablespoons of salt (without a slide) and one tablespoon of sugar with a slide directly on top of the cabbage. And pour cold drinking water. Pierce with something long periodically to release gas. 3-4 times a day is enough. When it stops fermenting and becomes tasty, you can clean it in the refrigerator. The speed depends on the temperature in the house and the variety of cabbage, but usually 2-3 days. It turns out tasty, juicy, crunchy and very convenient - no need for oppression, crumple, then no need to pack cans of a half-refrigerator. It is better to put a deep plate or bowl under the jar, because when the pickle is fermenting very much, it can overflow slightly.

Horned tiger http://www.woman.ru/home/culinary/thread/4366079/

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