The easiest way to make sauerkraut. How to ferment cabbage at home for the winter in different ways. To prepare the product according to this recipe, you should take

Crispy sauerkraut for the winter in jars in brine is a popular tasty snack loved by many. Crispy and juicy cabbage with aromatic vegetable oil and green onion rings - what could be tastier? I like to add it to vinaigrette, cook cabbage soup, solyanka with it, and use it as a filling for closed pies, dumplings, and pies.

That's why I always have delicious sauerkraut in jars in the refrigerator for the winter. This is our family recipe, according to which my grandmother used to make sauerkraut. Sauerkraut for the winter turns out so perfect that I don’t even try other recipes.

Sauerkraut recipe: for a 3 liter jar

Ingredients:

3 kg white cabbage
1 carrot

Brine:

1 liter of water
2 tbsp. l. salt
1 tbsp. l. Sahara
5 allspice peas

How to ferment cabbage in jars for the winter:

Remove the top contaminated and damaged leaves from white cabbage. Let's cut it into pieces, cut out the stalk. Finely chop the cabbage with a knife or a special shredder.

Wash the carrots and peel them with a vegetable peeler. Grind the carrots on a coarse grater.

Mix chopped cabbage with carrots.

We carefully crush the vegetables with our hands so that they release the juice. This way the sauerkraut recipe for a 3 liter jar will turn out juicy and crispy.

Now transfer the cabbage into a dry jar, compacting it tightly. I use liter jars to make it easier to store them on the refrigerator shelf; the recipe is for 1 three-liter jar.

Let's prepare the brine. Mix in a deep bowl cold water, salt, sugar and black sweet pea. Mix thoroughly until the dry ingredients dissolve.

Pour the resulting mixture over the cabbage in the jar to the top.

As you can see, sauerkraut in brine for the winter in jars does not take much time, especially if you use a shredder to chop the vegetables.

Then cover the jar with a nylon lid and place it in a deep plate or bowl so that the brine does not spill out.

Place the jar of cabbage in a cool, dark place. This could be a cellar or a shelf in a closet. Every 12 hours we will stir the cabbage with a wooden spatula or spoon, reaching the bottom so that the air comes out. If necessary, we will add brine to the jar so that the vegetables are completely covered with it.

In 3-4 days, crispy sauerkraut in jars for the winter will be ready. Cover it with a lid and store it in the refrigerator.

Sauerkraut is one of the dishes that, when properly prepared, retains vitamins and beneficial properties for up to 9 months. Let's talk about how to make sauerkraut at home.

In winter and spring, a person experiences a deficiency in fortified foods, so even in times Ancient Rus' people came up with recipes for delicious and healthy food, which does not lose its beneficial properties. Today, sauerkraut is rarely made in whole barrels, but rolling the vegetable into jars is another matter.

Before cooking, consider useful tips, which will help you prepare sauerkraut correctly and tasty at home.

For cooking, choose late cabbage - these varieties have stronger and thicker leaves. They store better, are more beautiful after cooking, and have a unique crunch.
You can also ferment cabbage in large pieces. The main thing is to remove the stalk, and then you can cut it into two, four or more parts. With this method, be sure to take dense heads of cabbage.
Sterility. The utensils and equipment with which the dish is prepared must be sterile. The principle of cooking is fermentation. If bacteria enter the container during the process, the product will spoil.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Many housewives add various vegetables and spices for taste: bay leaves, cranberries, beets and much more.

Calorie content

Cabbage is not a high-calorie product, but sugar and salt are added during cooking, which misleads many weight watchers.

The average calorie content of sauerkraut is 19-23 kcal per 100 grams.

Speaking about the composition of the dish, the bulk of it is carbohydrates. However, despite the fact that most diets minimize carbohydrate intake, nutritionists do not blacklist sauerkraut. This happens for two reasons:

A third of the composition is proteins, which is an excellent indicator for the product.
Utility. The dish has a whole complex of vitamins, which more than covers all carbohydrates.

With any diet or with simple proper nutrition You can and even need to eat such a snack.

Pickled cabbage - a recipe for the winter in jars

The recipe in jars is one of the simplest and most popular for the winter.

Ingredients

Servings: 20

cabbage 2 kg
carrot 200 g
salt 2 tbsp. l.

Per serving

Calories: 19 kcal

Proteins: 1.8 g

Fats: 0.1 g

Carbohydrates: 4.4 g

2 hours 37 min. Video recipe Print

Finely chop the carrots into strips (do not grate them). You chop the cabbage and rub it with salt without much effort.

Then add chopped carrots. Mix everything so that the carrots are evenly distributed throughout the cabbage.

Place the ingredients in a jar in layers and compact tightly. It is better to fill the jars not completely, but leave 5-7 centimeters from the top.

If everything is done correctly, the top of the cabbage should be moist and release juice.

Cover with gauze and leave to ferment at room temperature for a day.

After a day, you will see the liquid on top of the cabbage that formed during fermentation. Take a long thin wooden stick and pierce it several times throughout the entire depth to release the gases. Carry out a similar procedure for three days.

On the second or third day you can try the snack. If it is already quite sour, cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator or basement. If it is not yet sour enough, leave it warm for 4 and 5 days.

After cooking, store exclusively in the cold.

Instant sauerkraut

Let's look at a popular way to make crispy sauerkraut for the lazy, or people who don't want or can't wait. In this case, the marinade comes to the rescue.

Ingredients:

Cabbage – 2 kg.
Carrots – 150-200 grams.
2 tbsp. spoons of salt.

Ingredients for marinade:

250 ml water;
0.5 tbsp. spoons of sunflower oil;
0.5 tbsp. spoons of vinegar;
100 grams of sugar;
3-4 pcs. bay leaf;
Black pepper (peas) to taste.

How to cook:

Chop the cabbage and carrots and grind with salt.
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and bring to a boil.
Fill the jars or other container with cabbage (you shouldn’t tamp it too hard, just add a little).
Pour the hot marinade into the chopped vegetables.
Tamp or place a suitable load on top.
After cooling, place in the refrigerator for a day.

Video cooking

When to ferment cabbage according to the lunar calendar

Not everyone believes in omens, horoscopes and calendars. However, as experience shows, the lunar calendar can play a cruel joke in this or that matter.

Best time for cooking cabbage lunar calendar- Waxing Crescent. It is not recommended to ferment according to the standard recipe on the waning moon. Astrologers prohibit fermenting cabbage during the new moon.

Benefits and harm to the body

Like any product, sauerkraut has positive and negative sides.

Beneficial features:

Sufficient amount of protein.
Contains vitamin C, P, PP of group B.
Low calorie content.
Can be used by people suffering from diabetes.
Rejuvenates the skin. There are even masks made from sauerkraut.
Reduces the risk of cancer.

Harm to the body:

It is difficult to talk about the dangers of a dish, because it does not contain any serious or harmful components. However, cabbage can be sour, which can harm people with digestive tract problems (for example, stomach ulcers). It is not recommended to consume the snack due to great content salt and people with problems with kidney function.

Sauerkraut has been on the table in almost every home for many decades, thanks to its ease of preparation, taste and benefits. It is worth noting that there are dozens of ways to make sauerkraut at home and this is not the limit. Bon appetit!

Before you learn how to ferment cabbage in a bucket for the winter, you should figure out what is the benefit of the vegetable in this form? Cabbage is rich in fiber and microelements that are necessary for organs and systems to function properly. During storage, the product loses most of its nutrients, and in winter it takes a significant toll on your pocket. Sourdough cabbage in a bucket will help save microelements, vitamins and money - an old proven method that will delight you with its simplicity and excellent taste. From such a vegetable you can then prepare fillings for baked goods, salads, vinaigrettes, and add them to first and second courses.

Before you start harvesting vegetables, you need to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of the process. The main thing in this matter is the choice of the main product, container and time. Cabbage for fermentation is selected only from late varieties. It differs from the early variety in its denser knitted structure, size and light color. If you pickle early cabbage, then during processing and infusion it will become soft, lethargic and unappetizing.

Experienced housewives advise preparing white vegetables according to the lunar calendar. The optimal period for this is considered to be the end of the first week after the new moon - if you start pickling on the waning moon, the vegetable will come out soft and sour. It is good to start pickling after the first frost, when the cabbage gets rid of its characteristic bitterness and acquires a delicate taste during the fermentation process.

The temperature in the room where fermentation occurs should not be higher than 23 degrees. After cooking, it is better to store cabbage at a temperature of 0-3 degrees (in the refrigerator, pantry, balcony or cellar). During the fermentation process, the vegetable must be periodically stirred or pierced with a large skewer to avoid the product becoming musty.

Classic recipe for dry fermentation

Traditional sauerkraut is prepared from a minimum set of ingredients - quickly and simply, without requiring special culinary skills. To prepare, you will need 5 kg of the main ingredient, 600 g of carrots and approximately 100 g of sugar and salt. Other spices can be added as desired.

The cabbage is washed and cleared of the top leaves.
Afterwards the vegetable is chopped or cut with a knife.
The carrots, peeled and washed, are grated on a coarse grater.
The cabbage is salted and rubbed by hand, after which carrots and other ingredients are added to it.
All products are placed in a large sterile container. You definitely need to put some pressure and a clean piece of gauze on top.
For 4 days, the products must be stirred and any foam that has formed on the surface must be removed.
This is approximately how long the cabbage is kept in a room where the air temperature does not exceed 8 degrees.
After cooking, the crispy vegetable can be divided into small containers and refrigerated.

This recipe is quite old - it has been used to pickle cabbage for a long time. Previously, the vegetable was harvested in large quantities, but now it is produced mainly for the season. If desired, the product can be frozen.

Recipe for sauerkraut in a bucket with whole heads of cabbage

An interesting recipe for fermenting cabbage with whole heads of cabbage is quite popular among lovers of this healthy product.

To prepare it you should prepare:

late varieties of cabbage – 8 kg;
non-iodized salt – 300 g;
water – 6 l.

The main product should be chosen small in size, tightly packed, without damage. The top leaves must be removed (not thrown away), the vegetable must be washed thoroughly and placed in a prepared container. The bottom of the container is first lined with green leaves, which is also used to cover the product.

Top the vegetable with brine made from water and salt. Then cover the product with a piece of gauze and pressure.

You can pickle differently by first blanching the vegetable. Prepared for this White cabbage pour boiling salted brine and blanch on the stove for about 4 minutes. Afterwards, it is also placed in a deep container, filled with brine, covered with gauze and oppression.

With the addition of lingonberries and cranberries

You can make an excellent winter snack if you marinate cabbage in a bucket along with lingonberries and cranberries.

To do this, you should stock up in advance:

white cabbage – 2 kg;
cranberries – 50 g;
lingonberries – 50 g;
carrots – 300 g;
dill or caraway seeds - 12 seeds;
black peppercorns – 7 pcs.;
granulated sugar – 120 g;
vinegar – 500 ml;
salt – 60 g.

The cabbage is peeled and cut in half. After removing the stalk, the product should be chopped using a special device or knife. Next, grated carrots and salt are added to the white cabbage variety and everything is rubbed with your hands until the juice appears.

The berries are washed, cleared of debris and added to the vegetables. Spices are sent next, and the dish is infused for 2.5 hours.

A filling is prepared separately, in which vinegar and water are mixed. Cabbage placed in sterile jars is filled with brine and sterilized for 15 minutes. Afterwards it can be put into buckets and sent to the pantry for long-term storage.

Cold sourdough method with salt brine

Crispy cabbage, known to everyone since Soviet times, was prepared in production according to this recipe. The taste is amazing, and the vegetable itself is juicy, crispy, with a characteristic sourness.

The dish is prepared according to the following recipe:

You need to remove the top leaves from the cabbage and chop the head of cabbage.
Add spices to the vegetable - salt, a little cumin or dill seeds, pepper. Crushing the product according to this recipe is prohibited.
Then everything is laid out in a bucket and filled with brine, which is prepared from salt, granulated sugar and water. Regular table salt is used - extra and iodized salt is not suitable for sourdough. To do this, the water is first boiled, salt is added, and after cooling, the pouring is used to pickle the vegetable.

During cooking, the cabbage must be stirred to remove accumulated gases or pierced with a knife. Upon completion of the fermentation process, the vegetable is placed in small containers (optional) and sent into the cold.

Sauerkraut with tomatoes, sweet peppers and zucchini

To prepare the product according to this recipe you should take:

white cabbage – 4 kg;
tomatoes – 5 pcs.;
sweet pepper – 6 pcs.;
zucchini – 2 pcs.;
carrots – 4 pcs.;
garlic - a couple of cloves;
dill, cilantro;
salt – 70 g;
water – 1 l.

The vegetable is divided into 4 equal parts and placed in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes. Separately, chop the zucchini and tomatoes, cut them into circles, and grate the carrots.

Boil water in a container, add salt to it, and stir. After cooling, the brine should be poured over the vegetables, arranged in layers. Finely chopped garlic is placed between each layer. The products should be kept under pressure for about 2-4 days, after which they are placed in the cold.

Is it possible to salt cabbage in a plastic bucket?

You can ferment vegetables in any container - pans, jars, buckets. The main thing in choosing dishes is that they are clean and not damaged. Many people ask the question, is it possible to salt cabbage in a plastic bucket? Definitely, yes, but, according to experts, in enamel containers the vegetable will turn out more crispy and aromatic. It’s good to use wooden tubs, but purchasing them now is quite problematic, and storing them is not very convenient in small apartments. You cannot use aluminum containers for preparing cabbage. This material, when in contact with lactic acid that appears during the fermentation of the vegetable, can oxidize, which will negatively affect the structure and taste of cabbage. In addition, this is unsafe for health, so aluminum containers are strictly prohibited.

Having learned how to ferment cabbage according to the classic recipe, using cold or hot pouring, you can experiment by diluting the traditional set of products with various components - apples, honey, berries. A dish like crispy cabbage in a bucket will be an excellent lifesaver in the winter; it will diversify your diet and strengthen your body.

Sauerkraut is an ancient dish that is a frequent guest on festive table for many centuries. Sauerkraut is consumed in many countries, and in each of them they add their own spices, seasonings and additives characteristic of a particular nationality. When talking about the benefits of sauerkraut, it cannot be underestimated. This product contains a huge amount of microelements, vitamins and beneficial bacteria. These bacteria appear as a result of fermentation and it is they that give the dish sourness. In addition, vitamin C is present in sauerkraut; it is responsible for maintaining immunity in the body. And the brine from sauerkraut has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach. This winter snack will help overcome the cold and saturate the body with useful substances.

How to ferment cabbage - preparation

There are a great many recipes for sauerkraut, but all of them have cabbage and carrots as the main ingredients. Therefore, these products must be selected exclusively for freshness. You will also need sea salt, it is this that, unlike iodized cabbage, will remove the bitterness from the cabbage.

It is customary to ferment cabbage in a wooden barrel, but if you don’t have such an attribute at home, a large saucepan or bucket will do. A 3-liter jar filled with water is suitable as a load. If you use a bucket for fermentation, it is better to use a plastic one.

Choosing vegetables for cabbage starter

Take regular carrots, bright orange in color and juicy in appearance. On average, you will need 1 carrot per 1 kg of cabbage, but depending on your preferences, you can use a little more or a little less.
Choose not young cabbage, otherwise you won’t get it crispy. The head of cabbage should be powerful and well developed, the cabbage itself should be well mature. Do not take forks with cracks; it must be intact, smooth and dense, without darkening or stains.

How to ferment cabbage - shred it

Shredding should be given Special attention, a quality dish is considered to be prepared from long and thin cabbage strips. Special knives that will help you cut vegetables evenly and beautifully will be good helpers in shredding.

Wash the carrots, peel them, and remove the top leaves from the cabbage. Cut the fork into halves with a knife. Shred the cabbage and add grated carrots. Mix everything.

Salt the cabbage before fermenting

Add salt to taste, generously take a handful of salt and sprinkle on the chopped vegetables. After this, take the same pinch of granulated sugar and add it to the vegetables. It is sugar that will help the vegetables ferment. Now we gently knead everything with our hands so that the juice is released, but the shape should not be lost. After the manipulations have been done, you can try the cabbage; if it seems that there is not enough salt, add more salt.

How to ferment cabbage - pepper and spices

An old recipe for sauerkraut necessarily contains cranberries or lingonberries, a couple of bay leaves, caraway seeds and anise. However, any additions to cabbage are a matter of taste and desire. If you want to make the cabbage more kernel-free, don’t skimp on the cumin, and if you want to get a delicate and sweet taste, add an apple. Winter varieties of apples are ideal for fermenting cabbage. Grate the apple on a coarse grater.

How to ferment cabbage - styling

We take the container that you have prepared for fermentation, place the prepared vegetables in it, carefully compacting them with each layer. There is no need to fill the container to the brim; leave a space of about 10-15 cm. While the cabbage is tossed, it will release quite a bit of juice, which will take up the remaining space. After the vegetables have been placed, take a large plate and cover them, pressing them tightly. Take a three-liter jar of water and place it on a plate, it will serve as a weight.

How to ferment cabbage - fermentation

To make the process go faster, place the vegetables in a warm place, near a radiator, for example. After about 2-3 days, the cabbage will turn sour; you must closely monitor this moment. When fermentation begins, you will be able to observe foam on the surface, and the vegetables themselves will be in gases. You need to get rid of this to avoid bitterness in cabbage. Remove the foam with a ladle, and to remove the gases, pierce the vegetables with a long knife. Remove the weight and pierce the cabbage right to the bottom. Then put the load in place. Next, taste the cabbage from time to time, making sure it doesn’t turn sour. When you realize that it is ready, you can put it in jars. Close the lids and place the preparations in the refrigerator. It is in the refrigerator that the fermentation process will stop, which means that the taste of cabbage will no longer change.

How to ferment cabbage in a jar

All stages before salting remain according to the recipe described above. Next, we tamp the vegetables directly into the jars, leaving space for the brine. A weight is also necessary; you can take a glass of water. And then the whole procedure is repeated, we monitor the preparation, remove the foam, remove the gases. When the cabbage is cooked, close the lids and place in the refrigerator.

If fermentation does not start

What to do if you followed the recipe, but there is no fermentation. This may happen, in this case, add rye crackers or dry kvass to the vegetables. Stir the mixture. Fermentation will not take long to occur.

The human body requires a constant supply of vitamins and minerals in both winter and summer. If in the warm season there are no special problems with vitamins - fruits can be picked in gardens and forests, or bought at the market, and they are domestic and therefore cheap - then in winter all that remains is to eat expensive overseas delicacies, which have yet to be treated with some kind of nasty thing in order to bring them to the place sales. What to do?

The answer will be suggested by the experience of mothers and grandmothers: pickles are cheap, tasty and safe for health.

This article will focus on sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is a very, very ancient product. It was present in abundance on the tables of our ancestors - the Slavic peoples. It's both a great snack and a natural medicine. Sauerkraut contains vitamins C and K, B vitamins, iron, potassium and many other beneficial substances. This is a miracle - the dish perfectly increases appetite, enhances the secretion of gastric juice, and can serve as a diuretic. And sauerkraut retains its properties from six to eight months.

So, how can you quickly and easily ferment cabbage at home?

Sourdough methods

A classic sauerkraut recipe, suitable for small amounts of product.

Required:

A modest-sized head of white cabbage.
80 grams of carrots.
Black peppercorns - to taste.
Bay leaf - also according to preference.
80 grams of salt.
25 grams of sugar.
Three-liter jar with a nylon lid.
Water.

Cooking process.

First you need to finely chop the carrots and cabbage itself. Place a bay leaf and peas on the bottom of the jar, place carrots and cabbage in layers on them alternately. Prepare the brine separately: dissolve salt and sugar in water. Pour the prepared liquid to the brim into the jar with cabbage. Close the bottle with a nylon lid. Afterwards, place the container with the cabbage in a deep basin or plate (so that the brine does not overflow) and keep it in the kitchen at room temperature for about three days.

Every half day the cabbage should be pierced with a wooden block. The top layer should not dry out: if this happens, you need to add overflowing brine from the bowl under the jar.

But this recipe can be used for a large amount of cabbage

Required:

Required volume of shredded white cabbage.
Carrots at the rate of 100 grams per kilogram of cabbage.
800 grams of salt.
8 liters of water.
The required number of three-liter jars.
Several wooden blocks.
Nylon covers.
Enameled bucket 10 liters.

Cooking process.

Chop and carefully mix cabbage and carrots. Pour water into a bucket and dissolve salt there. Cabbage and
Throw the carrots in small parts into this brine, and after holding it there for about five minutes, squeeze it out.
put into jars. Place a block on top of the bottles, then cover them (the bottles) with lids and place them on the loggia or in the cellar. If required, the next couple of batches of cabbage in the brine are kept five minutes longer than the previous one (that is, ten minutes and a quarter of an hour). For the next three shares of raw materials, it is recommended to add water and one hundred grams of salt to the brine, and repeat the fermentation as with the first three batches. Having done all this, it is better not to use the brine afterwards. If there is any cabbage left, the brine needs to be made again.

Another interesting sauerkraut recipe

Required:

Five kilograms of late varieties of cabbage;
Four large carrots (total weight about a kilogram);
100 grams of regular salt.

Cooking process.

Wash the cabbage, remove the top and damaged leaves. Dry the forks, cut out the stalk and cut into four pieces. Finely chop each part separately. Wash the carrots, peel them, to be safe, wash them again and grate them on a fine grater. Pour the required amount of salt into a small bowl or saucer. Place one part of the cabbage in a large saucepan or plastic plate, add the appropriately measured amount of salt, stir and rub until it separates.
juice Add a little carrot to the prepared cabbage and stir. After this, compact the mixture with a masher or a wooden rolling pin. It is good to add herbs or seasonings to the cabbage to taste.

Next, add cabbage, salt and carrots according to the algorithm in small portions and tamp down so that quite a lot of liquid accumulates in the marks from the crush. After this, with your hands, of course, not dirty, press down the prepared cabbage so that it is all covered with its own juice. Place a large plate on top of the raw material and press it down with a heavy object (for example, a three-liter bottle full of water). Drive a wooden roller or stick into the side of the plate, which will help the gas escape.

The raw materials ferment at room temperature for about three days. During the cooking process, the cabbage needs to be checked a couple of times a day and punched with a rolling pin or, for example, a knitting needle that can reach the bottom of the container. When piercing the mixture, a noticeable number of gas bubbles should appear. If you ignore this, ready dish it will be bitter. As a rule, on the third day there is less brine and it becomes lighter, and the foam falls off. This indicates that cooking is complete. An easier way to check whether the cabbage is ready is to taste. The prepared dish should, without pressing too hard, be moved into a clean container, filled with brine, covered with a lid and stored in the refrigerator.

Sour cabbage in the vastness of world cooking

Sauerkraut is a common food of the Slavic nations and many other peoples of Europe, and not only that. Shukrut and saurkraut – literally translated as “sauerkraut” – are present in German cuisine, as well as in the diet of the British and French. In Alsace cuisine, for example, there is a dish called choucroute, consisting of sauerkraut with seafood or pork.

In Rus', making sauerkraut is a long-standing tradition. IN classic recipe Sauerkraut always contains cranberries, which gives the food sourness and a special smell, and also makes the brine lighter and helps the cabbage crisp longer. Oriental cuisine has not escaped sauerkraut either. The national Korean dish, kimchi, is nothing more than pickled Chinese cabbage.