Fermentation of such a product as cabbage is one of the most ancient ways of preparing food for the winter. Methods and recipes have accumulated over time. From the usual pickling of cabbage, with carrots, to the use of hot peppers, beets, plums, grapes and apples for these purposes. Each case produces its own special and unique taste.
It is necessary
-
- - cabbage - 10 kg;
- - carrots - 300g;
- - 500 g of apples (better than the Antonovka variety);
- - 250 g of salt (fine).
Instructions
Step 1
Clean cabbage heads of green, dirty and damaged leaves. Trim the stumps. Cut the cabbage into strips. It will be more convenient and faster if you use a special shredder for this. Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl.
Step 2
Wash and peel the carrots well. Grind (you can grate on a coarse grater). Add it to the cabbage.
Step 3
Put salt in the prepared food, squeezing lightly, mix. The cabbage should start up the juice.
Step 4
Rinse the apples, cut into 4-6 pieces and remove the core.
Step 5
Put cabbage leaves in a clean deep dish first, and then cabbage with carrots and apples in layers. Press down firmly with your hand. Place the cabbage leaves and a clean napkin on top again. Close everything with an undercut circle. Put something heavy on top. If all this is done correctly, then after 24 hours brine will appear on the surface.
Step 6
A sure sign of good fermentation is if bubbles appear at the beginning of fermentation. Remove them as they appear. In order for the unpleasant smell of the resulting gases not to reduce the quality of the cabbage, once a day pierce the cabbage mass to the very bottom with a sharpened smooth stick in several places. Poke until the foul-smelling gas is no longer emitted from the holes.
Step 7
When the cabbage settles, remove the weight, circle, napkin, cabbage leaves and the brown layer of cabbage. Wash the pressure circle, rinse the napkin in water, then in saline solution. Squeeze out a napkin and cover the cabbage with it. Put a circle and a smaller weight on top. In this case, the brine should protrude to the edge of the circle.
Step 8
After two days, if there is no brine on top, increase the load. A quality fermented product will be ready for use when lactic acid fermentation stops. The cabbage should turn light, with an amber-yellow tint. She ferments no more than 15-20 days.
