One of the most popular ways to prepare vegetables for the winter is to pickle cabbage in jars. The advantage of this method is that the cabbage is always very juicy and crunchy, with a delicate sweet and sour taste. It is important that the workpieces never grow moldy, do not need to use large containers and create special storage conditions.
No matter how simple and familiar the process of harvesting vegetables in winter may seem, salting cabbage in jars requires observing certain rules that guarantee a fragrant, juicy and very useful product:
- if there is a choice, it is recommended to stop at medium-late and late varieties of cabbage: "Glory", "Gift", "Blizzard", "Rusinovka", "Dalnevostochnaya", etc.;
- Rock, Himalayan, or common edible salt without iodine is best for making sauerkraut;
- according to popular beliefs, the most successful cabbage is obtained if it is salted after October 14, on the growing moon and on the days of the week, the name of which has the letter "r";
- for the safety of all nutrients and protection of cabbage from browning, it is necessary to ensure that it is completely covered with brine;
- Do not use metal objects as oppression, because they can significantly impair the taste of the finished product.
Preliminary stage
To obtain a three-liter jar of the finished product, you will need 1 medium head of fresh cabbage, 2-3 medium-sized carrots, 2 tablespoons. salt. If it is necessary to speed up the fermentation process, then in this case you will additionally need 1 tbsp. Sahara.
The head of cabbage is cut into two unequal parts, so that the cabbage stump remains in the larger of them. With a sharp knife or a special shredder, one part is cut into long narrow strips, and the other is slightly larger, leaving wider plates of cabbage leaves.
This detail is explained by the fact that the narrow strips provide a quick release of juice, and the large plates are responsible for the crunchy properties of the finished product, preventing excessive softening of the cabbage.
How to salt cabbage properly
Shredded leaves are placed in a spacious enamel container, salt is added and thoroughly kneaded with your hands until the cabbage becomes moist, soft and translucent. After that, grated carrots are added to the cabbage and, if necessary, sugar. The vegetable mixture is thoroughly mixed and transferred to a three-liter jar, well washed inside and out with soda or mustard.
Those who prefer a more spicy taste of the finished product can add a few peas, bay leaves, caraway seeds, dill umbrellas, hot or sweet peppers, beetroot slices, apples to the cabbage.
A jar of cabbage is covered with gauze to protect it from dust, placed in deep plates or any other container that protects the surface from the brine flowing out and left to ferment for three days.
To release the carbon dioxide generated during fermentation, it is necessary to pierce the cabbage in several places with a sharp stick once a day, otherwise the vegetables will have an unpleasant bitter taste. In case of insufficient brine formation, it is recommended to add a small amount of boiled water to the cabbage or place pressure on the surface of the jar.
After the end of the fermentation process, the juice poured onto the plates is poured back into the cabbage, the jar is closed with a plastic lid and stored in the refrigerator. In the same way, you can salt cabbage in a jar, using instead of sugar a tablespoon of liquid honey, which gives the finished product a spicy note.
