Experienced housewives will tell you whether it is possible to salt early cabbage for the winter and how to do it correctly

There is an opinion among housewives that young cabbage is not suitable for harvesting for the winter. This is explained by the lack of some characteristics in early varieties that are endowed with mid- and late-ripening vegetables, which negatively affects the taste and shelf life of the product. But, as experience shows, this statement is groundless.

There are many ways to preserve cabbage, even ultra-early varieties.

Is it possible to salt and ferment early cabbage for the winter

Contrary to popular claims, winter preparations from early cabbage come out tasty, rich in vitamins and able to stand until the end of winter.

As practice shows, there are no critical restrictions prohibiting the use of early cabbage varieties for fermentation, does not exist either. The only difference is that you don't need to grind the early varieties. Pour it with brine for the appearance of juice. This will make it crispy and tasty. If you try to grind it with salt, the thin and delicate leaves will turn into porridge.

Attention! Early cabbage is not stored for a long time, so it is necessary to prepare it as early as possible for the winter.

Points for and against

There is disagreement about the advisability of salting young cabbage for the winter. Opponents believe that early varieties cannot be used for cooking. After all, they contain little sugar, which can disrupt the fermentation process. But this is not the main problem either. The vegetable, which ripens so rapidly, has delicate leaves, which become tasteless and too soft when fermented.

However, the arguments of the advocates of pickling early varieties are very strong, and they cannot be discounted. A young vegetable, which contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, helps the digestive system work. It is believed to be suitable for the prevention of duodenal and gastric ulcers. In addition, this plant has the ability to inhibit obesity - tartronic acid prevents the transformation of carbohydrates into adipose tissues.

Features of salting early cabbage

The peculiarities of salting are that the development of unnecessary bacteria can be suppressed by adding salt to the preparation in the correct proportions. In this respect, one must be extremely careful. After all, salt brings not only benefits, but also harm. An excess of it slows down the release of lactic acid, which is important for conservation.

Suitable varieties

Starting the preparation of pickles for the winter, special attention is paid to the selection of suitable varieties of cabbage. Their growing season should not exceed 100-115 days.

The forks of an early cultivar plant are prone to flowering, so you should choose the freshest specimens.

Suitable for canning:

• June - a variety grown in all regions of Russia;
• Kazachok is a hybrid that also grows well throughout the country;
• Transfer - characterized by almost simultaneous ripening of the forks;
• Surprise - Dutch visitor famous for its high resistance to cracking;
• Malachite - grown in the southern and central regions of the country, recognized as one of the best early varieties suitable for salting;
• Parel - among all the variety of young cabbage, this one is considered one of the most delicious.

Selecting and preparing vegetables

Based on the timing development of early varieties of vegetables, it is important to harvest the ripe crop on time. Only dense heads of cabbage are suitable for salting. Delay in cleaning threatens them with cracking and damage.

A product suitable for canning must meet the following standards:

• uniform color of leaves;
• no signs of decay and stains;
• correct cabbage flavor;
• lack of bitterness.

Before cooking, the outer leaves are removed from the heads, washed and dried. Cut into several pieces and cleaned from stubs. All additional ingredients are washed and dried as well.

Reference. During the preservation process, only coarse table salt should be used. Iodized and marine are categorically not suitable.

Container preparation

1L glass jars are ideal for canning. If you plan to cut the cabbage large, take cans of 2-3 liters.

Selected containers are washed in advance with soda and sterilized. Kitchen utensils and all involved work surfaces are also treated.

Salting early cabbage

So, how to pickle early cabbage in August? Very simple. This dish literally takes 20 minutes. And it will be ready for use within 24 hours.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 2 kg;
• carrots - 2 pcs.;
• garlic - 1 head;
• red onion - 1 pc.

For the marinade:

• water - 1 l;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
• bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
• cloves - 1 pc.;
• allspice - 5 peas;
• vegetable oil - 200 ml;
• apple cider vinegar - 100 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Cabbage heads are chopped, carrots are grated, garlic is chopped, onions are cut in half rings. The components are mixed in a separate container.
2. For the marinade, dissolve the sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add spices and pour in vegetable oil and vinegar. Bring to a boil again.
3. The mixed vegetables are poured with the resulting marinade, allowed to cool and placed under oppression.
4. They put it in a cool place for a day.

For the marinade, try not to use tap water, otherwise there is a possibility that chlorine will ruin the workpiece. Take bottled or well water.

Recipes for salting early cabbage for the winter

Traditional recipes early cabbage pickles include salt, spices, and carrots. In addition, young forks go well with beets, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and apples.

With carrots

Let's start with the classics. Ingredients:

• cabbage - 1.5 kg;
• carrots - 600 g;
• bay leaves - 2 pcs.;
• cloves - 3 pcs.;
• ground pepper - 2 tsp;
• water - 1 l;
• salt - 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The prepared head of cabbage is immersed in boiling water for 1 minute.
2. Disassembled into leaves, from which the veins are cut.
3. Peel the carrots, rub on a coarse grater and mix with spices.
4. The cabbage leaves are folded in a sachet, filled with carrot mixture and covered.
5. The envelopes are placed in an enamel bowl.
6. Prepare the marinade in advance. For this, the salt is dissolved in boiling water.
7. Vegetables are poured with brine and placed under the load.
8. After three days, the resulting product is transferred to jars, corked and sent to the cold.

With zucchini and pepper

Cabbage goes well with other vegetables of its season. For example, with zucchini and pepper.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 1 kg;
• sweet pepper - 200 g;
• young zucchini - 1 pc.;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• hot pepper - 1 small pod;
• water - 2 l;
• salt - 4 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Divide the forks into four parts, boil in boiling water for 5 minutes and chop finely.
2. Sweet peppers are chopped into strips and also subjected to a five-minute heat treatment.
3. Zucchini is chopped, carrots are rubbed on a coarse grater, hot peppers are peeled from seeds and finely chopped.
4. All vegetables are placed layer by layer in a prepared jar.
5. A special brine is prepared from water and salt and filled containers are poured into it.
6. The salting product is taken to a cool place for three days.

With tomatoes

A pleasant sour preparation is prepared from early cabbage varieties and tomatoes.

Components:

• cabbage - 1 kg;
• tomatoes - 300 g;
• carrots - 200 g;
• sweet pepper 300 g;
• salt - 30 g.

Recipe:

1. The cabbage is chopped as standard, the tomatoes are divided into two parts, the carrots are rubbed on a coarse grater, the pepper is cut into slices.
2. All ingredients are salted, kneaded directly in a saucepan and placed under load for three days.
3. The salting is transferred to the cold.

With beets and horseradish

Spicy cabbage with horseradish will be an excellent addition to hot meat dishes.

Ingredient Products:

• cabbage - 8 kg;
• beets - 300 g;
• garlic - 100 g;
• horseradish - 1 root;
• water - 8 l;
• salt and sugar - 400 g.

Cooking sequence:

1. Heads of cabbage shred.
2. Beets are washed, peeled and cut into slices;
3. Garlic is crushed in the press.
4. Horseradish is cleaned and ground in a meat grinder.
5. Cabbage layers are placed in the prepared dishes, alternating with other vegetable components.
6. A marinade is prepared from water, salt and sugar, brought to a boil and allowed to cool.
7. The vegetable mixture is poured with warm liquid and placed under oppression for two days.
8. The workpiece is moved to a cold storage location.

With vinegar

Option for long storage with the addition of vinegar.

Ingredients:

• cabbage - 3 kg;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• bay leaf, cloves, black peppercorns - to taste;
• vinegar essence - 1 tbsp. l. (you can replace 7 tbsp. l vinegar 9%);
• water - 2 l;
• sugar - 1 glass;
• salt - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Heads of cabbage chop, chop carrots, mix everything and knead a little.
2. For the marinade, boil water, dissolve salt, sugar in it and add spices before boiling.
3. The liquids are allowed to cool, the essence is added and the vegetables are poured with the resulting mixture.
4. The product is kept for 5 hours and sent to the cold.

With apples

Apples and early cabbage are a great flavor combination.

Components:

• cabbage - 2 medium heads of cabbage;
• carrots - 1 pc.;
• apples - 3 pcs.;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• dill seeds - a pinch;
• black pepper - 6 peas;
• water - 1 l;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 6 tbsp. l.

Cooking salting:

1. The forks are finely chopped.
2. Chop the carrots.
3. The apples are freed from the middle and cut into slices.
4. The components are mixed and chopped garlic is added.
5. For brine, sugar and salt are diluted in water, boiled and spices are added.
6. Vegetables are immersed in the resulting hot liquid and placed under pressure.
7. Allow to cool and lay out in banks.

Tips from experienced housewives

Experienced housewives know that it is not enough to be able to properly cook young cabbage, it must also be preserved. Ideal conditions for winter harvesting are lack of light and temperature 0… + 6 ° С. If these standards are observed, products can be stored throughout the year.

A few more recommendations:

• it is better to use large heads of cabbage for harvesting - this will reduce waste and save product;
• carrots grated on a coarse grater give an attractive appearance to cabbage;
• it is not recommended to shred young cabbage too thin - it will stop crunching.

Conclusion

Early cabbage is completely groundlessly relegated to the background when preparing pickles. There are many recipes for preparing it in combination with peppers, carrots, beets and other vegetables.

The main thing is to choose dense heads of cabbage for processing without damage, not deviate from the recipe, and store ready-made pickles in places with a constant low temperature.