Very tasty and simple sauerkraut according to grandmother's recipe, which was used in the old days

For centuries, our ancestors cooked sauerkraut for the winter according to recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. This preparation solved the problem of vitamin deficiency and decorated the table on holidays and weekdays. Delicious, aromatic, juicy, crunchy - this is exactly what cabbage, made according to the classic grandmother's recipe, seems to be. In order for the dish to turn out right, you need to follow the technology and know the secrets of cooking.

We will tell you about how delicious cabbage is fermented according to grandmother's recipe in the article.

Selection and preparation of cabbage for sourdough

Pickling begins with the selection of the variety. It should be late cabbage. Early and mid-season after cooking becomes soft and does not crunch at all.

The most popular varieties for fermentation:

• Glory;
• Present;
• Moscow late;
• Stone head.

If vegetables are grown on their own site, there are no problems with the variety and quality. But when buying heads of cabbage in the market or in the supermarket, you should pay attention to the following details:

• take not dark green, but white heads of cabbage;
• heads of cabbage are needed dense - when they seem to be small, but heavy;
• the size is more convenient than the average - it is easier to cut a stump and use it in a shredder (very large ones will have to be cut into several parts);

They ferment vegetables right away, without waiting for them to grow. Before fermentation, the heads of cabbage are cleaned of the upper leaves so that they remain clean. You cannot wash them. Then the forks are cut, the stump is removed.

Container

The container is prepared in advance... If it is a wooden barrel, then it is poured twice with boiling water, steamed for 20 minutes, poured with water and left for 2-3 days. The tree needs to be soaked so that later the brine does not flow out of the barrel.

If plastic food barrels or enameled buckets are used for fermentation, everything is much simpler. They are washed with soda, rinsed and wiped dry. Do the same with stainless steel.

Attention! You cannot ferment cabbage in aluminum and enamel containers if there are chips. This will not only spoil the taste, but also harm your health.

Many modern housewives ferment in three-liter cans. This is convenient for small workpieces. But our grandmothers put cabbage in wooden tubs of 20 liters or more. It is in large containers that it acquires an extraordinary taste and juiciness.

In oak barrels, the tree participates in fermentation, gives a special taste and aroma. However, the amount of brine also affects the taste. Cabbage gives juice under the weight of its weight. Fermentation is more intense, more enzymes are released.

The old way of salting cabbage

The consistency in grandmother's recipe should not be broken. Any little thing can ruin the product.

The classic version of the ratio of products for a grandmother's recipe for 10 kg of cabbage:

• salt - 250 g;
• carrots - 350 g;
• caraway - 5 g;
• cranberry - 300 g;
• apples (sour) - 1 kg.

All proportions are relative: vegetables are of different varieties, everyone has different tastes. Apples are optional.

Cooking process:

1. Heads of cabbage are chopped, placed in a basin together with carrots, grated on a coarse grater. Add salt.
2. Vegetables are crumpled, rubbed until the juice is released. Better to do it with your hands.
3. Spread the grated vegetables into a fermentation container. Pre-line the bottom with clean, whole leaves.
4. Tamp and crush lightly so that the released juice covers the cabbage.
5. Sprinkle on top with caraway seeds, cranberries, put applesafter cutting out the core.
6. Shred the next portion, combine with carrots, grind, tamp, squeeze, sprinkle with caraway seeds and cranberries. And so on until the heads of cabbage run out.
7. The last layer is crumpled, make sure the juice covers the vegetables by 2 cm.
8. Line the surface with gauze or cotton loose fabric.
9. They put oppression, which is pre-scalded and wiped dry.
10. After 2-3 days, they begin to pierce the vegetable mass. This is necessary so that the gases formed during fermentation come out. If you don't, the cabbage will taste bitter.
11. When the brine becomes clear, and the cabbage tastes sour and salty, the barrel is removed to a cold place. If it is not possible to store in this form, they are transferred to jars, sealed hermetically and kept in the refrigerator.

Recipe variations

Classic blank according to grandmother's recipe put in large containers. Modern housewives often use three-liter jars for this and use various cooking options.

In its own juice

How to taste delicious salt in your own juice? For cooking, take 3.5 kg of cabbage, 1 medium carrot, 1 tbsp. l. coarse rock salt, 1 tsp. Sahara.

Important! Iodized and fine salt are not suitable for fermentation.

How to cook:

1. Heads of cabbage are chopped, carrots are rubbed on a coarse grater.
2. Mixed salt and sugar are poured.
3. Grind until juice appears.
4. Leave the vegetables for 20 minutes to get more juice.
5. They put it in the jar little by little, tamping it tightly.
6. The bookmark is stopped 2-3 cm before the edge of the neck.
7. Cover with gauze. Place the container on a plate so that the juice does not flow out onto the table during fermentation.
8. They stand for three days, piercing the vegetable mass through and through several times every day - they release gas.
9. Put in the refrigerator, closing with a nylon lid.

The juice should cover the cabbage during the entire cooking period. To do this, she is periodically crushed. Instead of oppression, two bamboo sticks can be put in a crosswise manner inside the jar. They will keep the cabbage level and keep the juice from sinking.

In brine

This cabbage is quick and easy to cook. To do this, you need a head of cabbage 2-2.3 kg, 1 large carrot, bay leaf, peppercorns. For brine: 1.5 liters of water, 2 tbsp. l. salt and sugar.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a brine by dissolving salt and sugar in boiling water.
2. Heads of cabbage are chopped, carrots are rubbed on a coarse grater.
3. Mix vegetables without grinding.
4. Placed in a three-liter jar, slightly tamping.
5. Between the layers - bay leaf, pepper.
6. Pour in cooled brine.
7. Cover with gauze, put on a plate.
8. Withstand 2-3 days. Periodically pierced and crushed.
9. When the cabbage acquires its characteristic taste, it is put into the refrigerator.

How and with what to serve such cabbage

In the autumn-winter period, sauerkraut is irreplaceable. It is used as a salad and as part of other dishes - first and second.

The most vitamin option is cabbage with onions, seasoned with sunflower oil and sprinkled with herbs. This is exactly what our grandmothers served on the table. It goes well with any meat, mashed potatoes, and lovers of a healthy lifestyle will gladly eat it for dinner.

It is difficult to imagine vinaigrette, sour cabbage soup and borsch without cabbage. Stewed sauerkraut with meat is a hearty and healthy dish. Cabbage is stewed with mushrooms, sausages and even fish.

Terms and conditions of storage

If the cabbage is in a barrel and covered with juice, and the room temperature is about 0 ° C, it will be preserved and will not lose quality for about 8-9 months.

Cabbage fermented in a glass jar does not last long at room temperature. Such a blank will not deteriorate for 2-3 weeks. If you pour vegetable oil on top, it will stand for a week longer. At positive temperatures, the product is edible for 5 days. Most often, the product is transferred to smaller jars and stored in the refrigerator.

The best storage conditions are 0 ° C and a glazed loggia. They take as much product from the container as needed at one time; cabbage is not returned to the container.

Tips from experienced housewives

Even an experienced housewife makes cabbage differently every year. In order to get a tasty sauerkraut the first time, use the recommendations:

1. Choose the variety carefully. If you buy early or mid-season, you get soft cabbage without crunch.
2. Choose medium to large heads of cabbage - there will be less waste.
3. The beauty of a dish depends on the amount of carrots: the more, the brighter.
4. If you add sugar - just a little, otherwise the workpiece will be slippery.
5. Make sure that the juice covers the cabbage and pierce it as often as possible - this is a guarantee that there is no bitterness.
6. Place the product to ferment on the waxing moon.

Conclusion

Sauerkraut is the main winter supplier of vitamins and minerals. Full fermentation and pickling of cabbage occurs when bulk containers and a lot of vegetables are used for cooking. Such a product is stored longer and does not lose its taste and useful qualities all winter.