In the old days, sauerkraut was harvested in whole tubs in the fall, then they ate all winter, crunching a fragrant vitamin billet for potatoes in a uniform from smoked cast iron. Recipes from my grandmother passed on to my mother and so on in a circle, supplemented by various ingredients - carrots, cranberries, honey, sugar, vinegar. However, the classic recipe without unnecessary additives was considered the most delicious. Following his recommendations, you can easily stock up on winter with delicious sauerkraut, useful for the whole family.
Pick your recipe
You will need
- - 3 kg of winter cabbage, suitable for harvesting for future use;
- - 300 g of fresh carrots;
- - 2 liters of water (preferably not from the tap, but filtered);
- - 2 tablespoons of sugar;
- - 2 tablespoons of salt;
- - bay leaves and ground black pepper - optional.
Instruction manual
1
Peel the cabbage from the dirty upper leaves, examine the head of cabbage for lack of slugs, rot. Cut into 2 halves, remove the stump. On a cutting board, chop with an ordinary or special knife, so that a straw is not very long and not thick.
2
Wash carrots from dirt, peel. Using a coarse grater, rub into a basin, then mix with your hands with prepared cabbage. It should be better pressed so that juice is squeezed out.
3
Add bay leaf to the mass, ground pepper or peas, if desired. Nobody fermented cabbage in barrels now, therefore, they should not be transferred to a tub, but to three-liter jars, rammed by hands.
4
Prepare a brine for pouring in a two-liter jar, mixing water, salt and sugar, waiting for their dissolution. Pour the cabbage with this liquid to the brim. Jars should be placed in plates or square containers, as a little brine will leak out as it ferments.
5
Leave for three days in the room (on the floor or on the table) without closing the lids. In the morning and evening, “pierce” the cabbage with a knife, lowering the blade into the jar to the very bottom in 5-6 places. This will make the workpiece crispy, because due to punctures, excess gas will come out of the can.
6
After 3 days, the liquid will cease to leak, and small bubbles will appear on the surface, while the mass itself will slightly cloud. This means that the fermentation process is completed, and sauerkraut is ready. It remains to close it with clean and tight nylon covers, move it underground or basement.
note
It is recommended to ferment only the cabbage of winter varieties of cabbage, it is they that remain hard, crispy, dense for a long time. Summer varieties experienced housewives do not sour.
Useful advice
Fragrant and crispy sauerkraut under plastic covers can be stored in banks for 5-6 months. You can keep it in the refrigerator or any dark cool place.