How to store sauerkraut at home

As the famous actor said about sauerkraut - “And it’s not a shame to put on the table, and they will eat - it’s not a pity!” And indeed, sauerkraut is an integral part of the Russian table in the winter. Along with pickles, pickled tomatoes, jams and compotes, sauerkraut occupies a worthy place on the table. It is added to vinaigrette, bigus, cabbage soup, borscht, pies, and just eat with onions and butter! Every self-respecting housewife considers it her duty to provide a family with crispy and tasty sauerkraut in the winter.

The benefits of sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is not only very tasty, but also incredibly healthy. It contains a huge amount of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system and helps to survive the cold without colds. Sauerkraut improves the digestive tract - heals ulcers, fights against parasites, helps digest heavy meat dishes, and drink sauerkraut juice for constipation.

Sauerkraut improves the work of the cardiovascular and nervous system, helps to lose weight. Doctors recommend eating this product to normalize blood sugar, as a medicine against allergies. Cabbage improves appetite, cleanses the body, helps with nausea, vitamin deficiency and a hangover. Sauerkraut juice is used even in cosmetology - as a component for many anti-aging face masks.

You need to eat cabbage, especially in winter, when there are so few other vitamins. But how to cook it so that it retains all the nutritional value and the product is preserved throughout the winter?

How to ferment cabbage for long storage

Here is a simple recipe for delicious, crisp and healthy cabbage.

1. First you need to choose cabbage for this important matter. Early varieties of cabbage are not suitable - they are too soft. It is better to take autumn and winter cabbage. It is better to ferment the product from September to November - at this time the vegetable is gaining juice and taste. If cabbage grows in your garden, it is better to collect it after the first frost. Light frost turns hard starch into sugar, making the vegetable more crispy and tasty. Choose thick and light heads of cabbage with thin veins and without damage and wormholes. Carefully select cabbage - one rotten head of cabbage can ruin your entire leaven.
2. For 10 kilograms of cabbage, you need to take 0.5-1 kg of carrots and 200-300 grams of salt. The upper green leaves are cut from cabbage, the stitches are cut, and the vegetables themselves are chopped quite finely. Carrots are also chopped. It can be wiped through a regular or Korean grater. Vegetables are poured into a clean container, mixed, sprinkled with salt and carefully rubbed. For taste, you can add a couple of leaves of lavrushka and a little caraway seeds to the cabbage.
3. Then you need to decide in which dish the cabbage will be fermented. If you are fermenting just a couple of kilograms of cabbage, use a glass jar for this. For large volumes, a wooden barrel, tub, enameled bucket or pan is suitable. It is best to ferment the cabbage right away in the bowl in which you intend to store it.
4. Place the cabbage in a cooked bowl, cover with oppression and leave at room temperature for fermentation. Usually it is about 20 degrees. It is not worth it to leave cabbage near heating appliances or in heat - the product will become acidic.
5. When the bubbles go, this means that the cabbage has started to ferment. After 3-4 days, it needs to be transferred to the cold to stop the fermentation process. Usually by this time the cabbage settles, becomes crispy, salty, the brine ceases to be cloudy.

Cabbage prepared in this way will be stored for up to six months. But how to save it?

Where to store sauerkraut

Cabbage is best stored at 0 degrees. At this temperature, it retains all its useful properties, does not deteriorate and becomes even tastier. If you have fermented no more than 5 kilograms, cabbage can be stored directly in the refrigerator. Transfer it to glass jars and cover with nylon lids.

If you have a large amount of fermented cabbage, you can store it on the balcony, in the basement, in the garage. Of course, at low temperatures, the cabbage will freeze. From this, it will not lose its taste, however, it is not worth defrosting and freezing cabbage again. With repeated frosts, the product loses the lion's share of vitamin C. Therefore, the thawed product left after dinner should not be taken out to frost.

If you store cabbage in large tubs or enamel containers, you probably had to pick out the right amount of sauerkraut in the cold to bring it into the house. This is not very convenient. To avoid this, you can use this method. Before you take out the cabbage in the cold, pack it in plastic bags, and put the bags themselves in a dry pan. In cold weather, just bring one serving of cabbage in a bag into the house and leave it to defrost. This method will solve many problems.

How to increase the shelf life of cabbage

Here are some tips for storing sauerkraut, which may come in handy.

1. Sauerkraut should be covered with its juice all the time. After taking the right amount of cabbage, the rest of the product is leveled and covered with oppression so that the vegetable is completely covered with brine.
2. For oppression, you can use a can of water or cobblestone. Do not use limestone, a bag of sand, or a concrete chip.
3. To increase the shelf life of cabbage, it can sometimes be sprinkled on top with a small amount of sugar. Sugar during fermentation turns into vinegar, which protects the product from rotting and deterioration.
4. To keep the cabbage crisp and fresh for a long time, add a few berries of cranberries or cranberries.
5. Sometimes white mold appears on the surface of sauerkraut. If you do not remove it, the cabbage becomes flabby and sour, stops crunching. To get rid of this yeast, sprinkle mustard powder on top of the cabbage. It will save the product from mold and give the cabbage even more taste.
6. Cabbage can not be fermented in an aluminum bowl. In such a container, the cabbage is oxidized and acquires a metallic taste. Also, cabbage is not recommended to be fermented in a plastic container - an acid brine can corrode plastic and its decay products will get into your food. If you ferment the product in an enameled bowl - pay attention to the fact that it should not be chipped.
7. Cabbage, which is stored in a barrel, retains its freshness for up to 8 months. Cabbage is stored in a glass container for about 2-3 months. To increase the shelf life of cabbage, you can pour it with vegetable oil.
8. If you cooked too much cabbage, and the weather makes you happy with a changeable mood, you can’t leave it on the balcony. It can be repeatedly frozen and thawed, which affects its taste and quality. In this case, cabbage needs to be packaged in bags and identified in the freezer. There it will last much longer.

These are simple tips and tricks to help you keep sauerkraut for a long time.

In ancient times, there was such a sign - you need to ferment the cabbage in a good mood. If you ferment cabbage in a bad mood - it will certainly be bitter. Therefore, get positive and ferment cabbage, so that your tasty and healthy snack is always on your winter table.

Video: how to save sauerkraut