When is the best time to cut cabbage for pickling?

The timing of harvesting cabbage depends on many factors: the type of crop, the climate of the region in which it is grown, the purpose of use. If the vegetable is intended for pickling, gardeners wait for the first frost, because a little frost will only be beneficial - the heads of cabbage will become even juicier and sweeter. Below you will find detailed information on when and at what temperature to cut cabbage for pickling.

When to cut cabbage

All varieties of cabbage have different growing seasons. This affects the choice of when to harvest vegetables. In accordance with the duration of the growing season, cabbage is divided into 3 types: early-, mid-, and late-ripening.

Early ripening varieties ripen 3 months after planting the seeds. They are not used for fermentation.

Choose mid- and late-ripening cabbage. The heads of cabbage contain a sufficient amount of sugars, so the fermentation process will be much more successful. Maturity occurs 130-150 days after planting. Heads of cabbage are harvested at the end of September or early October.

However, not all late-ripening cabbage is suitable for pickling. Most late-ripening varieties are intended for fresh storage in winter. Such heads of cabbage accumulate the required amount of sugars for fermentation 2-3 months after collection.

The most suitable varieties for pickling:

• Kharkov winter;
• Glory;
• Hope;
• Present;
• Moscow late;
• Belarusian.

Suitability for canning can be easily determined by the appearance of the heads of cabbage and their taste.The highest quality vegetables have white color, juicy and sweet leaves.

When choosing the timing of harvesting, it is important to avoid mistakes:

1. If you cut the heads of cabbage too early, they will be loose. With warm September and October weather, forks are still growing. They require continued care - watering and loosening the beds.
2. If you miss the right time, the heads of cabbage will crack and lose some of the juice.

In some cases, cabbage grows very large, although the harvest time has not yet arrived. Then the plant’s nutrition is limited. The forks are turned a little in different directions, after which they are slightly lifted. Because of this, some of the roots are torn off, and the plant’s nutrition is reduced.

At what temperature should you pick for fermentation?

Usually the crop easily tolerates the first frosts. A little frost is only good for her. It improves the taste characteristics of the vegetable.

Attention! The maximum frost that cabbage can tolerate is -6°C, but only if its effect is short-term.

Cut heads of cabbage should not be allowed to lie at temperatures below -1°C. Otherwise, the stalks will quickly freeze, which will begin the process of rotting.

For fermentation, it is advisable to remove cabbage from the garden that has been at a temperature of -4°C during growth.

Timing of cutting for winter for salting

In all regions, cabbage for pickling is cut at different times depending on the varieties and temperatures:

1. Moscow region. The harvest is harvested from late September to early October. By the end of October, frosts set in and constant rains begin, and it is better to cut the heads of cabbage in dry weather.
2. Leningrad region - October.
3. Southern regions – from late October to early November. First, pay attention to the ripeness of the heads of cabbage, and only then to the ambient temperature.If the cabbage is not yet ripe, it is left until mid-November.
4. Siberia and the Urals – first half of September. In warm weather, the forks are cut at the end of September.

Before harvesting, the heads of cabbage are prepared. To increase the concentration of nutrients in them, stop feeding and watering 20 days before cutting.

When can you add salt?

In the villages it was always believed that the most suitable time for pickling cabbage - Cover. At this time, the heads of cabbage are gaining full strength and are ready for processing. They accumulate enough sugars for the fermentation process to proceed normally.

Basic conditions for successful pickling:

1. For cooking, choose any variety, except the early ones.
2. It is desirable that the heads of cabbage be white and dense, not frozen or rotten. Frozen cabbage will not produce high-quality preparations.
3. For pickling use exclusively enamel or glassware. You cannot take plastic or galvanized containers.
4. Coarse, non-iodized salt is needed.
5. For oppression, use a jar of water or a granite stone. Do not apply pressure with metal objects.
6. The minimum weight of oppression is 10% of the cabbage weight.
7. When using stones, they are first washed with soap and then calcined at a temperature of 250°C for an hour.
8. Ready cabbage is stored at temperatures from 0 to -20°C.
9. Freeze sauerkraut only when absolutely necessary, because after this it becomes soft and loses color. The amount of useful substances decreases.
10. Make sure that all the cabbage is covered with brine, otherwise vitamin C will quickly be destroyed.

Some people prefer choose the timing of salting according to the phases of the moon. This celestial body influences all processes that occur on Earth, including fermentation.

During the full moon, the activity of beneficial bacteria is maximum, but it is also the same for pathogenic microorganisms that cause rotting. This leads to product spoilage. If you pickle cabbage during the full moon, the process will go quickly, but there is a chance that the product will soon spoil.

The least activity of microorganisms is observed a few days after the new moon. Fermentation will take longer, but the quality of the product will increase.

In private homes, sauerkraut is usually stored in cellars. In apartments, the workpieces are sent to the balcony or loggia. If there are no suitable storage conditions, put the sauerkraut in the refrigerator.

Attention! If the balcony is located on the sunny side, there will be large temperature changes there during the day. This will significantly reduce the quality of the product.

Conclusion

It is important to correctly calculate the timing of harvesting heads of cabbage from the garden, based on the variety and region of cultivation. Most often, mid- and late-ripening cabbage varieties are cut down for pickling in October.

But to make the dish tasty and healthy, you will have to work hard not only in the garden, but also in the kitchen. The dates for pickling cabbage are chosen based on the lunar calendar. By following the basic rules, you will be able to obtain a quality product.