How to deliciously prepare sauerkraut in pieces in different ways

Sauerkraut retains its taste and vitamin composition due to lactic acid, which is formed during the fermentation process. The head of cabbage is cut into pieces so that the cabbage is evenly saturated with brine or marinade. The dish is prepared in any convenient container - glass jars, wooden barrels or enamel pans.

Let's take a closer look at popular recipes for sauerkraut, learn the nuances and features of preparation.

Choosing cabbage for harvesting

Cabbage should have white, soft and juicy leaves. Housewives choose early or mid-ripening varieties and hybrids for pickling: Slava, Gribovskaya, Volgogradskaya 1, Caporal. Late varieties are not suitable for pickling - they have a low sugar content and a bitter taste. It is recommended to squeeze the head of cabbage to check - it should crunch slightly. There should be no cracks or dark spots on the head of cabbage.

Preparing to cook

Remove the top layer of leaves from the cabbage and remove the stalk. Then cut into pieces of different sizes depending on the recipe. Vegetables are chopped in different ways:

1. Using a long and sharp knife with a non-slip handle, cut the head of cabbage into 4 parts, place each one on its side and chop it.
2. Shred on a special grater, plastic or wooden.

Chop vegetables quickly and easily using a food processor. Most devices come with a special attachment for shredding, and within 20 seconds housewives get perfectly even chopped cabbage.

Selection of containers

Snacks in glass jars are convenient to store in the refrigerator — it takes up little space. For preparation, jars of different sizes are used. They must be solid, without chips. Before cooking, the jars are washed with soda solution and wiped dry, the lids are scalded with boiling water.

An enamel bucket or pan is suitable for sauerkraut in the country. This is a convenient way to prepare a healthy and tasty snack for a large family. It is important to inspect the surface of the dish: there should be no chips or scratches on the enamel, otherwise the dish will quickly deteriorate.

Another suitable option for sourdough outside the city is wooden barrels or tubs. Dishes made from natural wood imbue vegetables with a tart taste and rich woody aroma. Before cooking, the barrel is steamed with a soda solution and rinsed with cool, clean water. This protects the container from mold, mildew and rot, and prevents the appearance of unpleasant odors.

How to properly prepare sauerkraut in pieces

The dish is prepared at the end of summer or early autumn, when early and middle varieties ripen in the garden.

What needed for cooking:

• 2 kg cabbage;
• 200 g carrots;
• 60 g sugar;
• 60 g salt;
• 20 g ground black pepper.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Wash the carrots and cut into cubes no more than 5 cm thick.
2. Peel the head of cabbage from the top leaves, remove the stalk and cut the cabbage into 6 parts, and then each into 4 more parts.
3. Place the vegetables in a deep container, add salt, sugar and ground black pepper.
4. Gently mix the mixture with your hands so that every piece of the vegetable mixture is saturated with spices.
5. Place under pressure for two days in a dark place. On the third day, remove the weight and mix the vegetables again with your hands. Leave for another day.
6. Place in jars or in a tight food bag and place in the refrigerator. It is recommended to eat the product within a month.

Recipe Variations

In addition to the classic recipe, Georgian and Bulgarian fermentation methods, with honey and garlic, are popular. The dishes are colorful and nutritious.

Spicy cabbage pieces

Adjust the spiciness of the dish to your taste. The appetizer is served with meat dishes - it goes harmoniously with beef, lamb, and chicken. The product can be stored for up to seven months.

What needed for cooking:

• 600 g cabbage;
• 150 g carrots;
• 50 g parsley;
• 70 g dill;
• 1 pod of red hot pepper;
• 40 g ground black pepper;
• 4 peas of allspice;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 15 ml vinegar 9%;
• 1 liter of water;
• 70 g rock salt;
• 50 g sugar.

Cooking technology:

1. Prepare the marinade: pour salt and sugar into the water, stir and boil.
2. Wash all the ingredients, chop the carrots on a coarse grater, cut the cabbage into squares.
3. Coarsely chop parsley and dill, mix with vegetables and chopped hot pepper, add allspice and black pepper. Lastly, add the garlic cloves.
4. Tamp the mixture into a clean jar, add marinade and vinegar and put it in a warm place. After a day, the product is ready for use.

Other ways to prepare cabbage for the winter:

Sauerkraut with horseradish and carrots is delicious and simple

The best recipes for sauerkraut with horseradish and beets

The best sauerkraut recipes without salt and sugar

In Georgian

Before serving, the Georgian appetizer is sprinkled with sugar or seasoned with fragrant vegetable oil. This cabbage is used as an ingredient for prune and herb salad.

What needed for cooking:

• 1.8 kg cabbage;
• 400 g beets;
• 1 pod of red pepper;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 1 bunch of celery greens;
• 8 black peppercorns;
• 2 liters of water;
• 100 g apple cider vinegar;
• 90 g sugar;
• 75 g salt.

How to cook:

1. Pour water and apple cider vinegar into a saucepan, add sugar and salt. Stir and boil.
2. Wash the beets, peel them and cut into thin slices. Wash and chop the garlic and celery leaves. Remove seeds from red hot pepper and cut into rings.
3. Remove the leaves from the cabbage and cut the head of cabbage into large pieces. Place beets in the bottom of a clean jar, then cabbage, garlic and red pepper.
4. Add celery greens and black pepper between layers. The top layer should consist of beets.
5. Pour in brine, cover with clean gauze and put under weight for 4 days. Keep refrigerated.

With garlic and beets

Vinegar is not used in preparation, so the dish can be consumed by small children and people with sensitive stomachs. The appetizer is added to borscht - there is no need to waste time and effort preparing all the vegetables separately. The soup turns out aromatic, with a rich sweet and sour taste.

What needed for cooking:

• 400 g cabbage;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 1 beet;
• 1 liter of water;
• 40 g black pepper;
• 70 g salt;
• 3 bay leaves.

Sourdough technology:

1. Wash and dry all ingredients. Peel the cabbage and beets and chop coarsely.
2. Place beets, cabbage and peeled garlic cloves in layers in a clean and sterile jar.
3. Prepare the brine: mix water with black pepper and salt, boil and pour into a jar. Add bay leaf.
4. Cover with a nylon lid and leave at room temperature for three weeks.
5. After cooking, store in the refrigerator.

In Bulgarian

A bright and colorful dish will appeal to all lovers of sweet and sour taste. Peppers for fermentation are chosen red or yellow - they give the appetizer crunch and a delicate aroma.

What needed for cooking:

• 1 kg cabbage;
• 3 bell peppers;
• 120 g celery root;
• 250 g carrots;
• 100 g leeks;
• 100 g onions;
• 1 apple;
• 20 g coarse salt;
• 10 g juniper berries;
• 5 g cumin seeds.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse all ingredients, coarsely chop cabbage, carrots and celery into a deep plate.
2. Cut cored apples into large pieces. Peel the bell pepper from the stalk and seeds and cut into strips. Cut leeks and onions into rings.
3. Mix the above ingredients, add salt, cumin seeds and juniper berries. Lightly knead with your hands, cover with a napkin and leave at room temperature for a week.
4. Transfer to clean and sterile jars and refrigerate.

To preserve the snack for a long time, jars of cabbage are pasteurized for half an hour over medium heat. Afterwards they are closed with clean iron lids and put into the cellar for storage.

Read also:

Pickled eggplants stuffed with carrots and garlic

Recipes for canning watermelons with mustard for the winter

With cranberries and honey

Cranberries saturate the snack with vitamin C, and honey gives it a pleasant sweetish taste. Bright red berries transform an ordinary dish into a delicious holiday salad.

List of ingredients:

• 1 kg cabbage;
• 50 g cranberries;
• 20 ml honey;
• 1 carrot;
• 30 g salt;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 5 black peppercorns.

How to cook:

1. Coarsely chop the cabbage. Wash the carrots, peel and grate.
2. Stir and add salt and honey. Place black pepper and bay leaf on the bottom of a clean pan, and place cabbage and carrots on top.Sprinkle with clean cranberries.
3. Place under load for 3 days. Store in jars or bags in the refrigerator.

Terms and conditions of storage

It is not recommended to store fermented snacks at sub-zero temperatures, the optimal indicator is 0°C. Sub-zero temperatures lead to the destruction of beneficial properties. The storage area should be dark. It is recommended to monitor the brine level - the cabbage should be in the liquid. Constant movements from cold to warm and back have a negative impact on the taste and composition of cabbage.

Attention! In city apartments, the workpiece is stored in the refrigerator or on the balcony (in winter), in private houses - in cellars or basements. The maximum shelf life, subject to all conditions, is one year. The humidity level in the room should be at least 70%.

Advice from experienced housewives

Experienced housewives give advice and share the secrets of making sauerkraut, thanks to which the appetizer turns out juicy and can be stored for a long time:

1. During pickling, the cabbage is pierced with a wooden spatula so that gas bubbles come out and the fermentation process is correct.
2. Sugar, honey and lingonberries protect the dish from premature spoilage and mold. They act as natural preservatives.
3. For fermentation, coarse salt is used, since fine salt dissolves slowly and does not permeate the ingredients.
4. If mold has formed on the surface, carefully remove it with a clean spoon and throw it away. Next add 1 tsp. mustard powder and mix. Mustard powder does not affect the taste and aroma.
5. For long-term storage, sauerkraut is frozen in the freezer. Later it is used as an ingredient for soups or salads.

Reviews

Many cooks and gardeners love homemade recipes for the winter.They share tips and feedback with each other.

Galina, Luga: “I always add carrots and garlic to fermented dishes. I take small cabbage and cut each head of cabbage into 6-8 pieces. I serve chilled and sprinkle with fresh herbs. I store it in liter jars in my home basement.”.

Alexander, Chelyabinsk: “For the third year in a row I have been making sauerkraut in Bulgarian style. It turns out very tasty. I take yellow pepper and cut it into rings. From spices and herbs I add cumin, salt, black pepper, bay leaf. For fermentation I use enamel buckets or basins".

Maria, Saratov: “I tried to make cabbage in Georgian style, but after a month I noticed mold. I decided to make the classic recipe and it turned out well. Added garlic and onion, a little black and red pepper. I like to eat it with Borodino bread, it’s very tasty.”.

Conclusion

How to ferment cabbage in a jar for the winter? It's simple - take healthy small heads of cabbage, carrots, clean water and coarse salt. Coarsely chopped cabbage lasts longer and is always crunchy. To add piquancy, cranberries and honey are added, for a spicy taste - garlic, red, black or allspice. For fermentation, glass jars, buckets or pans, and wooden tubs are used. The preparation is served on the table as an independent dish or as an addition to the main dish. Store in the refrigerator, cellar or basement.