How to prepare sauerkraut with honey for the winter, tasty and simple

Sauerkraut with honey is a recipe that will not leave anyone indifferent. Vigorous, crispy, juicy, with a spicy note of honey, cabbage will become a favorite snack on the table. The delicious aroma of the dish provokes the appetite of even small-toothed people, and the sweetish brine is used as a separate drink.

Pickled vegetables are a real storehouse of microelements and vitamins, necessary to maintain health during the winter. Let's consider the options for preparing the dish.

Selection and preparation of main ingredients

To ferment cabbage, choose late varieties of white cabbage. The process of ripening vegetables occurs due to the presence of lactic acid, rich in natural sugar. It is the late varieties that have the appropriate composition.

The head of cabbage should be juicy, strong, and not limp. Inspect it from all sides to make sure there is no rot on the sheets.

Carrots, as the second most important ingredient, choose just as carefully. Juicy, strong and sweet – this root vegetable would be appropriate in a dish.

Why is there honey in the recipe, what does it give?

Honey is a natural preservative and antiseptic. If you add bee product to the cabbage during fermentation, the finished dish will be stored longer, and its beneficial properties will only increase.

Reference. Honey is rich in potassium, iron, copper, and other trace elements. They treat anemia, colds, and coughs.

How to make sauerkraut with honey

To prepare workpiece according to the classic recipe, for a 3-liter jar you will need:

• medium cabbage – 1 piece;
• medium carrots – 2 pcs.;
• filtered water – 1.5 l;
• table salt – 3.5 tbsp. l.;
• liquid honey – 1.5 tbsp. l.

Step-by-step cooking instructions:

1. Clean the head of cabbage from outer leaves that are damaged or too rough. If there is rot, cut it off with a knife.
2. Rinse the vegetable under running water and dry with a paper towel.
3. Grind with a shredding knife. Transfer to a large enamel bowl without chips or signs of rust.
4. Peel the carrots, rinse, grate on a coarse grater.
5. Add it to the cabbage and stir.
6. Press the vegetable mixture down with a plate, on which place a jar of water so that the vegetables release their juice and soften. In this form, it is more convenient to transfer the slices into the final container for fermentation.
7. Prepare the brine: mix water and salt. Boil, cool. Then add honey. Mix the resulting liquid.
8. Fill a washed 3-liter jar tightly with chopped vegetables and pour brine on top. Make sure that the brine flows down to the very bottom of the jar.
9. Close the jar with a plastic lid, leaving a small gap for oxygen to enter.
10. Place the container in a dark place for a day at room temperature.
11. After a day, open the jar and pierce the mixture with a fork. This will remove any excess bitterness from it.
12. Close the lid and put away again for a day.
13. Test with a fork to see if it's done. If the dish has fermented, put it in the refrigerator for storage.

Cabbage according to this recipe is delicious as a separate dish and as an addition to borscht or vinaigrette.

Recipe Variations

If you don’t have much time or want to try a new taste of a familiar dish, you should pay attention to different versions of the sauerkraut recipe.

Instant pickled with honey

The recipe will help housewives achieve the desired result in just a day.

Ingredients:

• cabbage – 1 pc.;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l.;
• water – 1.5 l.

How to cook:

1. Wash the vegetables and dry with a paper towel.
2. Chop the vegetables on a special grater or with a knife. Stir, but do not mash.
3. Place tightly in a 3-liter jar almost to the very edge.
4. Boil water and cool.
5. Gradually pour in the vegetable mixture, waiting for the water to go down to the very bottom of the jar.
6. Place salt and honey on the cabbage.
7. Place the jar in a deep, large plate or bowl (the vegetables will begin to release juice; if the container is not deep enough, it will flow over the edge).
8. Leave in a dark place at room temperature.
9. In exactly one day, the dish will be ready to eat.

To improve the taste, add onions and sunflower oil before serving.

With honey and apples

Ingredients:

• white cabbage – 2 kg;
• fresh carrots – 200 g;
• sweet and sour apples – 200 g;
• honey - 2 tbsp. l.;
• salt – 4 tbsp. l.

To get a rich dish with a slight hint of sweet and sour taste, choose firm, non-red varieties of apples - the Simirenko variety is suitable.

Cooking algorithm:

1. Wash cabbage, carrots and apples. Remove the top damaged leaves from the head of cabbage and chop it into long strips. Grind the carrots on a grater.
2. Remove the core from the apples, but leave the peel. Cut the fruits into thin slices.
3. Place the cabbage in a deep bowl, add salt, honey and knead, remembering to press well. It will secrete juice, the more liquid it gives, the better.
4. Add chopped carrots and mix. Add the apples and mix again, but very carefully, trying not to damage the shape of the slices.
5. When the mixture has released a sufficient amount of juice, place a press on the cabbage (you can use a jar filled with water). Vegetables should be completely covered with juice. Place the container in a dark place at room temperature.
6. Prick the product with a wooden stick up to 6 times daily to release excess gases and bitterness. If foam appears, remove it.
7. After 3-4 days the dish will be ready - place it in the refrigerator for safekeeping.

Spicy with honey

Horseradish will add piquancy and spiciness to the dish; this sauerkraut will suit lovers of fiery tastes.

Ingredients:

• white cabbage – 1.5 kg;
• horseradish root – 100 g;
• salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 4 tbsp. l.

How to cook:

1. Wash and chop the head of cabbage. Wash the horseradish, peel it and grate it on a fine grater. Then mix the chopped vegetables, add honey and salt. Stir gently so that the cabbage does not release its juice.
2. Place the mixture in a dense layer in an enamel bowl, cover with clean gauze, and place a weight on top in the form of a jar of water.
3. Place the container in a warm, dark place, periodically pierce contents with a wooden stick. She should remain in this position for 3-4 days.
4. When the brine in the sauerkraut lightens, the dish can be transferred to a clean glass jar and stored in the refrigerator.

In honey marinade with salt

In this interpretation, the brine and the cabbage itself turn out to be piquant.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cabbage;
• 2 pcs. medium carrots;
• salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l.;
• cumin – 1 tbsp. l.;
• water – 1 l.

Recipe:

1. Wash the vegetables, chop and mix. Place in an enamel bowl, but do not press too hard.
2. Prepare the brine separately. Add salt and honey to warm boiled water. Pour brine over the vegetables, add cumin.Cumin seeds can be replaced with dill.
3. There is no need to press down with a weight; the brine will not evaporate in two days. It is recommended to only occasionally pierce the cabbage with a stick to release gases and bitterness.
4. Leave the container with the mixture in a warm place out of direct sunlight. After 2 days the dish is ready - it is moved to a cold place.

With honey and vinegar

Ingredients:

• cabbage – 2 pcs. large or 5 pcs. small;
• vinegar 9% – 25 ml;
• salt – 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 3 tbsp. l.;
• water – 1.5 l.

Remove all dirty and spoiled leaves from the fork, wash and chop into thin strips using a special shredder or a regular kitchen knife. Add salt to the chopped vegetable, mix and leave for 2 hours.

When the juice comes out, drain it. Place the slices in an enamel bowl.

While the cabbage is steeping, prepare the brine. Dissolve honey in water, add vinegar. Stir and pour into slices.

Press down the cabbage with a weight and leave in a warm, dark place for 2 days. Puncture periodically, releasing gas.

When ready, transfer the product to a jar and place in the refrigerator.

Marinated with honey

Ingredients:

• cabbage – 1 pc.;
• carrots – 2-3 pcs.;
• sweet pepper – 3 pcs.;
• salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
• honey - 3 tbsp. l.;
• apple cider vinegar 9% – 250 ml;
• seasonings to taste - bay leaf, nutmeg, black peppercorns.

Chop the cabbage, grate the carrots, cut the pepper into thin strips. Prepare the brine: boil water with salt and seasonings, add vinegar. Mix the vegetables, place in a deep bowl, and pour boiling brine over them. When the brine has cooled, add honey to the mixture.

Cooking time for pickled cabbage with honey is 12 hours. Then transfer the finished dish to a jar and place in a cool place.

Terms and conditions of storage

Like all ready-made dishes, sauerkraut has certain shelf life and storage conditions:

1. If prepare in wooden barrels for the winter - the product will be usable for at least 8 months.
2. Cabbage in a glass jar can be stored and consumed within 2 weeks from the moment it is ready.
3. If the product is stored not in the refrigerator, but on the balcony (air temperature reaches +10°C), the maximum shelf life is no more than 5 days.
4. When storing the product in a bag in the refrigerator, the maximum period is 7 days.

Recommended storage temperature –1…+4°C.

To extend the shelf life of the product in glass, pour 2 cm of vegetable oil on top of the dish. Then bacteria will not be able to penetrate inside.

Advice from experienced housewives

Recommendations from experienced cooks:

1. If you let the dish sit in the refrigerator for several days after cooking, the delicate bouquet of sauerkraut will truly open up.
2. Carrots can be chopped on a coarse grater or cut into slices. In the first case, it will give the cabbage a little color and make it pale pink. In the second, the cutting will remain white.
3. Adding bay leaves and black peppercorns will give the dish a slight spiciness, aroma and piquant taste.
4. To ensure honey retains its healing properties, do not add it to hot water. Otherwise, the beneficial elements will be destroyed, and compounds hazardous to health will appear in the nectar.
5. It is recommended to pierce the mixture during the ripening process with a wooden stick, so the acid will not react with the metal (in case the housewife decides to pierce the mixture with a regular fork).
6. Ferment cabbage only in whole enamel or glass containers.

Reviews

Housewives respond positively to recipes for cabbage with honey and share their experiences.

Maria, Moscow: “The whole family loves my sauerkraut recipe. The secret of preparation is to add a few bay leaves and black peppercorns. It would seem that seasonings are universal and often used in Russian cuisine. But it is thanks to them that the sweet taste of honey and cabbage sourness are set off.”

Claudia Stepanovna, Perm: “I like to cook a lot at once, in large quantities. For fermentation I use a wooden barrel. She is my only one and my favorite. The taste of cabbage is breathtaking, real! I believe that such a container is the most correct and natural.”

Olga, Vladivostok: “It is often recommended to add sugar for fermentation. This is a classic recipe. But I use honey and I think that this is the most correct way. The cabbage turns out to be piquant and, most importantly, fortified.”

Conclusion

There are dozens of recipes for sauerkraut with honey. You can cook it with apples or with vinegar, in a pure honey marinade, or marinate with honey and spices. Everything is limited only by the owner’s imagination.

Be sure to try one of the recipes we offer: sauerkraut with honey - a dish that will not only delight you with excellent taste, but will also support your immune system in the autumn-winter period.