Sauerkraut for the winter cooker. Homemade sauerkraut recipe is delicious

  • 24.02.2024

Preface

Sauerkraut for the winter is one of the most delicious, healthy and popular pickles. They love it as a separate dish and without it it is impossible to prepare some others (vinaigrette, cabbage soup, etc.) that are truly tasty. Sauerkraut is healthier than fresh cabbage - not only does it retain all the vitamins and microelements present in the vegetable cut from the garden, but it also adds active healing substances formed during the fermentation of the product.

Of course, you can ferment absolutely any cabbage. However, to prepare a truly tasty dish, you should follow some recommendations for choosing this vegetable. First of all, it should be noted that it is best. Moreover, not every variety is suitable, and when purchasing or selecting a head of cabbage cut from the garden, you need to pay attention to its appearance.

You should use mid-late, or better yet, late varieties of white cabbage. The early ones are worse in that their heads are loose and contain much less sugar, which is necessary not only for the good taste of the product, but also for fermentation during pickling. Therefore, the best period for fermenting cabbage is mid-to-late autumn, when the forks of late varieties of this vegetable ripen and acquire the required density.

You should only choose really well-ripened forks - they will contain sufficient sugar. It is best to take larger heads of cabbage, slightly flattened and almost pure white. Their impressive size will indicate sufficient maturity. However, the head of cabbage should not be too large either. Firstly, it will not be very convenient to cut it, and secondly, it is possible that such a vegetable was “fed” with fertilizers that accelerated its growth.

When choosing forks, you need to pay attention to the upper outer leaves covering them. They should be light green. If they are almost white, then most likely the heads of cabbage were frozen, and the seller, wanting to hide this, removed the top leaves.

The stalk should be without damage or signs of rot, dense and white. The leaves should be free of any inclusions, spots or holes. The smell of the head of cabbage should be vegetable and fresh. If it smells rotten, you need to choose another fork.

Selection of utensils for fermentation

The best utensils for fermenting any vegetables are wooden. Previously, oak barrels or tubs were used. If cabbage is fermented in such a container, it will additionally acquire a pleasant aroma and taste.

A worthy replacement for oak dishes is enameled. An important condition for its use is that the enamel on the entire inner surface of the container should not have any chips or cracks. You can use enamel tanks, pots and even buckets. Clay containers are also suitable.

If you have a basement or cellar, you must definitely take dishes of impressive size. Only in large quantities can cabbage be fermented truly well.

Steel, aluminum and plastic containers are completely unsuitable.

The lactic acid released from cabbage during pickling and the brine itself will react with metal or plastic. Because of this, the workpiece will have an unpleasant aftertaste, and the formation of harmful and even dangerous substances may occur.

When there is no basement or cellar and you have to ferment cabbage in the apartment, it is best to use glass jars. Their volume must be at least 3 liters.

Ingredients and their ratio

The main ones are cabbage, carrots and salt. We take as much cabbage as we are going to ferment. Carrots - at your own discretion. It gives sauerkraut a sweetish, pleasant taste and makes it more aromatic, juicy and crispy, and the appearance of the dish served on the table is more attractive. In the classic recipe, you take 1 kg of carrots per 10 kg of cabbage and that’s enough. But you can do more, as is offered in various other cooking options. If you use too many carrots, they will overwhelm the taste of the cabbage.

Salt is a separate conversation. The main thing is that it should not exceed 25 g per 1 kg of vegetables. Otherwise, the result will not be fermentation, but pickling. The second requirement for salt is that it must be non-iodized. It is better to use coarse, but fine grinding is also possible. Iodized salt will make the cabbage not very tasty, not as crispy, and may become unpleasant to eat - slippery.

You can ferment cabbage with the addition of various spices and seasonings: dill seeds, bay leaves, black pepper, cloves, horseradish and others. They will give the preparation a pleasant aroma and piquant taste. However, you need to be careful when adding them. If you overdo it, the spices will overwhelm the natural flavor of the cabbage.

Sugar is often added, especially if the cabbage is unripe or of early varieties. It is usually taken in the same proportions as salt - up to 25 g per 1 kg of vegetables. Firstly, sugar improves fermentation, and secondly, cabbage sauerkraut with it turns out to be more pleasant and delicate in taste, sometimes even sweetish, and also less sour.

Some people sauerkraut with the addition of fruits and/or berries, for example, plums, apples, lingonberries, cranberries. These ingredients give the product a pleasant sour taste. You can add beets. The cabbage will acquire a ruby ​​color and an unusual taste.

How to properly cut vegetables

You can ferment cabbage whole by dividing the head of cabbage in half or into several parts, cutting the leaves into large or small squares, triangles or rectangles, and also chopping it into narrow strips. The last option is most often used. This way the vegetable ferments faster and more evenly. Moreover, you need to chop it quite finely, but you shouldn’t chop it too much either. Otherwise, the chopped pieces will soften during fermentation and the cabbage will turn into porridge and will not be crispy.

You can shred with a sharp knife. Even better - a special shredder designed for chopping cabbage. With its help, this vegetable will be cut correctly and quickly.

Using a grater to chop heads of cabbage is strictly not recommended. The pieces of leaves will turn out too small and crushed, they will no longer be crispy and juice will be released from them prematurely.

Regardless of the recipe, carrots can be grated on a regular grater with large or medium meshes. Korean-style carrots are often used for cooking.

If the recipe requires adding other products, then the berries are left whole, the plums too, or they are cut in half, but in any case the seeds are removed. and the beets are cut at your discretion: in half, into several parts or into slices, plates. Small and small ones are best left whole.

Methods and temperature conditions for fermentation

There are two main methods, conventionally called wet and dry. In the first case, cabbage is mixed with carrots and spices when they are used, and then placed tightly in a fermentation container or placed in layers with other products (apples, berries or others), if they are in the recipe. Then everything is poured with boiled brine, cooled or hot. If sugar is added, it is dissolved along with salt during boiling.

Using the dry method as the basis for the recipe, first mix or even grind the cabbage with salt and mash it a little so that it releases juice. Then mix with carrots. This is usually done in an enamel cup in portions. Take 1 proportional part of cabbage, salt and carrots, mix them and place them in a fermentation container, compacting them as shown in the video. Then do the same with the next portions. At the same time, other products (apples, berries, or others) are placed in the container in layers, if they should be present. The cabbage is not filled with water or brine, but is fermented in its own juice, which is released during fermentation.

If the recipe calls for sugar or spices, they are added while mixing the cabbage and carrots. You should not crush or compact the vegetables too much, otherwise the preparation will not turn out crispy.

Regardless of the method and recipe for fermentation, the next thing to do is cover the cabbage with clean gauze or cloth and press down with pressure (weight). To do this, place an enamel lid or plate of a suitable size on it in a wide container, and place a load on top - a washed natural stone or a jar of water. Metal objects will not work. If the cabbage is fermented in a jar, then you can leave nothing in at all or use a small jar of water.

The first few days - usually three days, sometimes more - the cabbage should be fermented at room temperature. During this period of vegetable harvesting, constant monitoring is required. It is necessary to regularly remove the foam formed as a result of fermentation and pierce the cabbage in several places with a clean wooden kitchen utensil to allow the gases released to escape. If you don’t do all this, then you can forget about a tasty, and even more so, crispy snack. The preparation will turn out bitter and soggy.

When the foam stops forming and the brine becomes lighter in color, the cabbage can already be eaten, although it is still under-fermented. The container with it should be placed in a cool, dark place. It’s better to go to the cellar, but in the absence of one, you can go to the refrigerator. To ferment completely, the cabbage must stand there for about another month. And then it is stored there for up to 9 months. The optimal temperature for further fermentation and subsequent storage is 0–+2 o C.

In November, many homes sauerkraut. To make sauerkraut tasty and crispy, it is best to take winter varieties. Someone prepares a small amount of cabbage. But most zealous owners sauerkraut in the fall for future use so that they have enough for the whole winter. I also try to prepare more sauerkraut every fall, and until spring I always have jars and buckets of crispy cabbage in my cellar. Moreover, in spring it contains the same amount of useful substances as in autumn. But this is what sauerkraut is famous for! I'll show you my recipe sauerkraut for the winter which I have been using for many years. And there has never been a time when the cabbage didn’t turn out well. Cabbage is always juicy, crispy and very pleasant to the taste.

Ingredients

To prepare sauerkraut for the winter you will need:

fresh cabbage - 10 kg;

carrots - 1 kg;

coarse rock salt - 200-250 g.

*You can take any amount of salt from 200 to 250 g; cabbage will be tasty in any case.

Cooking steps

Mix everything, as if loosening the contents of the basin. DO NOT rub with your hands. Handle the cabbage carefully and gently, try not to crush the cabbage.

Sauerkraut should be stored in a cool place. You can use it in the refrigerator, in the cellar, on the loggia, on the balcony. Even if sauerkraut freezes in winter, it’s okay, it won’t affect the taste. It will be enough to bring it into the house, defrost it, and it will be tasty and healthy again. It is very convenient to transfer the prepared sauerkraut from the tank into jars and store them in them.

Bon appetit and a delicious winter to you!

Do you know how to make delicious sauerkraut? You need to prepare in advance for sauerkraut season. Therefore, I will show you a recipe for very tasty homemade sauerkraut. I got it from my grandmother, so there is no doubt about its correctness.

Homemade sauerkraut turns out very tasty, you'll just lick your fingers! The recipe has been tested for so many years!

Today you can find many different options for its preparation. My method can be considered classic - it turns out tasty and crispy. A portion of sunflower oil and chopped onions will turn it into a divine dish.

Sauerkraut for the winter at home - how much salt

The main question that interests all housewives. This is really important. If you add salt, the dish will not be tasty. If you don’t report it, then everything will turn sour. The classic norm is 1 level tablespoon per 1 kilogram.

What you need to make sauerkraut

  1. Winter cabbage . Summer varieties are not suitable for pickling. I choose flat, flattened “specimens” that look like cabbage rolls. They are exactly what you need for fermentation, they won’t let you down.
  2. Salt. Regular stone, but not sea or iodized. There is no need for unpleasant surprises in this matter.
  3. Carrot. Grated on a Korean grater, it will give the finished dish an appetizing appearance and pleasant taste.
  4. Black and allspice peppercorns . I definitely add it for taste and piquancy.
  5. Hot pepper in pods. Ingredient optional, for those who like it “spicier”.
  6. Bay leaf. A small amount of it will add its own touch of taste.
  7. Dill seeds. At will for an amateur. Some people can't imagine the taste without it.

When is the best time to salt cabbage in October 2017

The best time for pickling is when the Moon is waxing. You should not neglect this rule, so as not to look for the reason for the failure later. Therefore, we arm ourselves with the lunar calendar and select dates. In October these days are October 1-3 and October 23-31.

Number of products

  • Shredded cabbage mass – 1 kg
  • Carrots – 2 pcs.
  • Rock salt – 1 tbsp. without top
  • A few peas of black and allspice
  • Bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.
  • Dill seeds and hot pepper (optional)

Grandma's way of pickling crispy cabbage


Tip: At this stage, if desired, you can add cranberries, thinly sliced ​​apples or bell peppers.

  • Add pepper, bay leaf and dill seeds.
  • Transfer to a glass or enamel bowl. This could be a glass jar, an enamel pan. Aluminum cookware is not suitable for these purposes.
  • Now the main thing is to compact the vegetable mixture very tightly into the bowl. Help yourself with your fist or a pusher, as you wish. Place the mixture as tightly as possible; when pressed, juice should appear.

Advice: hands and work utensils must be clean, otherwise bacteria and microorganisms may enter.

  • Cover the top with a saucer or plate and cover with gauze to prevent debris or midges from getting in. Place something heavy on top as a weight. This could be a jar of water, cereal, or a special clean stone for such purposes (oppression).
  • Leave in a warm place for two to three days. The dishes need to be placed in a bowl, because the fermentation process will begin and the juice may overflow. If foam appears, it means you did everything right. It should be removed with a clean spoon, and the contents of the dish should be pierced with a thin stick twice a day. Don't let the unpleasant smell of fermentation scare you, that's how it should be.

Advice: be sure to pierce, otherwise everything will be ruined.


As you can see, nothing complicated. You just need to know some of the subtleties that I talked about. It makes an excellent dish; it can be added to vinaigrette, cabbage soup, cabbage soup, and salads. Try, cook with us, and you will succeed in the best possible way! See you soon, I look forward to your visit!

Discussion: 5 comments

    Sauerkraut is very healthy; I always prepare a couple of three-liter jars for the winter. This year I bought a wooden tub of 10 liters, I will experiment, they say it tastes better in wood.

    Answer

    1. Post your results, Alevtina. Let everything work out perfectly!

      Answer

    Your recipe turned out wonderful cabbage! That’s how I felt that the waxing moon and it was time to ferment the cabbage)))) But it was like this: I was standing, so I was chopping cabbage “to stew,” and then I really felt the taste of sauerkraut, and seasoned with homemade aromatic sunflower oil... mmm .. So wanted! I remembered that I saw your recipe, and went to look at it) And at the same time I stewed the chopped cabbage for new cabbage) And I bought some fresh butter at the market. And today, after three days, our crispy cabbage is ready! Cheers cheers! I went with boiled potatoes, no, I just flew away) But there was also something left to hide in the refrigerator)))) Thank you for the details and subtleties, it doesn’t seem to be anything complicated, but you gave useful advice. And everything turned out as it should) And last season I only got the right sauerkraut a couple of times, and the rest of the times it was either too soft or over-salted. And this one is just right! I hope it will always work out now ;)

    Answer

    1. It's always nice when a recipe turns out well. Come visit :)

      Answer

    The most important thing in salting cabbage is absolutely not to salt it during the full moon.

    Answer

Cabbage, cabbage on the table is not empty! Sauerkraut, fresh, pickled, fried, in borscht and cabbage soup, cabbage rolls and salad, vinaigrette...with or without meat, mushrooms and other vegetables! The variety of dishes made from this product is amazing; what a good housewife does not prepare from this popular vegetable, which we have long recognized as primordially Russian...

The classic recipe and plus 8 pickling recipes - you'll lick your fingers:

There is an abyss of vitamins and minerals in it, it seems to surpass even the famous guest of the overseas lemon, which is definitely useful, there are no particular contraindications either.

And, whatever one may say, most dishes require exactly that – sauerkraut. You can, of course, go and buy, there is now variety and abundance on the market, but something made with your own hands was, is and will be a source of pride for any housewife. Especially if it was a success - white, juicy, crispy!

Of course, there is a lot of fuss and cleaning up afterwards, but it’s worth it. I can’t even imagine how there won’t be jars of this beauty standing in a row in my cellar. And what a balm for the heart when a guest, having tasted it at the table, asks for a recipe or subtly hints that a jar of such deliciousness would be the best gift for him.

So, today we are sauerkraut in different ways and variations, and I will write which one is my favorite in that very recipe!

For work you need: a couple of large basins or pans, enamel buckets are also good, jars, cleanly washed and well dried in a row, plastic lids, also well washed, two for each jar - then I’ll tell you why two.

Grandma’s shredder or a newfangled knife with three blades, for the especially lazy - a food processor with a shredder attachment, I’ll say right away that it cuts a little finely, but for those who don’t have any of this, a simple kitchen knife with a long blade and an ordinary hand grater will help out. And salt, the main thing is not to forget, coarsely ground in a large 3-liter jar with a spoon stuck in, we will need a lot of it today!

I think I’ve listed everything, let’s begin the process of pickling delicious cabbage. Everything is as usual, at first the recipes are simpler, and then with bells and whistles. Everything is step by step, easy and fast.

How to deliciously ferment cabbage at home: secrets and tricks

There are many tricks in this process, so for beginners, read what I write next with special attention:

  1. For pickling cabbage, we choose medium and late varieties; early cabbage is absolutely not suitable - it will be soft and unappetizing. The head of cabbage is dense, hard, weighty, the color inside is white.
  2. You shouldn’t grind it too much when cutting, otherwise you won’t hear a crunch.
  3. Coarsely ground salt, not iodized.
  4. Utensils for the product – glass, enamel, wood. No aluminum or stainless steel!
  5. The temperature during fermentation is cool, 18-22 and no changes.
  6. To ferment in an enamel bucket, tank or wooden barrel, it is necessary to have a pressure - a circle with a slightly smaller diameter than the container and a weight on top. Our grandmothers used a wooden circle and a cleanly washed cobblestone; I, as an advanced granddaughter, use a suitable inverted enamel pan lid instead of a wooden circle and a five-liter plastic bottle with water instead of a cobblestone.
  7. A brand new wooden barbecue skewer is quite suitable for piercing.
  8. This prepared product should be stored in a cold cellar or refrigerator so as not to over-acidify from 0 to 3 degrees.
  9. The longer cabbage is stored, the more sour it becomes.
  10. For borscht, bigos or cabbage soup, sauerkraut can be frozen in the freezer, packaged in small containers or bags so that it can be used at a time after defrosting.
  11. And lastly, it’s better to ferment cabbage during the waxing moon... I don’t know why, but my grandmother always did it that way.

God help you, as they say!

Kvasim in a three-liter jar!

  • cabbage forks for one and a half to two kg;
  • two hundred and one grams of carrots,
  • salt two level tablespoons,
  • sugar half a tablespoon.

Preparation:

  1. Three carrots into a bowl on a coarse grater, shred the cabbage on top.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and mix.
  3. After waiting a couple of minutes, lightly rub the mass with your hands until the juice appears.
  4. We compact it tightly into a three-liter jar to the top, along with the released juice.
  5. Cover with a lid and leave to ferment at room temperature for three days. We place the jar in a tray (you can use a plate), suitable for collecting the juice released during fermentation, so that it does not flood the table.
  6. Every day we pierce the cabbage from top to bottom with a wooden skewer in two or three places.
  7. Cover the finished cabbage with two lids. We bend one in half and insert it inside, where it will straighten out and press the base so that it does not spoil on top, and we put the second one on the neck, as it should be. We put it in a cool place.

You can add anise or coriander to the cabbage, and dill seeds to taste.

Well, everything is simple here, you get a ready-made salad right away, you don’t need to put it away in the cellar, you can eat it tomorrow!

  • a small fork about a kilo and a half.
  • one carrot, medium,
  • salt a tablespoon,
  • 100g vegetable oil,
  • tablespoon of acetic acid,
  • sugar 4 tablespoons,
  • black peppercorns 5pcs,
  • bay leaf 2 leaves.

Preparation:

Shred the cabbage and mix with grated carrots and pepper, bay leaves, and place tightly in a jar. Prepare the marinade from the remaining ingredients: boil half a liter of water and add salt, sugar, oil, vinegar to the boiling water. Pour boiling marinade over it. A slight bend on top and into the refrigerator. You can eat tomorrow. Bon appetit!

Sauerkraut for the winter is very tasty in 3 liter jars in honey brine

This recipe differs from the classics in that we will cook it in honey brine and immediately roll it into 3 liter jars. You can make a lot, or you can cook it in the fall or winter. Since it takes little time to prepare, the cabbage you get is very quick and very tasty.

Prep time - take note of these recipes (be sure to watch):

  1. Dressing for borscht for the winter

Sauerkraut without salt and sugar - classic recipe

This is a recipe for those for whom salt is contraindicated, but still want cabbage soup with sauerkraut.

As usual, chop the cabbage and mix with carrots. Grind thoroughly in a basin with your hands until a fair amount of juice comes out.

Place it in a jar and press down on top. A glass water bottle will do just fine. Every day we remove the oppression and mix the contents.

In three days it's ready. Store in the refrigerator and consume quickly, as the shelf life is very short.

Ooooh! ...This is my favorite recipe, and I have slightly improved it. To use it in large quantities, you need to have a cold cellar near your house; if not, then just put a couple of cans in the refrigerator.

  • carrots, grated on a coarse grater, bucket,
  • 10 dense peeled cabbage heads weighing 3-4 kg,
  • water, boiled and cooled, it’s better just a spring bucket, I’m lucky, in our village the tap water in our village is artesian, the purest, so I pour it straight from the tap as needed,
  • salt,
  • three-liter jars, washed with soda and dried, about twenty.

Classic recipe:

  1. In prepared three-liter jars, I pour a little more than half a liter of water into each and throw in two tablespoons of salt without top, stirring until it disperses. In a huge basin on my grandmother’s old shredder, I cut a couple of heads of cabbage and sprinkle them with grated carrots, about 5 parts from the bucket, mix lightly and immediately compact them into jars in the basin until the brine goes over the top. I do this with my hands and a wooden masher, as tightly as possible.
  2. When the mixture is finished, I completely repeat step one. And so on three more times until the carrots and cabbage are gone.
  3. I cover the jars with lids, one inside, the other on top, and immediately lower them into the cold cellar.

No pickling, piercing or waiting for you! A couple of times during the winter I go down to the cellar with a ladle of clean water and add it to where the water has evaporated a little during storage.

The result is beyond praise, whoever tried it, they say you can eat your mind! The cabbage turns out lightly salted, snow-white, very crispy and without acid. When you open the jar, if you try it, it tastes a little bitter, that’s how it should be. But by the time you put it on a plate, not a trace of bitterness remains! Onion and butter in it, which smells like seeds, you can grate an apple... and even at a festive table with all sorts of delicacies, guests will grind it first!

  • three heads of cabbage of two kg or two of three kg,
  • kilogram of coarsely grated carrots,
  • salt a glass a little more than half a glass,
  • apples 1-2 kg, as you like.

Let's start fermenting:

  1. Chop the heads of cabbage in a large bowl, mix with carrots and salt.
  2. Quickly peel the washed apples - remove the seed chamber and cut into thin slices. Stir into the cabbage without delay to prevent the apples from browning.
  3. Place in an enamel bucket and compact, cover with clean cabbage leaves and place under pressure. You don't need a lot of weight, just a plastic bag and a half with water is enough.
  4. We pierce it twice every day and remove the foam as it appears.
  5. Ferment for no more than 5 days, regularly skim off any foam that forms.
  6. When the brine is clear, put it into jars and put it in a cold cellar.

An excellent salad with the addition of onions and sunflower oil!

Well, a very simple recipe! The main thing is not to let fermentation begin, and therefore do everything quickly.

  • a little more than two kilograms of cabbage,
  • one medium carrot,
  • half a glass of cranberries, preferably hard ones,
  • sugar 2 tablespoons,
  • salt 2 tablespoons without top.

Recipe for a three-liter jar.

Preparation:

  1. Chop with forks and mix in a bowl with grated carrots, salt and sugar, rub with your hands to release the juice.
  2. Mix with cranberries and pack tightly into the jar.
  3. Fill to the top with the released juice.
  4. Place a lid on the inside, another on the outside of the neck and immediately into the cellar or refrigerator. It will be ready in twenty days!

The salad turns out very tasty and rich in vitamins, with a good traditional taste.

Sauerkraut with beets - a classic recipe for the winter

Well, not just with beets, but let’s make it spicy and piquant in Georgian style.

  • two kilos of cabbage, cut into large cubes with a side of three centimeters,
  • a good celery root, grated,
  • hot pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped,
  • good beetroot, about three hundred grams, grated on a coarse grater or cut into strips,
  • salt two tablespoons,
  • water 1 liter,
  • acetic acid half a tablespoon.

Cooking classic:

  1. Mix all the vegetables in a cup and place them very tightly, but do not tamp them, into a three-liter jar with a Euro-screw lid. If the mixture remains, you can also fill a small jar, for example, a liter jar, depending on the remaining volume.
  2. Boil water, add salt and acetic acid. Cool the marinade, pour it right up to the lid, screw the lid on and immediately into the cold cellar.

You can put a small one in the refrigerator, and after a week try it with potatoes, it will turn out to be a finger-licking salad!

Sauerkraut: benefits and harms

Well, as for vitamins and microelements, I said at the beginning, there are a lot of them in cabbage and in its brine, accordingly it regulates metabolism, strengthens the immune system, makes a person resistant to stress, strengthens blood vessels and lowers cholesterol.

Because it is low-calorie, it is used in various diets for those who want to lose weight.

What about the harm? Of course, it is harmful for ulcer patients with high acidity, kidney patients and hypertensive patients, since salt causes increased stress on the kidneys and increases blood pressure. Well, as my grandmother used to say, don’t eat a bucket at once, a couple of spoons is enough!..

Now you know how to ferment the most popular appetizer, now you can do anything with this preparation - be it soup, or salad, or even as a snack. Very piquant and any one can be our snow-white one. Be sure to at least prepare a jar for the winter!

First recipe below- just such a valuable pickled option. For leisurely fermentation, it is actually quick-cooking. Crispy cabbage slices will be ready after 2-3 days of infusion in a jar at room temperature.

We have included a second sample in the article. Ultra-fast with hot marinade. It no longer has the benefit of natural fermentation because the marinade contains vinegar. It is a preservative and does not form “live bacteria” with it. But the savory vegetables are ready for sampling after 12 hours.

Choose an awesome snack according to your taste and goals and cook it often all winter long!

Quick navigation through the article:

Instant sauerkraut without vinegar

Super crispy recipe for everyone who loves tasty and healthy food. Sourdough in a marinade, which includes only salt and spices, they can be adjusted to taste. The finished cut is without oil, so it requires refueling with something as useful as possible. For example, extra virgin olive oil. All .

With a short effort and a couple of days of patience, you will get a traditionally excellent ingredient for winter salads, sour soups and stews with meat.

  • Preparation time: 30 minutes for preparation + 2-3 days for fermentation. We test for readiness after 2 days of infusion in a warm place.
  • Calorie content per 100 grams is no more than 40 kcal.

We need:

  • Cabbage - 2.5-3 kg
  • Carrots - 3 pcs. and more medium sizes
  • Water - 1 liter
  • Salt (without additives) - 2 teaspoons
  • Spices - to taste
  • We have 6 allspice peas, 2 bay leaves, 1-2 hot peppers.

Important details:

  • You can add as many carrots as you like. We love it when there is a lot of it. This gives the brine a pleasant warm tint and adds sweetness to the cabbage.
  • Spices can also be adjusted to suit your needs. More hot pepper means more spiciness. And also cumin, cloves, ginger and even turmeric. This classic fermented recipe responds well to many experiments.
  • Our proportions of ingredients will give traditional and juicy salad without too much spice. Brine can also be enjoyable as a separate drink.

Let's prepare the vegetables.

Finely chop the cabbage. The Berner grater always helps us out. Many housewives love a special manual shredding knife (or manual shredder). You can buy it right now during the fermentation season at any market in the aisles with barrel pickling.

Chop the peeled carrots to taste. Don't forget that there is not only a coarse grater. In this recipe we use medium.


Combine the cabbage and carrot slices and mix, fluffing them up at the same time. Convenient to work with your hands.

We will have brine in water, and not fermentation in our own juice. Without grinding, the cabbage will be as crunchy, delicious, and textured as possible.


Place the mixed vegetables in the jar halfway and tamp lightly. Put spices on top. In our case, this is 1 bay leaf, 3 allspice peas and 1 small hot pepper. Place the remaining chopped vegetables on top of the spices in the jar and repeat the set of spices again.

You can add cloves or remove the pepper if you don’t like even a hint of spiciness. These experiments will remain within the boundaries of traditional tastes.


Let's prepare the marinade, pour in the vegetables and let them ferment under supervision.

Water at room temperature (!).

It is beneficial to prepare 1.5 liters of brine for a 3-liter jar. The proportion for 1 liter is 2 teaspoons of salt. You need pure salt without additives. Accordingly, for 1.5 liters of water - 3 teaspoons. We pour spoons without the top and try.

Our goal is a solution slightly saltier than the ideal soup. Usually 3 level teaspoons are enough if the salt is extra fine. But there are different brands of salt, and coarse grinding is not as salty.

Stir the salt in the water until completely dissolved and pour the cabbage into the jar, covering the slices. We take a fork and pierce the vegetables deeper allowing the brine to penetrate to the very bottom.


You can use a long wooden stick, making a nod to the principles of natural fermentation. Strict Zozhevists and fans of Ayurveda strongly recommend working with fermented products only with wood or ceramics.

If such restrictions seem like unnecessary hassle, look for a long, two-pronged fork for turning fried foods. She will allow go even deeper in a dense layer of vegetables.

  • Use any instrument to make simple movements: in depth and spread the cutting, bubbles came. And so on in several places in the vegetable mass.

Add brine almost to the top - 1 cm before the neck of the jar. Usually a few bubbles form at the top, like foam.


Place the jar in a bowl so that the inevitable foam from fermentation can drain out of the jar carefully. Place a fork nearby which will remind you of the need to pierce the slices from time to time. This will allow the air bubbles formed during pickling to be constantly released to the top.

We pierce vegetables 2-3 times a day.

Keep the jar at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

If your house is warm, it will take less time until it's ready. If the conditions are sporty (+/- 20 degrees), then 3 days is the standard period. Next, put the vegetables in the refrigerator to stop fermentation, otherwise the cabbage will turn out too sour.

  • We advise you to try cutting at the end of 2.5 days and proceed according to your own preferences for readiness.

We get good sauerkraut and quite a lot of liquid that has flowed through the neck of the jar. As soon as the cabbage is ready, cover the container with a nylon lid and put it in the cold.




We once tried a version with honey.

On top of the cabbage, add 2 heaped tablespoons of coarse salt and the same amount of honey. Fill with water at room temperature. Follow the recipe above. Try it after 2 days to see if it’s ready (i.e., is it time to put it in the refrigerator). Honey cabbage is also very tasty and is suitable for anyone who is not allergic to honey.

Marinate quick classic cabbage in 12 hours

This savory guest of our meals is called “Provençal”. It is not only quick to cook, but also looks very impressive. How useful it will be during the holidays! If you've been overdoing it on alcohol, a tasty pickle drink is a popular first aid remedy for the morning after New Year's Eve.

  • Preparation time: 30 minutes for preparation + 1 day for marinating. We test for readiness after 12-14 hours.
  • Calorie content per 100 grams - no more than 100 kcal.

The result of some simple work is a fully prepared salad, already seasoned with oil. It can be easily stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, but can be eaten in a couple of sittings. So good!

We need:

  • Cabbage - 3 kg
  • Carrots - 300 g or to taste
  • Garlic - 4-5 large cloves or to taste
  • Red bell pepper - 2-3 pcs. medium size (can be frozen)

For hot marinade per 1 liter of water:

  • Salt (rock, coarsely ground) - 2 tbsp. spoons
  • Sugar - 1 glass
  • Vinegar, 9% - 80 ml
  • Little vegetable - 1 cup

Important details:

  • 1 glass - 250 ml
  • Among the spices, the best decoration for a marinade is cumin, 5-10 grams. You can also add allspice (6-7 peas) and cloves (1-2 pcs.).
  • Carrots and garlic can be adjusted to taste. A proportion that many people like: for 1 kg of cabbage - 1 medium carrot and 1 bell pepper.
  • Frozen sweet red peppers pickle just as well as fresh ones. If you have it, feel free to use it.
  • Convenient and safe cooking - in an enamel or stainless steel pan.

The preparation is simple and quick.

Shred the cabbage as thick as we like in salads. Knead with your hands in a spacious bowl, lightly, without fanaticism. Carrots - cut into strips using a knife or grater ala Berner. Or a democratic option: three on a coarse grater. Grind the garlic into thin slices. Cut the pepper into strips 0.5-0.8 cm thick or into cubes about 1 cm. Combine the vegetable cuts and mix well. Again, it is most convenient to work with your hands.

Prepare the marinade.

We start cooking when the vegetables are chopped and mixed. Heat 1 liter of water on the stove, add salt and sugar to it, pour in the oil and stir until the bulk ingredients are completely dissolved. As soon as the liquid boils, pour in the vinegar, make a couple of movements with the spoon and turn off the heat. Be sure to cover with a lid to prevent the vinegar from evaporating.