Sauerkraut is a healthy product. It has anti-inflammatory, restorative, anti-carcinogenic properties, improves the microflora of the stomach and promotes digestion. Delicious, crispy, cheap and mouth-watering, she is the perfect appetizer. How to pickle cabbage quickly and still preserve it as a source of vitamins? It is fermentation and salting that contribute not only to preservation, but also to increase the nutrients in this inexpensive product.
How to pickle cabbage quickly so that it is ready in a day? To do this, take a solid head of cabbage, chop it and grind with salt. Let stand for two hours, transfer to a jar, condense and fill with marinade. Cover and place the container in a cool place. Exactly 24 hours later, you can take a sample. For one kg of cabbage you will need one tablespoon of table salt. Marinade: for one liter of water, put two tablespoons of sugar, peppercorns and 50 ml of vinegar.
How to pickle cabbage with beets or carrots? For salting, it is better to prepare a wooden tub, but you can use enameled dishes, a pan or a bucket. Dishes should be cleanly washed, not have enamel chips. It is not recommended to use plastic buckets, since the pickling process takes place when a large amount of lactic and acetic acids is released, which can interact with the surface of plastic dishes.
Weigh the heads prepared for salting to know exactly how much salt is needed. Salt is consumed at the rate of: 10 kg of cabbage - 250 grams of salt. You will also need 1 kilogram of carrots or beets, chopped in the form of straws, allspice, caraway seeds or dill. It is better to use dill or caraway seeds, but you can put large, dry stems at the bottom of the container. Sometimes they ask how to pickle cabbage in large pieces. To do this, you can alternate the shredded mixture and layers of heads of cabbage, they are perfectly saturated with brine and well preserved.
Lay out the bottom of the pot prepared for salting with large leaves. Chop cabbage, add carrots, salt, mix and squeeze by hand. It is better to do this in a large enameled basin, and then transfer the finished mixture to a barrel or any other container. Grinding all cooked heads of cabbage, carrots (or beets) and salt, condense the mixture, cover with leaves. On top you need to arrange a wooden clean circle (or a flat strong dish), on which oppression is established. As oppression, use a clean river stone, cobblestone or a large glass jar of water. Under oppression, the cabbage will settle and become covered with brine. Cover the entire container with a napkin and leave for 5-7 days.
How to pickle cabbage quickly? The speed of the fermentation process depends on the room temperature. At temperatures above 20 degrees, the cabbage will be ready within 72 hours. It is better if the pickling will occur at room temperature (not higher than 18-20 degrees). Throughout the entire period, it is necessary to pierce the cabbage to the bottom, for a better exit of gases. This can be done using a special peg or a long kitchen equipment. The tank after the main fermentation should be moved to a cooler room.
If this method seemed long for you, then we can give advice on how to pickle cabbage quickly, which will fully salted and taste delicious in just two days. At the bottom of the dishes, spread the peeled beets, sliced in circles, sprinkle with a mixture of garlic, pepper and salt. Lay coarsely chopped cabbage (4x4cm squares) in layers, sprinkling with salt and garlic. We spread the beets with the top layer, press down with a plate and cover with a napkin. Leave the fermented vegetables warm for two days and then transfer them to a cold cellar or refrigerator.