How to leaven the cabbage

About how useful for our body sauerkraut, you can talk for a very long time. Because it has more vitamin C than citrus, it is rich in fiber and low in calories. In the cold season, sauerkraut will help prevent flu and cold due to the same vitamin C.

Let's talk about how to ferment cabbage, so that it turned out delicious and maximally useful.

Choose cabbage of later varieties, because it is denser and, fermented, will become crispy. It turns out that the most favorable time for souring is the middle of autumn. If you choose large kachany, you will be able to save - get less waste. Pay attention to whether the cabbage has green leaves on top. For souring they are not used, but their availability guarantees the quality of the vegetable. If the cabbage was frozen, the seller cuts off the green leaves that have lost their market appearance. From the head, which was frozen, a good sauerkraut will not work. The most delicious is cabbage, sweet to taste, with a white core.

Quenching is carried out in several ways. Dry ambassador - just pick up cabbage, wiping it with salt, wet ambassador - in this case it is poured with brine, and the brewing method - if the brine that pours cabbage, hot. You can also cut it in different ways. Traditionally, these are stripes that are quickly produced on a special vegetable cutter. You can cut the leaves with squares, and some kvassat kochan entirely - so that then the leaves could be used to prepare cabbage rolls.

How to ferment cabbage with carrots - choose depending on the aesthetic preferences: if carrots are rubbed on a grater, then the color of sauerkraut will be pinkish, and if you cut into knives with mugs, the color of the end product will not change. In addition to the traditional carrots, cabbage or cranberries, apples or plums, mushrooms, celery, pepper are added to the cabbage. You can add spices - cloves, cumin, dill. The ratio of additional products and salt is approximately one to one. Salt is generally a very important ingredient of sauerkraut. If you do not take it enough, then the final product will turn loose and soft, and if you go too far - too salty cabbage is unlikely someone will like it. It is better to take about two hundred grams of salt per ten kilograms of cabbage, this is the optimal ratio. Adding sugar will make the taste more mild and accelerate the sourness, but basting with sugar will overly soften the cabbage.

In a city apartment a big barrel with sauerkraut will not be put, so find another way how to leaven the cabbage in a small room. Choose a glass, clay or enamelware. Remember that you can not sap cabbage in galvanized, aluminum containers or in tin containers, because, firstly, taste will deteriorate, and secondly, you will cause harm to health. Some mistresses, for taste and protection against bacteria, lubricate the bottom and walls of the container with honey, alcohol, vegetable oil or vinegar, however, this is not necessary.

And now - a simple recipe for cabbage sauerkraut. Often we need to cook a relatively small amount, so the actual way - how to ferment cabbage in a pot - is sure to come in handy. Take 2.5 kg of cabbage, chop. Rub a small carrot and mix with the cabbage. If you have fennel seeds - add them, you will need dried chopped dill. Put the cabbage in a three-liter jar. Strongly tampering is not necessary. Fill the dishes almost to the top. Pour 2 tablespoons of salt and pour cold water. Leave the jar at room temperature for 2.5-3 days. From the second day, place a jar of cabbage in a large bowl. This is necessary in order to collect the pouring brine. After the specified time, pour the brine into a saucepan, pour half a cup of sugar into it. Bring to a boil the brine with sugar, but do not boil. He will need to constantly stir and remove the foam. Pour brine in the jar into the jar and leave again at room temperature. In a day or two, when the taste becomes more acidic, it is ready for consumption.