Crispy and fragrant sauerkraut has been one of the main dishes on the table of a Russian for hundreds of years. This dish is included in the national cuisines of other peoples - Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Poles, Germans, as well as residents of Asian countries. The secrets of making sauerkraut in Russia were carefully kept and passed on from generation to generation, and the process of salting has become an invariable annual tradition. Every year, in the month of September, Russian women in all houses were engaged in shredding and storing cabbage in barrels.

It is the wooden ones that are considered ideal containers for obtaining aromatic and crispy sauerkraut. The best wood for making salting barrels is oak. Thanks to the tannins contained in this wood, pickles are stored for a long time, acquire a unique aroma and peculiar taste.

For pickling cabbage in oak barrels, varieties of medium and late cabbage are used. It is chopped or chopped, mixed with the rest of the ingredients: salt, carrots, and other additives, and then laid and carefully crushed. It is customary to lay cabbage leaves at the bottom of oak barrels. Small heads of cabbage are laid whole or cut into several parts. In modern Russian cuisine, there are many ways to pickle sauerkraut in oak barrels, but the following recipes for sauerkraut in oak barrels have gained particular popularity:

Classic Sauerkraut Recipe

According to the Russian folk tradition, cabbage should be salted on the days of the new moon. Only then will it be crispy, white and delicious. The hostess in every Russian house knew that when salting cabbage, the stump should be removed, otherwise the dish would taste bitter.

To prepare sauerkraut according to the classic recipe, you will need:

50 kg of cabbage;

1.3-1.5 kg of rock salt (regular, not iodized);

a handful of cumin.

The preparatory stage of cabbage should be taken with full responsibility. It should be washed, cleaned of green and spoiled leaves, stubbled and chopped. You can chop the cabbage finely or chop it into larger pieces according to your own preference. Taken from the green head, whole leaves should not be thrown away, but it is better to put them aside.

The oak barrel is pre-washed and scalded. At the bottom of the container are those same green leaves that were laid aside. Shredded cabbage is mixed in small portions and rubbed by hand with the rest of the ingredients in a special wooden trough, enamel bowl or on a clean table. In the future, each portion of the cabbage prepared in this way is stacked and tamped in a barrel.

Between the layers of shredded cabbage, you can put the heads of cabbage, cut into large pieces, and add salt. This is how the barrel is filled almost to the top. It is recommended to leave 7-8 cm of empty container on top. Another layer of green, whole leaves is laid on top. All cabbage is covered with a clean, dense cloth, a wooden circle, and a load is placed on top. The main thing when salting cabbage is that it must be completely covered with juice.

A barrel of cabbage should be kept in a warm room (20-25С) for 10-12 days. During this time, the fermentation process will begin and end in the container. Observance of the correct temperature regime is probably the most important requirement for obtaining a quality product.

When foam first appears on the surface of the brine, the cabbage should be pierced with a wooden stick. In the future, this action must be performed daily until the end of the fermentation process. It is recommended to remove the appeared foam with a clean spoon, otherwise the microorganisms in it can contribute to the deterioration of the product. By the end of fermentation, the foam will stop appearing, and the brine will be clean. This is the signal to transfer the container with sauerkraut to a cool place (basement or cellar). Before that, it is necessary to remove the oppression, the circle and the fabric, wash everything well and put it in place. Sauerkraut is stored in a wooden barrel at a temperature from 0 to +2.

Cranberries are a healthy and tasty berry that gives sauerkraut a special flavor. To prepare sauerkraut with cranberries for 10 kg of fresh cabbage, you will need:

300-350 grams of cranberries;

250 grams of rock salt;

300 grams of carrots;

1 teaspoon of dill seeds (if desired, you can replace with caraway seeds).

Cabbage must be cleaned of damaged and green leaves, chopped or chopped. The cranberries are thoroughly washed and dried. Carrots should be cut into strips or grated. All ingredients, except for cranberries, are mixed in small portions, rubbed with hands for better juice formation and put into an oak barrel. Each layer of cabbage is combined with a layer of cranberries until the barrel is filled to the top. The further salting process is the same as in the classic recipe.

Sauerkraut with apples recipe

To prepare sauerkraut with apples according to this recipe for 10 kg of fresh cabbage, you must take:

0.5 kg of sour apples (Antonovka was used for these purposes since ancient times);

caraway seeds and dill 1 tsp;

230-250 grams of salt.

Apples must be washed, peeled, cored and sliced. Mix apples in small portions with chopped cabbage, salt and seeds, grind with your hands and put in an oak barrel, after covering the bottom with cabbage leaves. The process of cooking cabbage with apples is the same as in the classic version.

Sauerkraut with carrots recipe

Most women use this recipe for sauerkraut with carrots. For 10 kg of fresh white cabbage, the following amount of ingredients is taken:

1-1.5 carrots;

250 grams of salt;

10 grams of dill seeds (if desired).

Carrots give a special taste to sauerkraut and enrich it with carotene. To prepare pickles, carrots must be washed, cut into small strips or grated (coarse). The cabbage is chopped, mixed with salt, carrots and dill seeds, rubbed by hand and placed in prepared oak barrels on a layer of removed leaves. The technology for preparing sauerkraut with carrots is similar to the classic version.

Peking Sauerkraut Recipe

This salting has a spicy and piquant taste. To prepare Peking sauerkraut according to this recipe, you will need:

10 kg of cabbage;

0.9-1 kg of salt.

The heads of cabbage are washed, cut lengthwise into 4 parts and placed in a barrel. Each layer must be carefully sprinkled with salt. After filling the container with parts of Chinese cabbage, it is poured with cold boiled water until it is completely covered. On top of the pickle is covered with a clean cloth, a wooden circle is laid and oppression is set. A barrel of cabbage should be kept in a warm place for 2 days, then put out in the cold. Sauerkraut will be ready to eat in a month. When using, it is necessary to ensure that the cabbage is always in the brine. It is periodically necessary to wash the fabric, circle and oppression.

A day before use, a special mixture is prepared from 1 kg of bell pepper, 0.3-0.5 kg of red hot pepper and 0.2-0.3 kg of garlic. All ingredients must be chopped by passing through a meat grinder. To prepare a spicy dish of kimchi, you need to get the required amount of sauerkraut from the barrel and rinse in plenty of cold water. Pieces of Peking cabbage prepared in this way are well smeared between the leaves with a spicy mixture of peppers and garlic, placed in an enamel bowl and poured with boiled, cold water until completely covered. The container with Chinese cabbage must be placed in a cool place for at least 24 hours.

Autumn-winter is the most favorable season for pickling cabbage. By this time, the vegetable is ripe and fully ready for further use. For fermentation, you need to prepare cabbage and other vegetables, spices, a sharp knife, a shredder, oppression and, of course, a container. Is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket? This is exactly what will be discussed in the article.

How to ferment cabbage?

A more suitable container than not to be found. But it is difficult to store it in the apartment, and the cabbage will turn out to be too much. Another problem is that it is difficult to buy a container of the required volume and from good wood.

A large enamel saucepan is suitable for fermentation. Make sure it is chip-free. Otherwise, you risk spoiling the cabbage: it can acquire an unattractive gray color and unpleasant taste.

If you need a small amount of sauerkraut, then a glass container is suitable for this: a three-liter jar or a five-liter bottle.

In no case should you take containers made of metal, for example, aluminum or stainless steel. Typically, acid reacts with metal during fermentation. Cabbage absorbs everything and loses its taste and usefulness. Many people ask the question: is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket?

Plastic buckets are now produced for cold food. Some sell fermented milk products, mayonnaise, salted fish and so on. But is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket, because during fermentation acid appears, which, one way or another, reacts with plastic? Sauerkraut absorbs smell and it is not known what elements. And the buckets are not always made of the right plastic. Other impurities may be included. So, using low-quality containers, we risk not only spoiling the taste of the dish, but also our health.

But what if there is no other suitable container? Is it possible to ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket? Yes, you can, but you just need to listen to the following recommendations:

1. Be sure to buy a food-only plastic bucket. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for a certificate in order to be sure of the quality of your purchase.
2. Buy buckets that are not colored plastic. It is best to take colorless, like for a can, or white, like the one in which sour cream is sold in stores.
3. Wash the new bucket several times. Then take water to the top and leave for a day. Then dry it outdoors.
4. You can ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket by placing a plastic bag in it. Use only a food bag. Also, cling film is suitable, which is used to cover the inside of the bucket.
5. You need to ferment the cabbage in a plastic bucket until cooked. Then it is better to put it in glass jars. Tamp the cabbage and pour over the resulting juice.

Choosing cabbage for pickling

In a plastic bucket? First you need to choose the right vegetables. Medium and late varieties of cabbage are the most suitable for harvesting for the winter. They contain sugar, which is necessary for the fermentation process. Experienced housewives recommend taking those heads of cabbage that were caught by a little frost, and they lay for a while. Then the cabbage loses its bitterness. But avoid frozen vegetables.

For pickling, you need to choose intact and tight cabbage heads. Leaves should be free of rot and wormholes. Large heads of cabbage are recommended. The result is more shredded leaves and less waste.

What can be added to sauerkraut

Fermentation is impossible without salt. It is best to take the usual cooking, and even coarse grinding. If they started pickling for the first time, then you should adhere to the proportions indicated in the recipe. Experienced housewives salt by eye and to taste that meets the needs of the family.

Bay leaves, black peppercorns, sweet and hot peppers, horseradish, apples, cranberries, pumpkins, lingonberries, plums, currant leaves and even oak bark are added to sauerkraut. And of course, there should be carrots, cut into thin circles or chopped on a coarse grater. It gives the cabbage flavor and crunchiness.

To change the color, some housewives put table beets cut into slices in cabbage or add its juice. In sauerkraut, all vegetables or fruits must be cut into strips.

How and where to cut a cabbage head

A wide and long one is suitable for cutting cabbage; it must be well sharpened. Sometimes they use a special cut for cabbage, but it cuts the leaves too finely, and they are not very suitable for pickling.

You can find a shredding board, just remember that her knives are very sharp and easily hurt. Therefore, you need to learn how to use it and be extremely careful.

Chopping cabbage is best done on a wide table or large wooden cutting board. Chopped leaves can be left here or poured into an enamel bowl, where we will mix all the ingredients.

There are several ways to cut cabbage. In most cases, the head of cabbage is cut in half and then not chopped too finely. You can also cut the cabbage into squares. There are ways to ferment quarters, halves, and even whole heads.

Shredded cabbage is combined with salt, spices, carrots and other selected ingredients. Mix thoroughly with your hands and leave for a while until the first juice appears.

Sauerkraut bookmarking and storage technology

Can I ferment cabbage in a plastic bucket? Yes of course. You just need to adhere to a certain technology. We begin to put the prepared vegetable mixture into the container. The bottom of the container should be covered with washed cabbage leaves. Next, fill in the cabbage and tamp it tightly. Typically, a wooden rolling pin is used. But you can also hand. We ram each layer of the mixture until liquid appears on the surface. Cover the top with a cabbage leaf and a white natural fabric (you can use a piece of gauze). They also use a wooden circle, plate or lid, which is smaller than the diameter of the container neck, but does not leave a large distance from the walls. Be sure to put oppression on top. A stone, a weight (wrapped in cling film) or a container of water is suitable for this.

We leave the container with cabbage for three to four days in a room, the temperature in which is not less than 17 and not more than 22 degrees. In this temperature regime, during this time, cabbage fermentation takes place. As a result of this process, a lot of juice will be released, so put the container in another container into which the liquid will drain.

Indicators of correct fermentation are considered to be gas bubbles and foam on the surface. The foam needs to be collected from time to time. In order for the cabbage to evenly sour and to release gas, it must be pierced with a long wooden stick. This way you get rid of the bitterness of the sauerkraut.

The cessation of the release of liquid and gas indicates the completion of fermentation. The product is worth tasting. Cabbage should have a pleasant sour taste, slightly orange color and specific aroma.

The container with sauerkraut is placed in a cooler place and stored at a temperature of 0 to 5 degrees. Some housewives practice freezing sauerkraut. The finished product is placed in freezer bags and placed in the freezer. To use, it is enough to defrost the cabbage. It is worth noting that neither taste, nor aroma, nor useful properties are lost.

Sauerkraut in a plastic bucket: recipe

To get 10 kilograms of shredded cabbage, you need to take 12 kilograms whole.

We separate the upper leaves from the head of cabbage, divide it in half and cut out the stump. Shred cabbage and mix with carrots cut into strips (300-400 grams), salt (no more than 250 grams), add bay leaves, as well as other vegetables or fruits.

Put cabbage leaves on the bottom of the bucket. Fill on top with the mixture and ram it so that liquid appears above the layer. Cover the top of the cabbage with leaves, cover with gauze and place the load.

The fermentation process will last from 3 to 5 days. Do not forget to collect the foam and pierce the cabbage with a stick to the very bottom. Every day you need to wash the gauze and wash the load. Store ready-made sauerkraut in a cool place.

Sauerkraut recipe in a plastic bucket with whole heads

For this method of fermentation, you need to take dense and small heads of cabbage. Remove the top leaves and carefully cut the stalk. Place the prepared heads of cabbage in a container, line the bottom with oak bark, and put currant and cherry leaves on top of the cabbage.

Prepare the brine: dissolve 500-600 grams of salt in 10 liters of water. Pour over the cabbage so that the liquid completely covers the heads of cabbage. Cover with gauze, wooden circles, put oppression.

Sauerkraut recipe with lingonberries (cranberries)

Chop 10 kilograms of cabbage, add 400 grams of carrots, cut into strips, salt (50-100 grams) and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into a container, tamp each layer and sprinkle with lingonberries (cranberries). In total, you will need 700-800 grams of berries. The last layer should be cabbage. Cover with a cabbage leaf, cloth, plate and oppression.

Every day, carry out water procedures for oppression and tissue, pierce the cabbage with a stick and collect excess foam. This recipe is perfect for pickling cabbage with apples or pumpkin.

Sauerkraut sauerkraut in its own juice is not only nutritious, but also very useful. It contains vitamins B and C, which are stored for a long time. Don't be afraid to ferment your cabbage. The suggested recommendations and secrets will save you from mistakes, and the cabbage will turn out to be very crispy and aromatic.

One of the simplest, tastiest and most economical preparations for the winter is sauerkraut.

If you know how to salt cabbage in a barrel, then this will be very useful to you if you want to support your body in the winter with vitamins and other useful substances.

Many housewives have their own family recipes for sauerkraut in a barrel, which are passed down from generation to generation.

So, if you have this very wooden barrel on your farm, then be sure to prepare in it for the winter delicious salted cabbage, which has a natural and very pleasant taste.

It would be more modern to pickle cabbage in a plastic barrel, but it does not allow air to pass through, which will affect the taste of the cabbage.

Choose elastic flat heads of cabbage, "big-headed" Amager varieties after fermentation will be soft and "snotty".

You need to ferment cabbage heads cut in early October, before the first frost, that is, late. But if the top leaves are cut off, this means that the cabbage is frozen, and the seller hides it in this way.

The crispest pickling of cabbage is obtained from light, almost white heads of cabbage.

How to salt cabbage in an oak barrel

Rinse the barrel with regular baking soda and pour over boiling water. Fill with water and leave it there for a week; at first, leakage may occur at the connectors. But when the wood swells with water, the flow will stop.

The ingredient list is simple. This is the cabbage itself and coarse salt, which is taken at the rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per kilogram of chopped cabbage. In Soviet times, salt was measured with a matchbox (for 1 kg - 1 box of salt). You cannot ferment cabbage with iodized salt, because it softens it.

In addition, for color, taste and aroma, grated carrots on a coarse grater are added to the cabbage - 1 pc. on a medium head of cabbage or a little more. To increase the acidity, you can put lingonberries, cranberries (200 g per 10 kg), sour apples.

The raspberry color comes from the addition of beets.

And for flavor, black and allspice, bay leaf (20-25 leaves), hot pepper, cloves, caraway seeds (2 tsp per 10 kg) are put into the cabbage.

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Remove the top leaves from the heads of cabbage, rinse them with water, cut into 4 parts and cut the stump - nitrates accumulate in it.

Shredding cabbage is best not very thin, but it depends on your preference.

In the old days, the bottom of the barrel was sprinkled with rye flour, then a layer of chopped cabbage, a layer of salt, and a layer of carrots were laid. In this case, the cabbage must be lightly tamped, just lightly, to avoid softening it.

It is not necessary to fill the barrel to the brim, otherwise the cabbage brine may pour out of it. Top the cabbage with clean washed cabbage leaves, then with boiled cotton cloth and a clean wooden circle on which to place the oppression.

Do not use plywood or chipboard due to the content of harmful substances.

Cabbage will ferment at room temperature for two weeks. If the room is cool, then longer. In the process of fermentation, foam appears, which must be removed.

Pierce the contents of the barrel with a long, clean stick once a day to release gases. During the fermentation process, the cabbage should always be covered with brine.

When the smell disappears and gas stops coming out when pierced, the cabbage is ready. You can put it away for storage.

How to salt whole cabbage in a barrel

You can also salt cabbage in a barrel for the winter with whole heads of cabbage. To do this, remove the top leaves, cut the stump.

With these leaves, you can lay out the bottom of the barrel, and also fill the voids between the heads of cabbage in the upper rows with them.

Halves of peeled carrots are placed between the cabbage heads, as well as tomatoes and bell peppers to improve the taste of the finished sauerkraut.

Then pour the cabbage with brine from 400 g of salt in 10 liters of filtered water), cover with a linen cloth on top, put the crosspiece and the load treated with antiseptics.

Traditionally, clean, and preferably boiled, large stones are used as cargo, which will not affect the taste of cabbage.

The fabric should be washed regularly in plain water and then boiled to get rid of mold.

The best way to store sauerkraut is in the cellar, because the barrel is unlikely to fit anywhere else.

The optimum storage temperature is from 0 to 2 degrees. Too low temperatures affect the taste of the workpiece badly - after defrosting, the cabbage will be soft and will stop crunching.

Barrel has long been considered the most delicious. This method is not very popular today, because it is much more convenient to ferment cabbage and store it in jars. But only a barrel salting according to old recipes allows you to cook the most delicious and crisp cabbage.

Everyone has long known about the healing properties of cabbage. In the process of fermentation, it acquires even more nutrients that help improve the functioning of the whole body. How to salt cabbage for the winter to get a tasty and life-giving product? This question is asked by wonderful hostesses and even representatives of the stronger sex. Many have heard that wooden containers are used for fermentation. And in what barrels the cabbage is salted, and what ingredients should be put, let's try to figure it out together.

Even in the distant past, sailors loaded wooden barrels with sauerkraut onto a ship and fled from scurvy. Then it was the most common vegetable, containing a huge amount of vitamin C. They put whole heads of cabbage in an oak product and consumed them during sea trips.

The special properties of wood have always been appreciated when storing various products. An oak barrel can be considered an ideal dish for salting cabbage. Before starting fermentation, it is necessary to properly prepare a wooden container.

Barrel handling

If the product is new, then it is soaked in cold water for two weeks. In this case, it is advisable to change the water once every two days. After the wood swells, all leaks are eliminated. The barrel is scalded with boiling water, washed with a soda solution. Then everything is rinsed again. The barrel for pickling cabbage is ready to use.

In the case of storing empty containers previously used for fermentation, it is enough to rinse with soda and scald with hot water. When cabbage is salted in an oak barrel, a pleasant and rich taste of sauerkraut is obtained. But at the same time, they do not forget about the secrets of proper salting.

The subtleties of cooking

Before figuring out how to salt cabbage in a barrel for the winter, you need to know the details about the vegetable itself, which variety is best suited for pickling. It is advisable to use cabbage heads cut before the first frost. Late varieties of the product would be ideal. We need vegetables of a light, almost white color. Then you get a delicious crispy sauerkraut.

It is necessary to pay attention to the upper leaves. If they are cut off, then the head of cabbage is frozen, and it is not suitable for salting.

You can shred cabbage in different ways. Some people like to cut into squares altogether or divide into large pieces. Not very small and not very large, the average degree of shredding is fine. Self-grown cabbage stump is also used for salting. If the product was bought from an unknown merchant, it is better not to use it, as it may contain nitrates. So, the cabbage is ready for pickling. We pass to the last stage of direct fermentation.

Salting secrets

Very simple cabbage salting according to old recipes. If you prepare brine, you need to take rock salt at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. With dry sourdough, a little more salt is thrown, about 20 g per 1 kg of chopped product. As you can see, it is easy and simple, and the cabbage is delicious and crispy.

Modern housewives add various ingredients to improve taste:

• carrot;
• cranberries;
• apples;
• beets.

Grated carrots give a special flavor and enhance the crunchy properties of cabbage. Beets change the color of the product. Also add cloves, allspice and black pepper, cumin.

After being placed in a barrel, the product is kept for about two weeks at room temperature, and then lowered into the cellar - the best place for storage. I almost forgot to mention the correct filling of the wooden container.

Features of laying in a barrel

To preserve the taste of cabbage, the bottom of the oak product is sprinkled with flour, preferably rye. Then the components of the future fermented product are laid out in layers:

• shredded cabbage;
• salt;
• grated carrots.

Slightly compacting the vegetable layers, they fill the wooden barrel, but not to the very top, otherwise the juice that appears will pour out. Cover the cabbage with a cotton cloth and press down with a wooden lid. Periodically, it is recommended to pierce the contents in an oak container with an ordinary long stick. So the gas is released from the product and saturated with a new portion of oxygen.

Unfortunately, I had to briefly outline how to salt cabbage in a barrel. But, we hope, useful information will help you to properly pickle ordinary cabbage and get a rather tasty, healthy and healing product.