Sauerkraut is often called acidic, but the taste should not correspond to this word. Peroxide preparation loses its charm, becomes soft, not suitable for cooking other dishes. It is important to prevent this. Are there any ways to keep sauerkraut until spring?
The basic principles of storing cabbage
The best temperature for cabbage is from 0 to 5 degrees. Only in this corridor can a vegetable maintain acidity at the same level for a long time. At a temperature of 5-8 degrees, it can also be kept, but not more than four weeks. Cabbage fermentation is fully restored at temperatures above 10 degrees. Therefore, not every basement is suitable for long-term storage, and especially not a storage room.
Fundamental rules:
- You can not keep cabbage for a long time at room temperature or in another hot room. For this reason, fermentation is left for the fall. During the active phase, it is important to regularly check and not miss the “same” moment.
- It is important during the fermentation to "pierce" the workpiece with a stick and release gas. Otherwise, the cabbage will deteriorate very quickly.
- Despite the high concentration of acid, which is a natural preservative, it is important to observe the rules of sterility: thoroughly process dishes, use clean knives, boards, shredders.
- Cabbage should be covered with brine. If it is not on top, the vegetable will darken on top, deteriorate.
- We remove oxygen. For long-term storage, sealed dishes are needed. When air comes in, mold, dark coating, mucus will appear on top.
It is important to pay attention to supplements. This is usually a carrot. You do not need to enter a lot, just one thing per 1.5-2 kg is enough, otherwise the cabbage will turn sour quickly.
How to keep cabbage until spring in a regular jar
Cabbage in this way is perfectly stored until spring, it does not peroxide, does not darken, remains crispy and retains its aroma. Recipe with a roll. You will need a turnkey cover or threaded for a screw can.
Cans are often used for pickling cabbage, but the container will have to be replaced for storage. You can make a workpiece in a bucket or tank, pan, it is convenient to pierce and release gases in them, and then shift. In a container with a wide neck, it is inconvenient to store, you will have to change the fabric, put the load, periodically remove and discard the top layer.
We prepare the bank in accordance with all the rules:
- Rinse thoroughly with soda, rinse.
- Sushim. If there is no time for this, you can put it in the oven for a few seconds, drops of water should not remain. Or we sterilize.
- We cover the lid with boiling water or steam.
Now just shift the cabbage into the cans. Add brine too, ram the workpiece. We finish with the liquid so that it reaches the very edge, even if it splashes out, we put the lid on, roll it up. We lower it to the basement or to another cool place.
By the way, sauerkraut in a natural way can not be white, it usually has a cream shade. If it is snow-white, then acid or another preservative was used in the preparation.
Storage on the balcony
In a city apartment, you can store cabbage on the balcony, but only in the fall, when the temperature is close to zero. In old houses there are built-in cold cabinets under the windows, they are also suitable. Cabbage is laid out in a convenient container, preferably a small size.
What can be stored cabbage:
- In banks under a dense nylon cap.
- In plastic containers and buckets.
- In cans under the seaming lid, as described just above.
In any case, you need to hide the dishes from the light. Boxes are ideal for this. If the temperature drops below zero, you need to insulate the box from the inside or wrap it from the outside. Also do not forget about the brine, which should cover the cabbage. In severe frosts, we make sure that glass jars do not crack.
If mold suddenly forms on the cabbage or the upper layers darken, you need to remove them. You can sprinkle with mustard powder or its seeds.
Cold storage
The refrigerator is great for storing cabbage, it is convenient to maintain the desired temperature in it. We lay out the workpiece in cans of any size, tamp so that juice appears on top, and then put on tight nylon caps.
Everything is simple, convenient, but not always in the refrigerator there is so much extra space. About 8 liter cans are obtained from a bucket of cabbage.
To save space, you can change them to plastic square containers. They can be stacked on top of each other and tightly installed.
Another option to save space is to reduce the height of the shelves. To do this, put two things in the refrigerator so that they are just above the can, fill.
Cabbage freeze
At low temperatures, the concentration of vitamin C in sauerkraut is slightly reduced, but sometimes this is the only way to save it. Of course, you can just put it in the freezer and forget it, but there are more accurate and more convenient ways.
Basic principles:
- Cabbage needs to be frozen without brine. This will save space, and the liquid in the bags is not needed.
- The brine needs to be kept. In it, cabbage will be stored after thawing. The liquid will return the desired taste and vitamins. Drain into a plastic bottle, twist the cap, put in the refrigerator.
- We choose dense bags for freezing, thin cellophane will not work.
It is advisable to put the cabbage in storage in two stages: first, we lay it out on a plane and let the bags freeze, and then send it to a container or in a large bag, place it in the refrigerator chamber. Thanks to this method, the bags will not stick together, there will be no problems with extraction.
How to use frozen cabbage:
- We take out the bag, put in a bowl and send it overnight or in the day to the refrigerator. With slow thawing, the workpiece will retain its taste.
- We get the cabbage, shake from a bag into a jar. It's okay if she didn't completely thaw.
- Fill with brine, which was previously prepared. Let the cabbage brew.
In winter, frozen cabbage can be stored on the balcony or in a special box, which is suspended under the window. But we watch, as soon as it starts to warm, the temperature will creep up, you need to shift the workpiece into the freezer.
