Sauerkraut is often called sour, but the taste of this word should not match. Peroxidized preparation loses its charm, becomes soft, not suitable for cooking other dishes. It is important not to allow this. Are there ways to preserve sauerkraut until spring?
Basic principles of cabbage storage
The best temperature for cabbage is from 0 to 5 degrees. Only in this corridor can a vegetable keep its acidity at the same level for a long time. At a temperature of 5-8 degrees, it can also be held, 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 moreover the storage room is not suitable.
Basic rules:
- It is impossible to keep cabbage for a long time at room temperature or in another hot room. For this reason, the fermentation is left for autumn. During the active phase, it is important to check regularly and not to miss the “very” moment.
- It is important during fermentation to “pierce” the billet with a wand and release the gas. Otherwise the cabbage will spoil very quickly.
- Despite the high concentration of acid, which is a natural preservative, it is important to observe the rules of sterility: process dishes thoroughly, use clean knives, boards, and shredders.
- Cabbage needs to be coated with brine. If it is not on top, the vegetable on top will darken, spoil.
- We remove oxygen. For long-term storage need sealed dishes. When air enters, mold, dark patina, 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, one thing is enough for 1.5-2 kg, otherwise the cabbage will quickly turn sour.
How to keep cabbage until spring in a regular can
Cabbage in this way is perfectly stored until spring, it does not peroxidate, does not darken, remains crispy and retains its flavor. Recipe with seaming. A turnkey or threaded cap for a screw-in jar is required.
For sauerkraut cabbage is often used banks, but for storage the container will have to be replaced. You can make the workpiece in a bucket or cistern, saucepan, it is convenient to pierce and release gases in them, and then shift them. It is inconvenient to store in a container with a wide neck, you will have to change the fabric, put the load, periodically clean the top layer and throw it away. We are preparing the bank according to all the rules:
- Thoroughly wash with soda, rinse.
- We dry. If there is no time for this, you can shove it in the oven for a few seconds, no water should remain. Either sterilized.
- Cover the lid with boiling water or steam.
Now we just put cabbage into the jars. We also add brine, we tamp the billet. We finish with a liquid so that it reaches the very edge, even if it splashes out, throw in the lid, roll it up. We descend to the basement or to another cool place.
By the way, natural pickled cabbage can not be white, usually it has a creamy tint. If it is snow-white, then an acid or other 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 lockers under the windows, they are also suitable. Cabbage is laid out in a convenient container, preferably small.
What can be stored cabbage:
- In banks under a tight capron lid.
- In plastic containers and buckets.
- In cans under a seamed lid, as described just above.
In any case, you need to hide the dishes from the light. Ideal for this are suitable drawers. If the temperature drops below zero, it is necessary to warm the box from the inside or wind it outside. Also, do not forget about the pickle, which should cover the cabbage. In severe frosts, make sure that the glass jars are not cracked.
If mold develops on 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. We spread the workpiece on cans of any size, tamped in order to have juice on top, and then put on tight nylon covers.
Everything is simple, convenient, but not always in the refrigerator there is so much extra space. About 8 liter cans are obtained from a cabbage bucket.
To save space, you can change them to plastic square containers. They can be stacked and tightly mounted. Another option to save space is to reduce the height of the shelves. To do this, put two things in the fridge so that they are just above the can, fill.
Freezing cabbage
At low temperatures, the concentration of vitamin C in sauerkraut is slightly reduced, but sometimes it is the only way to keep it. Of course, you can just shove in the freezer and forget, but there are ways to be neater and more convenient.
Basic principles:
- Cabbage must be frozen without brine. This saves space, and fluid in the bags is not needed.
- Pickle needs to be kept. In it the cabbage will be stored after thawing. Liquid will return the desired taste and vitamins. We merge in a plastic bottle, we twist a cover, we put in the refrigerator.
- Packages for freezing choose dense, thin cellophane will not work.
It is advisable to remove the cabbage for storage in two stages: first, lay it flat and let the bags freeze, then send it to a container or in a large package, place it in the refrigerator chamber. Thanks to this method, the bags will not stick together among themselves, there will be no problems with the extraction.
How to use frozen cabbage correctly:
- We take out the bag, put it in a bowl and send it overnight or day in the fridge. During slow thawing, the billet retains its flavor.
- We take out the cabbage, shake out of the bag in the jar. It's okay if it is not completely thawed.
- Fill with brine that was previously prepared. Let the cabbage stand.
Frozen cabbage in winter can be stored on the balcony or in a special box, which is suspended under the window. But we follow, as soon as it starts to warm up, the temperature will creep up, you need to shift the billet to the freezer.
