The best time for pickling cabbage for the winter is from the end of September to the beginning of November. It is important that the heads are slightly caught by night frosts. Then the bitterness disappears from them, and the leaves acquire a special crispness. All varieties except the early ones are suitable. In September, cabbage gains a maximum of natural sugars, without which lactic acid formation and eventual fermentation are impossible.
The taste of the finished salted cabbage is significantly affected by additives. There are few tricks in how to salt cabbage. For example, it is better to mix cabbage with chopped carrots, cranberries and cranberries, red sweet pepper. You can take all of them or choose one thing, but no more than 100g per 1kg of cabbage. Apples (preferably Antonov apples), beets, pickles, and quarters of the cabbage itself are usually laid in layers, alternating with cabbage. The cabbage layer should be twice as large.
Bay leaf, black peppercorns, allspice, red hot pepper, cumin, coriander, dill seeds, horseradish are usually used from spices and spices.
The upper green leaves are cut off. They'll come in handy later. The heads are finely chopped with a special hoe in a wooden trough or with a knife on a clean board. It is better to remove the stalks. The crushed leaves are sprinkled with salt at the rate of 25-30 grams per kilogram. Some add sugar to speed up the fermentation process. If you first plan to salt the cabbage in a large container: an enameled bucket or saucepan (or maybe your grandmother's barrel has been preserved), then the bottom is lined with clean green leaves. Sometimes a piece of rye bread smeared with honey is placed under them. Then the cabbage will get to the right condition faster.
Filling the container, the cabbage is tightly crushed, achieving the release of juice. They cover the top with green leaves again. In this state, the cabbage is fermented for several days. Sometimes a little pressure is put on top to speed up the process. Once a day, the mass must be pierced to the very bottom. A stick, rolling pin, or skewer will do. Gases escape through the formed pit. If too much juice is released, it is collected in a separate bowl. When fermentation is complete, the juice is poured back into the cabbage.
After 5-7 days, depending on the ambient temperature, fermentation should subside. It remains to put the cabbage in jars and store it in a cool place. The cabbage will pickle even faster if you skip the bulk container stage and immediately tamp it into jars. Keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Cover with nylon lids and refrigerate.
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