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Pickling cabbage for the winter starts at the end of October, beginning of November. For these purposes, various containers are used. Today more and more housewives prefer salt vegetables in jars or pans. But just recently barrels were used. The best option is oak containers.
Barrel sizes for pickling cabbage you can choose based on your family's needs. Vegetables salted in such a wooden container turn out much more appetizing. In addition, they completely retain all the beneficial properties. We will try to tell our readers about the rules of pickling in a barrel.
Secrets of pickling
Each family has its own recipes for pickling cabbage in a barrel. Many of them are preserved for many generations.
But no recipe will allow you to get delicious cabbage if you don’t know some secrets:
- For pickling, mid- and late-ripening varieties are used. Early cabbage is not suitable for this purpose, as it turns out soft.
- Crispy cabbage requires the use of non-iodized salt, but preferably rock salt. Iodine softens vegetables, making products unsuitable for consumption.
- You can salt cabbage in its own juice or in brine. This also has its own highlights. For brine seasoning consumption – 30 grams per liter of water. Dry salting - 60 grams of salt for every kilogram of white vegetable.
- Fragrant crispy cabbage can be seasoned with cloves, allspice and black peppercorns, and cumin.
- Pickles can be varied with additives, such as apples and beets, cranberries, lingonberries and carrots. With carrots and beets, the cabbage will be orange or red. And apples and berries will add piquancy.
- It is best to salt in an oak barrel. The finished product turns out much tastier and more aromatic.
- Pickled vegetables must be kept at room temperature for at least two weeks, and then put into the cellar for storage for the winter.
Rules for laying vegetables
Our grandmothers knew well how to salt cabbage in a barrel. In addition to the fact that they specially prepared the containers, they also laid the vegetables in a special way:
- To preserve the taste, a little rye flour was poured into the bottom of the barrel and covered with cabbage leaves. They were also placed on top of the salting board under the board.
- Vegetables were laid out in layers in a special order. First, prepared cabbage, then salt was poured in, and then grated carrots. You can mix the vegetables and put them in a barrel after grinding.
- Each layer was compacted with a fist or pestle until the juice appeared.
- The oak barrel was not filled to the top, leaving space for the brine to be released. The top was covered with cabbage leaves.
- The barrel with salted vegetables was necessarily covered with canvas, and from time to time the contents of the barrel were pierced with a sharp twig.
These are the important secrets of pickling in a barrel for the winter, which will help you get a crispy and aromatic product, rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Pickling cabbage
And now about how to salt cabbage in a barrel. As we have already said, there are many interesting recipes.We'll focus on a few.
Option one
According to the classic recipe, we need the following ingredients:
- tight forks – 10 kg;
- carrots – 300-400 grams;
- cranberries – 200 grams;
- coarse salt without additives - 250 grams.
As a rule, per kilogram of cabbage take 1 heaped tablespoon of salt.
According to the rules, take one carrot for a medium-sized fork. But lovers of orange salted cabbage can take a little more grated carrots.
We crush the vegetables in a barrel, put a plank on top and press on top. As a rule, this is cobblestone, washed and doused with boiling water. All other actions are performed traditionally.
Option two
Pickled whole heads of cabbage in a barrel - an excellent product. This cabbage can be cut for salads. And what delicious cabbage rolls you get!
Fill such pickles with brine: take 400 grams of coarse non-iodized salt per 10 liters of water.
How to cook
- To pickle cabbage with forks, choose cabbage only with snow-white leaves. Remove the top leaves from the heads of cabbage. We put the whole ones on the table, as they will be useful for lining the bottom of the barrel, filling the voids between the heads of cabbage and covering the cabbage on top.
- We cut out the stalks from the heads of cabbage and lay them in layers. Between the cabbage we place carrots, cut into large cubes or halves (it all depends on taste). You can add ripe tomatoes and bell peppers. This will improve the taste of the finished product.
- Fill the stacked vegetables with cold brine and cover with cabbage leaves. On top there is a board, canvas fabric and oppression.
The fabric is washed and boiled so that there is no mold on the cabbage.Every day the vegetables are pierced to release the air and the foam is removed. The barrel should stand indoors for about 8-10 days: the heads of cabbage will be salted during this time.
Barrel cabbage is stored at a temperature not lower than zero degrees in the cellar. Freeze vegetables not desirable, since they lose their whiteness and crispness after thawing.
Can you believe that salted cabbage tastes better in a barrel than in a jar or saucepan, thanks to the inimitable aroma of the container.
Salting cabbage in a cedar barrel:
In conclusion about barrel preparation
We told you how to pickle cabbage in a barrel. But the most important thing - preparing the containers - was missed. The best option for pickling is an oak barrel. Although beech, linden, birch and aspen containers are also okay. Barrels come in different sizes from 15 to 150 liters.
Before salting, the barrels are washed and soaked for two weeks to close the cracks. The water is constantly changed. This water procedure allows you to remove tannins and odors from wood.
After this, the container for the salted cabbage is filled with boiling water and soda. After 10 minutes, the water is usually colored. It is poured out and washed several times with cold water until it becomes perfectly light. After this, the barrel is cleaned with a metal mesh and scalded with boiling water.
You can do it differently: fill the barrel with boiling water and lower a hot stone into it. Then cover the container tightly. In the old days they said that a barrel should be boiled before salting. You can steam a clean barrel with juniper (the best option) or dill sprigs with umbrellas.The barrel will acquire a pleasant aroma.
Well, that's all, enjoy preparing cabbage for the winter.
