How to store cabbage at home

Cabbage deservedly enjoys the love and respect of housewives. Incredible benefits (it is a source of a huge amount of vitamins, fiber and trace elements) and the excellent taste of this culture made it popular all over the world. But how to save it for the winter, and better until the next harvest? Of course, you can not bother yourself and periodically buy imported cabbage in a store or on the market. But there is one thing, but, firstly, in winter it costs several times more expensive, and secondly, the vegetable grown in greenhouse conditions on various stimulants is not at all the one that ripens in native fields in autumn. Fortunately, cabbage can be saved without much hassle.

What to look for first

Cabbage is quite a “delicate” culture and quickly rot from improper storage.Everything is important - from the cabbage variety: kohlrabi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage, Portuguese, cauliflower, etc., and ending with the temperature in the room where the cabbage will be stored. There are several ways to get vitamins all winter:

• Storage of heads.
• Ferment.
• Pickling.
• Salting and conservation.

Depending on the preferred method, the requirements for the conditions also differ. Cabbage varieties are lettuce (early ripening), ordinary ones are suitable for making salads, borscht, saltworts and short-term storage (about a couple of months). And late ripening - ripening by the end of autumn. The latter are most suitable for preservation for the winter. They have higher rates of keeping quality and with the right approach the vegetable can be preserved until spring.

Cabbage preservation conditions

If you pickled or fermented cabbage, then you need to store it in a dark and cold place. Cold - does not mean in the cold. But the temperature should be close to zero. -1-3 degrees Celsius will be perfect. The cellar or a tiled glass balcony is best for this purpose if you live in an apartment.However, in the latter case, an untimely thaw can spoil your stocking.

For storage of salted cabbage in glass jars and other types of canned (rolled up) cabbage any room with a stable temperature equal to 3-10 degrees Celsius will fit. The main thing - arrange containers with cabbage so that they do not fall into direct sunlight. Firstly, they warm up canned food, which is unacceptable, and secondly, they start the fermentation process (the lids will fly up).

The hardest thing to keep the cabbages in a fresh, unprocessed form. Here the balcony does not help, you will need a cellar. The room should be clean first of all - the cabbage is very sensitive to any kind of infection. Therefore, carefully sweep the whole, whiten the walls and ceiling with lime. Next, you should take care of the presence of ventilation, which will not lead to frostbite of the heads. You can make small openings in the wall or window and close them with a cotton swab. Once every two or three days, it will be necessary to pull it out to pass air into the room (in a musty room, the cabbage will rot instantly). And the third condition - the room should be cool, dark.The best will be the temperature at 5-6 degrees, and the light level at 10% (like thickened twilight, when it is almost dark, but something is still visible). This is important, since with such lighting the vegetable “sleeps” and does not age. If there is total darkness, the cabbage will “die” and rot, if it is too light, it will “grow old” and start to deteriorate.

When and how to collect cabbage for storage

Ideally, independently cut it from the spine, but in our modern world this is not enough where possible. Gardeners and farmers, as well as those who can afford a trip to garden and vegetable partnerships, have a significant advantage in this regard.

For storage, pick ripe, resilient and dense heads of cabbage, and do not water them two days before cutting. On the day of gathering, have patience - it is impossible to store cabbage, to throw on the car, to cause it cuts or other damage. It is necessary to cut the cabbage, leaving a 3–3.5 cm root at the head. This is important, as the root will dry the head longer, pulling out too much juice, and if it is shorter, it will not be able to block the evaporation of moisture through the cut. The following signs will help you determine the quality of ripening and readiness for cutting the crop:

• The head of the head is large, the correct form.
• Lower petal-like leaves began to turn yellow.
• The head has acquired a light green, almost whitish color.
• The loose head disappeared - it is dense, almost hard.

Cabbage, which is planned to be kept fresh until spring, is usually harvested after a noticeable cold snap, but before the first icing of water. We are talking about a temperature of 10-15 degrees during the day and about 5-6 degrees at night. Cabbage cut at this time is best kept. Cutting cabbages is recommended in the early morning, before sunrise, as its rays awaken processes ...

If the fork (head) has insufficient elasticity, is too dark green (indicating the immaturity of the fetus) or has the wrong cut of the spine, then such heads are better to be used for processing, namely, to ferment, pickle, or preserve.

Recipes for saving cabbage for the winter

There is no doubt that the most popular and, perhaps, delicious method of preserving cabbage is pickling. And the recipe is extremely simple and accessible to everyone interested. Clean the head of the top leaves and cut into thin long straws. Now they sell high-quality graters, which perfectly cut cabbage into straws - this can significantly reduce the time it takes to prepare.Ideally, cabbage is recommended to sour in an oak barrel, but if there is none, a glass and enamel container will do (if it doesn’t have chips, otherwise it will turn sour).

Prepare the remaining ingredients - grate the cleaned carrots with straws (10-14% by weight of cabbage), salt one tablespoon for each kg of cabbage, a glass of currant or viburnum for every 5 kilo of cabbage. Chopped cabbage and carrots combine in a large enamelled basin or wooden trough. Vegetables need to sprinkle with salt and carefully knead hands, mixing with a fork or spatula will not give the desired result - the cabbage needs to be kneaded and washed.

When the cabbage, after giving the juice, slightly decreases in its volume, add the berries and seeds of dried fennel, and gently, so as not to crush the berries, mix. We put the cabbage into the container, in which you will keep the whole winter, lightly compact each laid out layer. Cover with clean gauze and leave in the room, at a temperature of 19-23 degrees, so that fermentation begins. In the morning juice should appear with bubbles - a sign that the process has begun. Pierce the cabbage in two or three places with a wooden stick to the bottom so that the gas can be released more freely and does not lead to an unpleasant smell in the product. After three days, the cabbage is cleaned in the cold in the cellar.

If only white cabbage is suitable for souring, then marinating allows you to save almost any varieties of cabbage, including kohlrabi, cauliflower and even Beijing. The preparation stage is similar to that described above - chop cabbage into 4-5 ml thick straws, grate carrots with a grating. Now you need to do marinade. Since the pouring is the secret and the key to success - you should take the cooking of the marinade seriously. For every liter of clean water you will need a p. salt, 100 ml of vinegar (can be replaced with lemon juice), a teaspoon of sugar, fennel seeds and bay leaf. Marinade should be cooked on low heat for 7-8 minutes. Then, boiling, it is poured into cans of cabbage and carrots. Fill right to the top and immediately roll the lids. As the banks cool down, they are carried away to a cool dark place.

Video: how to store cabbage in winter