Pickled

Sauerkraut is a popular food product containing many useful substances.

Storing at home requires following a number of simple rules to minimize all risks associated with the contents of the product, and to prevent the cabbage from spoiling.

Read the article about how to properly store sauerkraut at home, whether it is possible in a plastic bucket, containers, in the cold, in an apartment, in a cellar.

Preparing for storage until spring

Most often, cabbage is fermented in fairly large volumes.

In order to protect it from damage and preserve maximum nutrients, you need to pay attention to a number of points.

Among them:

• choice of variety and heads of cabbage;
• correct salting technology;
• prevention of mold and drying of the top layer;
• selection of storage location and containers;
• maintaining the necessary storage conditions.

Preventing Mold Formation

A white coating on the surface of some workpieces is associated with the appearance of fungus. Even when removing it, you cannot be completely sure of the safety of the product.

The following techniques will help you avoid mold:

1. Sprinkle grated horseradish on top of the packaged cabbage.
2. Add sugar or mustard powder.
3. When fermenting, add lingonberries or cranberries.
4. If you use mustard seeds, it is better to first place them in small canvas bags.

Amount of brine: more or less?

When storing cabbage, you should make sure that the entire preparation is covered with a layer of liquid.

Preservatives for pickling: what to choose?

Natural preservatives can ensure long-term storage of the product. They are used as follows:

• pour a little vegetable oil on top of the container with the vegetable - enough to just cover the cabbage;
• add just a little acetic acid;
• when fermenting, you can use more salt;
• Sprinkle the top of the compacted dough with sugar.

Natural products that are safe for health can give a good canning effect.

Selection of varieties for sourdough

The taste of the product and its ability to be stored for long periods after fermentation largely depend on the correct choice of cabbage variety and the good condition of the cabbage heads. For sourdough in winter, it is customary to use late-ripening and mid-ripening varieties.

Even those heads of cabbage that were slightly affected by the first frost will do. This circumstance increases the taste and makes the product crispy.

The best varieties for fermentation:

• Wintering;
• Belarusian;
• Present;
• Amager;
• Moscow late;
• Slava and others.

In addition to those listed, hybrid varieties are suitable for pickling, for example:

• Artia F1;
• Salting miracle F1;
• Kvashenka.

The choice of variety for cultivation should take into account the climatic conditions of the region. The following varieties are more adapted to the conditions of Siberia:

• Anniversary F1;
• Megaton F1.

At the same time, the cabbage heads should be ripe, dense and healthy. The weight of each must be from 0.7 kg and above.

What container is best to store it in?

The choice of containers for long-term storage is made taking into account the space designed to contain stocks in the winter. Glass jars are the most common option, especially for city apartment conditions.

Plastic containers

A small amount of cabbage, which is intended for consumption in the near future, can be packaged in plastic containers with lids. The presence of a lid is mandatory, as it prevents air from entering the product..

Plastic containers must be designed specifically for storing food.

Glass jars

Glass jars are the best option, especially when space is limited, such as in the refrigerator.

First, such containers must be thoroughly washed with soda and sterilized.. When laying out the workpiece, you need to make sure that there is enough brine in each of the jars.

Shelf life in glass is up to 1.5 months. If you pour a layer of sunflower oil on top of the container, the shelf life of the fermented cabbage increases.

Read more Here.

Enameled pans

Enameled containers are also suitable for fermenting cabbage. It is convenient to mix the product and organize pressure in them to ensure good coverage with brine.

Before use, enamel containers must be inspected for chips., since damaged containers are not suitable for cooking due to health hazards.

Barrels

Oak barrels are a traditional container for fermenting cabbage. Wooden barrels improve the taste of the product and allow you to get by with just a few containers for large-volume preparations. Since such a container is not only capacious, but also voluminous, cabbage can only be stored in it in cellars, at a temperature of about +2°C.

If a film forms on the top layer due to contact with air, this must also be removed.

A wooden pressure wheel also needs to be treated in a salt solution.. It is better not only to wipe it, but also to regularly soak it in a concentrated saline solution for 10 minutes.

In order for the barrel to serve for a long time, it should be placed in the cellar on a special pallet so that its bottom does not directly contact the cellar floor.

Conditions

Long-term storage of sauerkraut is possible only if all conditions are met.

Mandatory requirements are temperature Range from 0°С to +4°С. At a higher temperature, the fermentation process of the product does not stop, it peroxidizes and disappears.

The absence of light is another prerequisite. When exposed to light, microelements and vitamins are destroyed. To prevent this, the room must be dark.

Humidity level is also important, since even at 60% the upper part of the workpiece will begin to dry and the brine will evaporate.

If you continue to keep already fermented cabbage warm, it will lose its taste and become unfit for consumption.

Places

One of the best places to store a large volume of sauerkraut is the cellar.

For a city apartment, such places can serve as:

1. Fridge.
2. Pantry.
3. Balcony equipped for vegetable storage.
4. Less often - being on the street.

Cellar

If the cellar meets all the necessary requirements for temperature and humidity, then cabbage can be stored in oak barrels. If such containers are not available, use them in glass jars.

The cellar is a suitable place to store preparations in the winter.. But it is better not to leave fermented cabbage in it in the summer, since even in deep basements the temperature in summer rises above +5°C.

The cellar must first be treated - disinfected and protected from rodents.

Is it possible on the street, incl. in the cold?

A balcony or open veranda is not always suitable for storing food in the winter. On an open, unglazed balcony or veranda, you can store sauerkraut for a short time - only as long as the temperature outside is within the limits allowed for storing sauerkraut.

In unstable weather conditions outside, when frost is replaced by warming, the workpiece may deteriorate. The way out of the situation is to move the containers with cabbage to the freezer of the refrigerator when warming is predicted.

At home, apartment

Sauerkraut is not stored directly in the room, in a city apartment, due to the high air temperature. Maximum - a couple of days.

For a longer stay in the house, one of the options can be used:

• fridge;
• pantry;
• balcony.

In the refrigerator at home

The small size of the refrigerating chamber imposes restrictions on the possible volume of workpieces. Glass jars or plastic containers are suitable for storage.

Long-term cold storage can be done by freezing. At the same time, all the beneficial substances are retained in the vegetable.

The disadvantage of this approach is the need to defrost sauerkraut under natural conditions, at room temperature, and this takes time.

After complete thawing, the vegetable can no longer be stored for a long time. It should be consumed within a few hours. Repeated freezing is unacceptable.

In the pantry

If your city apartment has a storage room, it can be used for storing fresh vegetables and preparations. The pantry is suitable for finding sauerkraut only if if the conditions are met:

1. The temperature does not rise above +4 or +5°C.
2. Sufficient humidity is maintained.
3. There are no windows in the room or there is the possibility of darkening.

How to do it on the balcony?

Glazed but not insulated balconies, in most cases, have an air temperature practically no different from the street temperature. Because of this, you can use the balcony as a storage area for food preparations in cold weather only when it is freezing.

In the case where the balcony has insulation, you also need to control the temperature, since at low temperatures the cabbage will freeze, and at elevated temperatures it will peroxidize.

Read about whether and how to store sauerkraut on the balcony Here.

Deadlines: minimum and maximum

If all storage conditions for pickled white cabbage are met, the shelf life can be up to 9 months.

The duration of storage of the workpiece is influenced by various factors:

• external conditions (temperature, humidity, protection from light);
• containers (plastic, glass, etc.);
• open or closed container;
• a sufficient amount of brine and some other points.

In the refrigerator in an open, unsealed container, fermented cabbage can last 1-1.5 weeks. If multi-month storage is required, then packaging in thick plastic bags and freezing is suitable.

It will tell you how long sauerkraut can be stored. this article.

Before freezing, it is convenient to immediately put the fermented product into separate bags in order to defrost not the entire volume, but the required amount at a time.

Recommendations

The following recommendations will help you better preserve vegetable preparations:

1. The larger the shredding, the better the cabbage is preserved.
2. Coarsely chopped pieces of cabbage retain more nutrients during fermentation.
3. Adding cranberries or lingonberries to fermented cabbage not only adds originality to the dish, but also prevents the formation of mold.

   It also extends shelf life due to the introduction of such a natural preservative into dishes. An alternative option is to add mustard powder.

4. Sauerkraut does not tolerate sudden changes in conditions, especially temperature. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid moving the workpiece from cold to warm and back.
5. When laying out cabbage in containers, you must first lay out the vegetable and then pour in the brine.
6. If cabbage has been sterilized, some of its beneficial substances will be lost.
7. If the top of the cabbage preparation has dried out, it should be collected and discarded, and the rest of the cabbage should be mixed after adding mustard powder.
8. If the product is stored in improper or questionable conditions, it is not advisable to use it for food due to the risk of product poisoning.

The brine should cover the workpiece completely.

Conclusion

The shelf life of sauerkraut directly depends on the chosen container, variety and conditions of keeping the vegetable.

To preserve the product for as long as possible, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to maintaining the necessary conditions and use methods to prevent damage to the workpiece.