Pickled

Sauerkraut is a popular food product that contains many useful substances.

Storage at home requires adherence to a number of simple rules that allow you to minimize all the risks with the content of the harvest, and the cabbage does not deteriorate.

How to properly store sauerkraut at home, is it possible in a plastic bucket, containers, in the cold, in an apartment, in a cellar, read the article.

Preparing for storage until spring

Most often, cabbage is fermented in large enough volumes.

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

Among them:

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

Preventing mold formation

White bloom on the surface of some workpieces is associated with the appearance of a fungus. Even when removing it, one cannot be completely sure of the safety of the product.

The following techniques will help to avoid the appearance of mold:

1. Sprinkle grated horseradish on top of the pre-packaged cabbage.
2. Add sugar or mustard powder.
3. When fermenting, add lingonberries or cranberries.
4. If using mustard seeds, it is best to pre-arrange them in small canvas bags.

Brine quantity: more or less?

When sending cabbage for storage, you should control that the entire harvest is covered with a layer of liquid.

Salting preservatives: what to choose?

Long-term storage of the workpiece can provide natural preservatives. They are used as follows:

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

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

Selection of sourdough varieties

The taste of the product and its ability to long-term storage after fermentation largely depend on the correct choice of cabbage variety and the good condition of the heads. It is customary to use late-ripening and mid-ripening varieties for sourdough in winter.

Even those heads of cabbage that have slightly caught the first frost will do. This circumstance increases the palatability and makes the preparation 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 salting, for example:

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

The choice of cultivar for cultivation must take into account the climatic conditions of the region. The following varieties are more adapted for 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 should be from 0.7 kg and more.

What container is best for storing?

The choice of containers for long-term storage is made taking into account the place designed for finding supplies in the winter. Glass jars are the most common option, especially for a city apartment.

Plastic containers

A small amount of cabbage, which is expected to be consumed in the near future, can be packaged in plastic containers with lids. The presence of a cover is mandatory, as it prevents air from entering the product.

Plastic containers should be designed specifically for storing food.

Glass jars

Glass jars are the best option, especially when space is limited, for example, in the refrigerator.

Previously, such a container must be thoroughly washed with soda and sterilized... When laying out the workpiece, it is necessary to ensure that there is enough brine in each of the cans.

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

Read more here.

Enamel pots

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

Before use, the enameled container must be inspected for chips.damaged containers are not suitable for cooking due to the health hazard.

Barrels

Oak barrels are a traditional container for sourdough cabbage. Wooden barrels improve the taste of the product and allow you to do just a few containers for large-volume storage. Since such a container is not only roomy, but also voluminous, it is possible to store cabbage in it only in cellars, at a temperature of about + 2 ° C.

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

The wooden bending wheel also needs treatment in a salt solution... It is better not only to wipe it, but also to keep it regularly 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 peroxides and disappears.

Lack of light is another prerequisite.When exposed to light, the destruction of trace elements and vitamins occurs. To prevent this, the room must be necessarily dark.

Humidity 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 the already sour cabbage warm, it will lose its taste and become unusable.

Places

One of the best places to save a large amount of sauerkraut is the cellar.

For a city apartment, such places can be:

1. Fridge.
2. Pantry.
3. Balcony equipped for storage of vegetables.
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 it directly in oak barrels. In the absence of such a container - in glass jars.

The cellar is a suitable place for storing workpieces in the winter... But for the summer, it is better not to leave fermented cabbage in it, since even in buried basements, the temperature in summer rises above + 5 ° С.

The cellar must be pretreated - disinfected and protected from rodents.

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

A balcony room or an open veranda is not always suitable for storing blanks in the winter... On an open, non-glazed 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 gives way to warming, the workpiece may deteriorate. A way out of the situation is to transfer containers with cabbage to the freezer of the refrigerator in case of predicted warming.

At home, apartment

Directly in a room, in a city apartment, sauerkraut is not stored because of the high air temperature. The maximum is 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 the workpiece. Glass jars or plastic containers are suitable for storage.

Long cold storage can be done by freezing... At the same time, all useful substances are preserved in the vegetable.

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

After complete thawing, the vegetable can no longer be stored for a long time. You need to use it within a few hours. Re-freezing is not allowed.

In the pantry

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

1. The temperature does not rise above +4 or + 5 ° С.
2. Sufficient moisture remains.
3. There are no windows in the room or there is a possibility of organizing blackout.

How is it right on the balcony?

Glazed, but not insulated balconies, in most cases, have an air temperature that practically does not differ from the street temperature. Because of this, it is possible to use the balcony as a storage for blanks in frost only when frozen.

In the case when the balcony has insulation, it is also necessary to control the temperature, since at low cabbage it will freeze, and at high it will peroxide.

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

Timing: minimum and maximum

If all conditions for finding sauerkraut are met, the shelf life can be up to 9 months.

Various factors influence the storage time of the workpiece:

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

In the refrigerator in an open, leaky container, sour cabbage can lie for 1-1.5 weeks. If storage is required for many months, then packing in tight plastic bags and freezing is suitable.

How much sauerkraut is stored will tell this article.

It is convenient to immediately lay out the fermented product in separate bags before freezing in order to defrost not the entire volume, but the required amount at one time.

Recommendations

The following recommendations will help to better preserve the vegetable preparation:

1. The larger the shredding was performed, the better the cabbage is preserved.
2. In coarsely chopped pieces of cabbage, when fermenting, more nutrients remain.
3. Adding cranberries or lingonberries to sauerkraut not only adds originality to the dish, but also prevents mold from forming.

   It also extends the shelf life by introducing such a natural preservative into dishes. An alternative is the addition of mustard powder.

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

The brine should completely cover the workpiece.

Conclusion

The storage duration of sauerkraut directly depends on the container chosen, the variety and conditions of the vegetable.

To preserve the product for the longest possible time, it is necessary to take a responsible attitude towards maintaining the necessary conditions and use methods to prevent damage to the workpiece.