How to pickle cabbage for cabbage rolls - two simple recipes for the winter

There are two types of pickling cabbage for cabbage rolls. You can pickle cabbage with individual leaves or whole heads. Both options are good, and when choosing, you need to look at the container that you have. If the leaves are stored in a regular bottle, then larger containers are needed for the heads of cabbage.

Pickling cabbage leaves for the winter

Cabbage loves certain spices. These are horseradish leaves, mustard seeds, garlic, or dill. Such spices will give the cabbage a pleasant aroma, and in addition, they will kill bacteria if they accidentally make their way to the cabbage.

Prepare the cabbage:

Cut out the stalk and steam as for preparing regular cabbage rolls.

Cut off the hard part of the leaf with a sharp knife.

Sort the leaves by size and arrange them in piles of 5-6 leaves. Roll them into a “roll” and place them in a jar, topping them with spices. Do not compact them too much, because the cabbage should be in brine, and it is the brine that protects the leaves from spoilage.

A three-liter bottle filled with leaves requires approximately 1.5 liters of water. Boil it and add 2 tbsp. l. salt. When the salt has dissolved, immediately and slowly begin to pour in the cabbage. Take your time; the brine should completely cover the leaves. Shake the jar a little to release air bubbles and add more brine.

Pour boiling water over the plastic lid and close the jar. When the cabbage has cooled, you can take the jar to the pantry.

When the time comes to prepare cabbage rolls from this cabbage, open the jar, drain the brine, and soak the leaves in cold water overnight. These leaves will taste exactly like fresh ones.

Salting cabbage with whole forks onto cabbage rolls

I must say that this recipe is not only for cabbage rolls. This cabbage is good on its own, and it will be great to enjoy the salted leaves in winter. And yet, most people pickle cabbage in a similar way for cabbage rolls.

For a 100 liter barrel you need:

• 50 kg cabbage;
• 2.5 kg coarse rock salt;
• cold water (as much as will go in);
• An oxygen hose with a diameter of at least 1 cm and a length of about 1.5 meters.

Immediately lay the hose so that one end is at the bottom of the barrel and the other outside.

Prepare the cabbage:

Remove the top leaves and remove the stalk with a sharp knife. Pour salt in place of the stump and place the forks in the barrel.

And do this with all the heads of cabbage. To fill the empty space between cabbage heads, you can add apples, quinces, corn on the cob, onions, or carrots. It depends on your taste and what you want to pickle along the way.

When the barrel is full, cover the heads of cabbage on top with cabbage leaves, dilute the remaining salt with cold water and pour the brine over the cabbage. The water should cover the cabbage by at least 10 cm.

Place oppression on top and wait for the fermentation process to begin. You will understand this by the air bubbles that will appear on the surface and the characteristic whitish film of mold.

From now on, the cabbage will need to be blown at least once a day through the hose that you laid at the beginning of pickling. Cabbage produces hydrogen sulfide, and to prevent it from stagnating and spoiling the taste, blow the cabbage every day for two weeks.

When the active fermentation phase comes to an end, the barrel should be moved to a cool place, where it will be completely finished within a month.

Get ready cabbage rolls at any time of the year, and watch the video on how to pickle cabbage for the winter for cabbage rolls: