Bulgarian sauerkraut

Bulgarian sauerkraut
My grandfather’s recipe

Ingredients:

6 white cabbages (+2.5 kg each)
1 dry corn cob
1 horseradish root
Coarse sea salt, 400 g per 10 liters of water
Potassium sorbate
Small red cabbage or red beetroots for color

Preparation:

Remove the outer leaves from the cabbages and rinse them under cold water. Dig the cob of each cabbage by cutting approximately 3 cm deep. Split the rest of the cob into a cross shape. Place the cabbages in a large plastic container (which closes with a lid and makes at least 40 l), so that the cob is facing upwards. If the container does not have a drain valve at the bottom, place a clean rubber hose-pipe under the sprouts (be careful not to flatten the hose). Tuck the corn cob, the horseradish and the beetroot (the last two peeled) between the cabbages. My grandparents used to put a red cabbage instead of a beetroot.

Fill the container with fresh water so that the last cabbage is covered. Heat a small amount of water to dissolve the coarse salt. Then pour into the container.

Seal the container tightly and let it sit for 2 days. The most favorable temperature for fermentation is between 18 and 24°C.

48 hours later, drain and return the brine in the container. The idea is to aerate and stir the brine. Repeat this procedure every day for 20 days.

Once the cabbage is ready (the fermentation has reached the right phase), cut the subsequent fermentation. To do this, dissolve 3 g of potassium sorbate for 2 kg of cabbage in a little brine. Then pour this brine into the container and drain/refill it once more. Keep the container in a cool basement between 12-14°С.

Ready-to-eat sauerkraut can also be transferred into jars, being split into leaves (to make stuffed cabbage leaves) or cut into thin ribbons (for winter dishes). So you will have to fill each jar to the top with cabbage and brine.

Then sterilize for 20-25 minutes. Jarred, the sauerkraut can be stored for up to 1 year.