Preparation

Autumn is the season when the cabbage is getting ready for winter food stores.
It is the process, within which the cabbage is pickled so that it could stand for entire winter

1. A ripe cabbage with solid heads is to be cleaned from damaged leaves and its „root“ is to be hollowed out with a sharp knife. This recess being made is to be filled up with salt.

2. The salt is to be scattered all over the bottom of the barrel and the salted pieces of cabbage are to be put together on such bottom and the fourths of cabbages, or even smaller parts of cabbages, if desired, are to be put in the spaces between the pieces of cabbages. Sometimes I scrub the cabbage, salt it and fill up the small plastic bags with such scrubbed cabbage, and these small plastic bags have to be pierced all over and tightly closed so you can fill up the spaces between the pieces of cabbage with these small bags; and when you use it - it is not necessary to be cut anymore.

3. After we put together all cabbages, we additionally salt the contents within the barrel, we also add some grains of maize as well as small pieces of wine grape so we leave it on hold for 24 hours. Afterwards, we add water. Almost entire cabbage must be in the water, but not exactly the whole cabbage because its volume is going to be reduced so it shall „sit“ in the barrel which shall be supported by weights (a stone, bags filled with water, bottled filled with water). Before the weights are put, it is good to put something on the top to weight down upon the contents of the barrel (plastic weight, wooden thin laths).

4. After few days, the cabbage needs to be checked-up and water needs to be added, if necessary, and within the next days the foam is to be collected which is made on the water surface. It is sometimes necessary to wash up also the weights. The cabbage, being prepared in this way, can last if it is kept in a good space until late spring unless you eat it before that time due to its highly valuable ingredients and good quality