Quick-Pickled Cabbage with Hot Brine and Vinegar

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you quick-pickle cabbage? Gather everything you'll need. Scrub the carrots well with a stiff brush to get the dirt off. Rinse the cabbage and pull off the dirty, wilted outer leaves. Remove the tough green outer leaves too — they can make the finished cabbage taste bitter.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cut the cabbage into pieces, cut out the core, and shred it thinly — by hand, with a knife, or with a slicer. Choose firm, dense winter cabbage heads. Unripe, loose heads make for bland, limp cabbage.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel the carrots and grate them on the coarse side of a grater, or slice them into thin rounds. Add them to the bowl with the cabbage and toss until evenly mixed. Even if the cabbage seems tough, don't scrunch it with your hands — you'll lose the crunch.

4. Step 4:

   

   Wash your jars well with baking soda and hot water (I'm using four 1-quart jars), and sterilize them if you like. Pack the cabbage into the jars all the way up, pressing it down firmly so there are no air gaps.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour the water into a pot and set it over medium heat. Add the sugar.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the coarse, non-iodized salt to the sweetened water and stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pour in the vinegar (if you don't have 9% vinegar, dilute vinegar essence to the right strength). Bring the marinade to a boil.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour the marinade over the cabbage right to the top, so it's completely covered. Set the lids on loosely and stand the jars in a basin or tray, in case any brine bubbles over. Leave the cabbage at room temperature for 12 hours, then seal the jars. Store this cabbage in the refrigerator.

9. Step 9:

   

   Enjoy!