How to Make Preserved German Red Cabbage

Learn today how to Make Preserved German Red Cabbage. In the USA or abroad it is often not possible to get red cabbage. For example Aldi carries it but not always. The recipe below shows you how you can preserve your own red cabbage. It’s not that difficult. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Preserved German Red Cabbage

(Makes 5 jars  of 600ml content)

2.3 kg red cabbage
2 tbsp avocado oil
2 onions
1 big apple, slightly sour
1 liter liquid:
130 ml red wine or alternatively red grape juice
200 ml water
70 ml apple vinegar or red wine vinegar
600 ml apple juice
3 bay leaves
4 juniper berries
pepper to taste
10 pepper corns and 10 cloves
2 tbsp sugar, optional
Allspice (piment),  a dash if it’s ground, or 2-3 three corns – alternatively 1 tsp cinnamon
Glass jars, mandolin slicer, kitchen gloves, large pot

How to Make Preserved German Red Cabbage

Sterilisation of the Jars
Before you get into the cooking steps, you need to have sterile jars. They should have lids which will close airtight.
The best way is to rinse the jars with boiling hot water and place them upside down on a clean kitchen cloth.

Or Use the Oven
Place clean into the oven and on 150 C or 300 F – keep them in the oven for 15 min.
Lids and air tight seals are boiled with a splash of vinegar in water for about 5 min.

Find them here

Or Use Twist-Off Jars
Using such jars is practical and easy. You just have to rinse the jars with boiling hot water, and close them right away after the red cabbage had been filled in. Place them for 5 min upside down.

Instructions
– Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, wash briefly and cut into quarters.
– We advise to wear gloves because the cabbage will stain the skin.
– With a very sharp knife cut into very thin stripes or use a mandolin slicer – Find it here – 

– Peel onions, then cut into very fine cubes..
– Add some oil into a large pot and saute onions until transparent.
– Peel apples, cut into very small cubes, add to the onions.
– If you don’t like apples in the red cabbage just don’t use apples –
– Add shredded red cabbage in portions into the pot.

– Now it’s time to add the apple vinegar so the red cabbage will keep it’s nice red color.
– During the cooking you will see that the red cabbage will collapse.
– Add  the red wine (or grape juice) and apple juice, sugar and pepper.
– Place the cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, peppercorns, and Allspice corns into a little muslin spice bag. Add to the red cabbage.
Note: If you don’t like your red cabbage sweet, you can skip to add sugar.
– Let it simmer for about 1,5 hours, and close pot with a lid. Stir some times while it is cooking. Make sure heat is low so it wont stick to the bottom of the pot.

– It’s also possible to use a pressure cooker which reduces cooking time in half.
– Depending on how soft you like the red cabbage, you can let it cook longer.
– If necessary, you can add more apple juice, red wine or grape juice while cooking.
– When done season the red cabbage with salt and pepper.
– Remove the muslin sachet.

– Now fill the hot apple red cabbage into your sterile jars and close the lid.
– When pouring in your red cabbage, make sure to leave 3 cm of space up to the lid.
– There should be some liquid on the top of the cabbage. Do the “spoon test”: Press a spoon into the red cabbage and see if liquid is running into the spoon.  If it does that means there’s enough liquid.

– If you use airtight seal jars make sure the space where you place the seal is very clean. You can use vinegar water for cleaning.
the jars are clean

Preserve in the Oven

Put a high baking sheet into the oven and fill in water as much as you can.
Place the closed jars on the tray and cook on 120 C or 250 F for 40 min.

Preserve in a Pot
Place a kitchen cloth on the bottom of the pot it prevents that the jars are wiggling back and forth. Place filled jars on the cloth.
Add water until the edge of the jar, 2/3 of the jar should be in the water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let cook for 60 min.

Preserved red cabbage is good for 1 year

Video (in German) – The recipe above doesn’t align with this video.