Getting ready for winter - I stock up on cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls for the winter according to my godmother’s recipe in 5 minutes

Once a year, my godmother from the village visits me. She cannot live without gifts - she brings with her bags of aromatic vegetables from the garden. This time I brought a lot of cabbage and shared a recipe on how to quickly and easily prepare cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls in the freezer for the winter. There is no need to cook anything, disassemble or prepare the cabbage in any special way!

How to quickly prepare cabbage leaves for cabbage rolls?

I'll start right away with the recipe. True, it’s difficult to call it a recipe. More like a life hack:

1. Take a suitable head of cabbage and remove the top protective leaves.
2. We arm ourselves with a knife and cut out the stalk. A hole should form in its place, approximately 10 cm deep.
3. Wrap the head of cabbage in several layers of cling film. Put it in the freezer. All!

Quick, easy and without fuss with boiling cabbage and separating leaves. Thawed cabbage will release them easily. The leaves will become soft and pliable.

I've already done an experiment. Before going to bed, I took the frozen cabbage out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator in a plate to defrost. In the morning I took it apart in a matter of minutes. The leaves separate easily, do not tear, and hold the minced meat well. I prepared a whole bowl of cabbage rolls.

Disadvantages of freezing whole heads of cabbage

For me, the main disadvantage was that round heads of cabbage take up a lot of space in the freezer. You can't freeze too much.The second drawback is that cabbage leaves after freezing differ in taste and texture from fresh ones. They are not so loose, or something like fibrous, and the taste of cabbage is barely perceptible. But this is if you listen to your feelings. The family didn’t notice the difference; they ate the cabbage rolls on the same day. Everyone is happy and full.

Advice. Freeze dense heads with even leaves. It is much easier to wrap minced meat in them.

How to freeze disassembled cabbage leaves?

For those who have a small freezer, the second method of freezing cabbage leaves is suitable. It's just as simple, but takes a little more time. Need to:

1. Cut the stalk from the cabbage.
2. Remove damaged leaves from outside.
3. Place the head of cabbage in a deep pan filled to the top with water.
4. Pour 1 tbsp into the cavity. heaped spoons of salt.
5. Put on fire. After boiling, turn the head of cabbage upside down.
6. Cook cabbage for 2 minutes.
7. Remove it from the boiling water and remove the leaves from the base to the top. I pry them with a fork.
8. This will remove about half the leaves. You need to lay them out on the table and let the water dry.
9. Return the head of cabbage back to the water and cook for another 2 minutes.
10. Disassemble it completely, dry the cabbage leaves, put them in a bag and put them in the freezer.

To be honest, until this year I had never purposefully prepared cabbage leaves. I froze the leftovers when I ran out of minced meat. I put them in a regular bag. Over the summer and autumn, an impressive mound grew. But it’s still not enough for a large family. I used the stock only when I didn’t have any time to cook, and I really wanted to eat cabbage rolls.

I prepared 3 heads of cabbage in the freezer over the winter. It didn't fit anymore. I set the rest to ferment. I’m also thinking about pickling cabbage leaves in a jar.They say that the cabbage rolls in them turn out to be especially tasty, and the recipe is not complicated.

The idea is to roll the disassembled leaves into rolls, pour in brine (1.5 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water), and lower them into the cellar. One three-liter jar holds two cabbage heads! How are you preparing for winter? What do you prepare, and in what ways? Share your favorite recipes in the comments.