One firm red cabbage, an overnight salting and a pan of spiced malt vinegar give you a jar of sharp, bright pickle that is ready to eat a week later. It is one of the simplest ways to use a cabbage from the plot, and it needs no cooking beyond bringing the vinegar to the boil.
- Makes
- one medium red cabbage, packed into as many jars as it fills
- Ready to eat
- after 1 week
- Keeps
- Keep sealed in a cool, dry place; fridge once opened
- In season
- firm red cabbages, cut before the first hard frost
Ingredients
- 1 medium red cabbage, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 500 ml distilled malt vinegar (at least 5% acidity)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- ½ small onion, sliced
Check the vinegar label for an acidity of 5% or more, and use it straight from the bottle, never watered down.
Method
- Finely slice the cabbage.
- Layer the cabbage in a bowl with the salt, then cover it and leave it to stand overnight.
- The next day, sterilise your jar or jars and lids (see the sterilising guide).
- Put the vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, coriander seeds and mustard seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Take the pan off the heat and set it aside to infuse.
- Rinse the cabbage thoroughly and pat it dry with kitchen roll.
- Pack the cabbage into the sterilised jar, adding a slice or two of onion as you go.
- Pour in the spiced vinegar until the cabbage is completely covered.
- Put on a new lid with a coating on the inside and give the jar a shake.
- Leave it in a cool, dry place for a week before eating.
Why the vinegar does the work
In this pickle the vinegar is the preservative. There must be a minimum, even level of acid right through the jar to stop the bacteria that cause botulism from growing. Botulism is very rare in the UK, but home-preserved food is one of the places it turns up. That is why the vinegar needs to be at least 5% acidity and why you should never use one of unknown strength.
Two rules follow from this. First, never reduce the vinegar or water it down. Second, every shred of cabbage must sit under the vinegar. Cabbages vary in size, so a big head may need more than 500 ml to cover it. Top up with more of the same vinegar: extra full-strength vinegar never weakens the acid, while water would, so never use water to fill the gap.
Distilled malt vinegar is the clear kind. You can swap it for brown malt or another vinegar as long as it is also 5% acidity or stronger. The flavour will change, but the pickle will still be properly acidic.
What you can change and what you can't
| Ingredient | Change it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vinegar | No | Its amount and strength keep the pickle safe |
| Salt | Keep as written | It is rinsed off, but stick to the recipe's proportions |
| Cabbage | One medium head | Use more vinegar, never less, if it needs it to cover |
| Sugar | Keep as written | Stick to the recipe's proportions |
| Onion | No | It is a vegetable, so adding more changes the acid balance |
| Bay, coriander, mustard seed | Yes | Spices can be adjusted to taste |
Rinsing and drying the salted cabbage
Rinse the shreds thoroughly under the cold tap to wash off the salt. Then pat them dry with kitchen roll, pressing gently in batches. Any water left on the cabbage goes into the jar with it, so the drier the shreds, the more the vinegar stays at full strength.
Jars and scaling the batch
Red cabbages vary a lot in size, so the number of jars varies too. Have a couple of clean jars ready and sterilise more than you think you will need. The jars guide covers which jars and lids work for vinegar pickles.
To make a smaller or larger batch, scale every ingredient by the same amount.
| Ingredient | Full batch | Half batch |
|---|---|---|
| Red cabbage | 1 medium | ½ medium |
| Salt | 2 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Vinegar | 500 ml | 250 ml |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | ½ tbsp |
| Coriander seeds | 1 tbsp | ½ tbsp |
| Mustard seeds | 1 tbsp | ½ tbsp |
| Bay leaves | 2 | 1 |
| Onion | ½ small | ¼ small |
The same covering rule applies at any size. Pack the jars firmly but leave enough room for the vinegar to cover the top of the cabbage.
Storing the jars
The jars aren't heat-processed, so nothing but the vinegar protects the cabbage. Pickles are acidic enough that bacteria are unlikely to grow, but some moulds and yeasts can tolerate acid. Store the sealed jars in a cool, dry place. For the widest safety margin, keep them in the fridge from the start. Once a jar is open, it belongs in the fridge either way.
Always use new lids, never ones saved from old jars. Vinegar corrodes bare metal, which is why preserving lids have a coating on the inside. If a lid has pitted right through, throw the contents away, because the jar is no longer sealed.
Throw the jar away if you see any mould, if the lid bulges, or if it smells yeasty, fermented or alcoholic. The guide to how long preserves keep covers storage across the whole range of jams, chutneys and pickles.
From the plot to the jar
A firm, dense head is what you want for pickling. Firm red and white winter cabbages will also store for several months if they are harvested before the first frost, so you don't need to pickle the whole crop at once. Pickle one or two heads and keep the rest whole for winter. The cabbage storage article explains how to do that with the roots left on or a length of stem, on slatted shelves in a cold, frost-free place.
Frost arrives at very different times across Scotland, so check the frost dates for your area before deciding when to cut. For sowing and growing the crop itself, see the full cabbage growing guide.
Common questions
Can I use less vinegar or add water to make it milder?
No. Reducing or diluting the vinegar lowers the acid that keeps the pickle safe. Keep the vinegar exactly as written and change only the spices.
Can I use cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead of malt?
Yes, as long as it is at least 5% acidity. The flavour will be different, but the proportions stay the same.
What if the vinegar doesn't cover the cabbage?
Top the jar up with more of the same vinegar until the cabbage is completely covered. Never use water.
How soon can I eat it?
Leave it for a week after jarring before you open it.
Does it need to go in the fridge?
Sealed jars can go in a cool, dry place, or in the fridge for the widest safety margin. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge.
Is this the same as sauerkraut?
No. Sauerkraut is fermented, while this pickle is preserved by vinegar. They are made by different methods.
Sources
Show the 11 sources
- Recipe proportions based on: Sarson's, "How to Pickle Red Cabbage" (Sarson's, UK malt vinegar maker): Ingredient quantities, overnight salting, rinsing and drying, boiling and infusing the spiced vinegar, packing with onion, covering with vinegar, leaving a week before eating
- General Information on Pickling (National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia): 5% acidity vinegar; do not alter vinegar, food or water proportions or use vinegar of unknown acidity; minimum uniform acid level to prevent botulinum growth
- Chutney (Penn State Extension): "Never reduce the amount of vinegar" rule; vinegar acidity stops bacteria, moulds and yeasts
- Ask Extension, red cabbage pickles (Nellie Oehler, eXtension, 2016): Salt and vinegar proportions to be followed for safety; spices adjustable to taste
- Ask Extension, recipe and vinegar substitution (Cindy Brison, eXtension, 2024): Follow a recipe as tested; another vinegar can be used if 5% acidic, with a change in flavour
- Food Safety and Labelling Guidance for small scale home producers (Scottish Borders Council): Acidity makes bacterial growth unlikely but some moulds and yeasts tolerate acid; store in a cool, dry place; refrigerate pickles that can't be guaranteed at pH 4.5 or lower; do not reuse lids; stick to standard recipes
- Storing Home-Canned Jams and Jellies (National Center for Home Food Preservation): Discard signs: mould, yeast, fermented, yeasty or alcohol smell (used as general preserve advice)
- Making Jam and Similar Products (Orkney Islands Council, Environmental Health): Botulism "very rare" in the UK but with "increased risk when preserving and canning foods"
- Botulism (Clostridium botulinum) (Food Standards Agency, GOV.UK): Home-preserved foods among the foods linked to botulism; do not eat from bulging containers
- Frequently Asked Preservation Question: Pinholes in Lids (Penn State Extension): Acids corrode metal lids; the enamel coating protects them; discard contents if pitting goes right through the lid
- Harvesting and storing vegetables (Garden Organic): Firm red and white winter cabbage stores for several months if harvested before the first frost; roots on or stem left, slatted shelves