Cabbage to Slaw

Remember the huge cabbage I showed you awhile back. We had a small dry spell without rain for about 3 weeks. Last week we got 3 inches. Know what happens when cabbage goes through a dry spell and then gets a huge rain. The plant takes up moisture faster then the head can grow to accommodate it. Tomatoes do the same thing. They crack and once they crack they rot. Knowing that the rain was coming we knew the ripe heads of cabbage had to be picked before the rain. I pick tomatoes before big rains if possible and let them finish ripening inside. Mother nature can be such a fickle gardening partner. 

I knew I wanted to make freezer slaw with this cabbage. You can find the recipes in my canning recipes. Above the shredded vegetables are sprinkled with salt and allowed to sit and the salt to draw out excess moisture. This slaw is like traditional slaw with onions and carrots shredded with the cabbage and the addition of green peppers also. Then instead of a mayonnaise dressing base you make a dressing from vinegar, sugar, dry ground mustard and whole celery seeds. The dressing is heated and then poured over the shredded vegetables. 

Above the vegetables after soaking in salt are drained of moisture and rinsed in a large colander.Once drained the HOT dressing is poured over the slaw and allowed to sit a little bit. Then I put the slaw in freezer containers and freeze. This slaw will keep what seems like forever in the fridge due to that vinegar. It will freeze for a good 6 months or more. While it is not super crunchy it retains enough crunch to still be really good. It is a way to freeze a salad for later. You just take it out and let thaw in the fridge. This is an original Ball Book recipe but my husband's grandmother made one at the turn of the century almost identical. . 

Remember the post I did 2 weeks ago about processing the turkeys I caught on sale. While I was canning I cooked down the bones from that turkey and now have 10 quarts of canned turkey broth. I use it the same as chicken broth in cooking and soups. 

I also froze 6 containers of freezer slaw to munch on in the months to come. I still have 2 separate crops of cabbage out there not ready yet. One I will put in the freezer to go into soups and such and the youngest plants, still small will be my fall crop and will become my winter sauerkraut. Especially since I have 3 half gallons of kraut in the fridge now that we are eating on. 

By planting my cabbage at 3 different successive times I can insure I have cabbage to eat year round in several different forms. Frozen in both slaw and for soups and fermented into sauerkraut that we usually eat as meals with sausage. We also enjoy fresh cabbage throughout the season. It's great smothered down in a big ol black skillet with some onions and bacon. Perhaps our favorite is in veggie soup. So if you are looking for a simple to grow crop that can grow pretty well 8 months out of the year in our location cabbage is your man. Just remember Bt is your friend in keeping down those little green cabbage worms. They make great chicken and duck treats as well if you want to pick them or just turn the ducks in to the patch. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter