Cabbage is one of my favorite cool weather crops. If you can keep the bugs off of it, it yields quite of bit of food for the space it requires and plus sauerkraut is awesome. The only thing is that since it yields a boatload, and despite my total willingness, I usually can’t eat enough coleslaw to use it up while it’s fresh. You have to find a happy balance…some for now, some for later.
Preserving
- Canning cabbage is probably the easiest way to preserve it. Plus, in the wake of the fermented super food craze, it’s actually doing your gut a favor.
- Freeze it. Yes, you can freeze cabbage. It will mess with the texture a bit, though, so if you go this route, plan to only use it for soups, stews, etc. To freeze it, cut it into shreds and then blanch it for 1-1/2 minutes. Give it a quick dip in an ice water bath, drain and pat dry. Then, put it into freezer safe bags or containers and freeze until you need it.
- Store it. Cabbage will store for a lot longer than you might think. If you have a root cellar or room in your fridge, just remove the outer leaves {and any others that might have bugs} and store in the fridge or root cellar. You will need to check them often for rot, and remove them promptly so they don’t destroy the whole batch, but they should keep for several weeks {at least}.
Ways to Enjoy It Fresh
- In my opinion, coleslaw goes with everything. Whip yourself up a batch and enjoy.
- Chop it up and use it as a lettuce replacement for taco salads. It gives the salad an awesome crunch–almost like a tortilla, but with way less calories.
- Seasoned Oven Roasted Cabbage Wedges are one of the easiest side dishes ever, and they are tasty, tasty.
- Chop it up and add it to wraps, salads, or sandwiches. It gives it a little crunch.
How do you use up cabbage?
~Mavis
Want to grow your own? GO HERE for the low down.
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Kristina says
Canning fermented cabbage actually kills all the good probiotics in it. Just FYI 🙂
Nancy says
I use cabbage in my stir fry. I plant 3-4 different varieties. this year, red, green and savoy.
Kathy says
Being 100% Hungarian, I LOVE cabbage in any way, shape or form. Coleslaw is top of the list!
Stuffed cabbage rolls used to be the norm in my house, make, bake, eat, freeze for later meals. Until I discovered unstuffed cabbage. Make with all the same ingredients only toss in slow cooker for a wonderful meal. Depending on the amount of liquid added, can easily be a soup.
I also make cabbage and potato soup and, with the blanched, frozen tomatoes, a delicious cabbage and tomato basil soup. We also fry it up for cabbage and simple egg dumplings or put it on rolled out sweet dough, cover with a layer of dough and bake. Mmmm, mmmm good stuff!
Now I have to go get more cabbage and start cooking!
A says
There is something about the flavor combo of cabbage and bacon – delicious! We cook the bacon, remove from pan and cook the cabbage in some of the bacon grease, add back the crumbled bacon, salt, pepper and a splash of rice vinegar at the end.
Sue R. says
I cabbage story from my garden–when I harvested a head earlier this year, I cut it off and left the root in the ground. I now have 5 small cabbage heads growing from the one root! They are bigger than a tennis ball and I’m going to wait a bit to harvest them! Free veggies 🙂
Jillian says
Sautéed with apple’s.
Olga Merela says
Don’t forget fried cabbage and noodles!
Adonna says
A great way to use up cabbage is to make a huge batch of spring rolls (including frying them) and then freeze them for later. Take out the number you’d like and pop them in the oven.
Dave says
Thats a great idea using cabbage for spring rolls, Ive got four pointed cabbage ready to lift off my allotment and dont want to waste any. Thanks for that.