Last week I mentioned it was World Food Day. Today we’re celebrating a nationwide Food Day, with a particular focus on helping children cook real food. Spread the word! The more we can get the conversation started about real, local, sustainable food, the better.
In honor of the occasion, today I’m putting up (canning & freezing) a bounty of soups, chutneys, and jams with the season’s harvest. I’m also sharing my three year old’s favorite recipe for pickled red cabbage. This recipe originally came from The Joy of Pickling butย I’ve modified it to make it my own. I love having the blog to document all of my quirky home recipes, but I only share the adaptations that I think make the recipe better. Otherwise I just link to or cite the original source.
pickled red cabbage
makes 3 pint jars (I always double this recipe)
2 lbs. (1 small) red cabbage
1 T. pickling salt
1 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. whole allspice
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1 cinnamon stick
If you like it spicy, add these two optional ingredients to the vinegar mixture:
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
2 hot chiles, whole (any will do; we like Dandicuts from Pakistan/Penzeys)
Cut cabbage in four quarters and shred it as thinly as you can (about 1/8 inch is good). Toss cabbage with salt. Cover and let stand in a cool place at least 12 hours but no more than 24 hours.
Combine vinegar, sugar and mustard seeds in a saucepan. Tie other spices in a spice bag and add them. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain cabbage thoroughly, rinse, pat dry, then pack into three pint jars. Pour hot liquid over cabbage, dividing evenly between the jars. If there isn’t enough to cover the cabbage, top it off with more vinegar.
Close jars and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Store at least 3 weeks but preferably closer to 3 months before eating. Serving suggestion: a cheese & cracker ploughman’s lunch (i.e. snacky plate)