Cheryl Wixson's Kitchen

Time to eat the cabbage

February 8, 2010 on 6:23 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

The pungent aroma of cabbages has greeted me the last few trips to the root cellar, so I knew it was time to check cabbages. Hauled the two totes upstairs for a look-see.

This was the second time I’ve thorougly inspected the green ones…they won’t be returning to the cellar. The mold that I battled before had returned, black, sooty, lots of leaves peeled off and put into rabbit food. By the time I was done, there were just 7 slender heads remaining…eating time! I’m cooking a lunch for fifty later in the week, looks like slaw will be on the menu. Note to myself: this was NOT a good storage variety of green cabbage. A quick check of the Johnny’s catalog revealed that my cabbage was probably a variety called “Tendersweet”. The description says, “exceptional flavor for taste-conscious consumers. Midsize flat, heads….widely adapted for spring, summer and early fall harvest.” My intent when I purchased these in early November was for winter-storage..next year I’ll check the variety before I stow in the root cellar. Storage No. 4, another seed sold by Johnny’s would have been more appropriate.

In contrast, the 25 pounds of red cabbage, only had a few leaves on each head that were showing signs of rot, and bits of white mold on the stem, which I removed. Perhaps they were the variety Johnny’s describes as ” Ruby Perfection”, fancy fall storage red, suitable for medium-term storage. The tag says Grren Ledge Farm, Parkman Maine, lot #444. Very impressive…thanks to the farmer, I’ll be chatting with them later.

Red or purple cabbage is a luxury. I love it raw, sliced thinly and slathered with a home-made blue cheese dressing. For lunch I made this variation of Thai cabbage slaw…not for the faint-hearted and those that don’t like spicy food!

THAI CABBAGE SLAW
Thai cabbage slaw is a tasty addition to any supper and is packed with
Vitamins C, K and A. One serving provides 4 grams of fiber!

4.5 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups grated red cabbage
1 cup dried cranberries

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (California limes, thank you Sharon!)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1.5 tablespoons fish sauce (available in Asian sections of supermarket)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic (available is Asian sections or Health food store)

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Mix the vegetables together in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing. Just before serving, stir in the minced herbs and chopped peanuts.

Add just before serving:
3 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint (didn’t have and used extra cilantro)

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 76 calories, 3 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fat, 390 mg. sodium, 4 grams fiber.

In addition to Thai Cabbage Slaw, we enjoyed a Maine shrimp salad for lunch.

Maine shrimp can be tricky to cook…too long and they get mushy. Cook in rapidly boiling water for no more than 1 minute, drain and cool quickly in an iced-water bath. I sliced a tomato (Madison) and placed on top of alfalfa sprouts (grown on the counter in a bioset), mounded shrimp over and topped with home-made tartar sauce (mayo mixed with pickle relish and nasturium-seed capers).
Delicous!

PMM bottled carboys 2 and 3 of cider, 45 bottles went into the cellar.

Rabbits will be eating well this week…lots of cabbage.