Behold, my first canning project of 2015:
Since cabbage was on sale last week, I thought I'd give Canned Coleslaw a try. Basically, it is pickled cabbage. It won't form the bulk of our vegetable consumption, by any means. But I thought it would be a fun departure from the norm.
Oof. So excited to have some canning done for 2015!!!
8 comments:
Wow! You really have a headstart! Way to go!
Yummo, looks great!
Do you expect it to taste like kraut at all? We love pickled cabbage, but I have never canned it, just done a quick pickle type thing. So this is really intriguing! Can't wait to hear how it tastes! :)
Thank you, everyone.
Melissa, it isn't fermented (like kraut), it is pickled cabbage. You can drain it and add mayo to make it be coleslaw, which is why it is called canned coleslaw. I've never had pickled cabbage but I'm expecting to like this! :)
Tammy, you've made kraut, right? Because I tried it recently, and it really didn't ferment well. I mean, it DID because it even had bubbles when I opened the jar after a few days, and it had that smell, but the flavor was SO mild, it just tasted like cabbage not kraut. So I put the lid back on and left it for a few more days, at which point it looked so gross we couldn't bring ourselves to eat it. If you're a pro at kraut, do you have any tips or suggestions on it??
Yes, I have made kraut, though I don't consider myself an expert by any means! :) I like my kraut nice and fermented! So definitely a few days on the counter is not enough for me! What looked gross about your kraut? A lot depends on how warm your house is, but I usually keep my kraut on the counter for a few weeks or longer before it's really ready. After that, you can put it in the fridge and while it does continue to ferment it slows it WAY down. Make sure that you have enough liquid to cover. I found this article to be very helpful as I was starting out: http://diaryofatomato.com/2013/10/30/putting-up-small-batch-sauerkraut/
An easy way to get enough liquid in the kraut is to shred your cabbage, mix with salt, and then cover it and let it sit for a few hours. Then you can mix it again, pound it should have enough liquid to cover in the jar. I really jam it in the jar and make sure that the liquid comes up over the cabbage. That keeps it from getting dried out and prone to mold.
Hope that helps. You can always shoot me an email too! :)
I love the idea of being able to grab a jar of cabbage and turn it into cole slaw in a matter of minutes! Great idea.
Tammy, I keep meaning to respond to your kind response to my original question. :)
Umm, the kraut I made turned kind of a dingy grey color (maybe that was because some was green cabbage and some was red cabbage though!), and it smelled *exactly* like my compost bin. I think that's what did me in. Is that what it is supposed to smell like? My hubby is the one who loves kraut, but he was scared off when I told him that it smelled like my compost. LOL.
My "recipe" said to only let it sit out for about 72 hours, and then it would be delish, but it really just tasted like salty, slightly vinegary cabbage. So after a week is when I was going to try it again, popped the lid off, and just couldn't do it.
Think I should try again? :)
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