Our weather’s getting progressively nastier so I’m finding plenty to do inside, despite all we have to do outside. Yesterday was relatively decent but windy so Will (with his bad cold) and I split and brought a whole big truckload of firewood into the house to stack on the back porch for our emergency wood for winter. We will do another truckload or two later on when it isn’t raining!
Meanwhile, I’ve been chopping up all those great cabbages we grew this year. Wow, what a crop, even when the deer got in and munched on half of them. While we were in Illinois, David took the wheelbarrow down and cut the good cabbages and brought them into the house. Yesterday I chopped a five-gallon bucket’s worth and made sauerkraut. It’s always amazing just how many cabbage heads will fit into a five-gallon pail! Of course I pack the heck out of it with a potato masher, adding salt to each layer then pounding it well. It sure compacts as I go. I got more than 10 big heads (less big leaves and cores) into one bucket. Now it’s setting on the floor by the dining room table with a double layer of Saran Wrap and a bag of brine weighting that down, to exclude air. That way I don’t have to skim scum every couple of days! In a few weeks or so, I’ll be canning sauerkraut.
Today I’m just cutting cabbage into wedges to can up plain. We use a lot of canned cabbage. I always dump out the canning liquid and heat in fresh water as this makes it taste much fresher. And tomorrow, God willing and the creek don’t rise, I’m starting in on making a big batch of Amish coleslaw to can (basically sweet/sour pickled cabbage shreds with carrot shreds for color). I use a lot of this in stir fries, egg rolls, etc. as well as using it for plain coleslaw. Whew, I’d better get at it! — Jackie
For Ruth if you use the search box at the top of the blog page or from Backwoods Homes’ home page you can find Jackie’s Amish Coleslaw recipe.
Diana,
Don’t know; I’ve done it for years. The bucket IS a food-grade bucket.
Ruth,
You could sure substitute Splenda or another artificial sweetener for sugar in this coleslaw as it is minimally processed.
You mention making your kraut in a 5 gal. bucket. Is this a plastic bucket? I was under the impression you couldn’t ferment stuff in plastic.
Thanks!
Is there any chance you could post your Amish Cole Slaw recipe? The ones I’ve looked use a lot of sugar. Though I think this would be good in egg rolls, hubby is diabetic and I’m trying to cut as much sugar as possible out of any recipes I use.
Carol,
I don’t have a single egg roll recipe: I use what I’ve got and just wrap it in an egg roll wrapper! This is usually a mixture of diced pork or chicken, Amish cole slaw, drained, minced onions, minced sweet peppers and grated carrots. I mix in a bit of minced garlic (just a pinch) but I also make ’em with browned left-over ground meat, chopped onions, cabbage, carrots and rice with seasonings.
Betty,
Yes, it does a little as do many pickles. But it still tastes great. It’s the celery seed that does it, I think.
gen,
Good quote! Some folks trust in God to do everything for them that they need. While I firmly believe in God’s help, I DO believe that he expects us to get in there and help ourselves too.
stephanie,
I use brine as should the bag leak it doesn’t dilute the salt brine in my kraut and possibly ruin the batch. When I make the sauerkraut, I add 2 Tbsp pickling salt to about 5 pounds shredded cabbage, tossing it through the cabbage, then tamping it down hard. This is repeated until all the cabbage is used or the pail or crock is pretty full. The pounding and salt causes the cabbage to release juice. If it doesn’t cover the cabbage well, I add a brine made up of two quarts of boiled water with 2 Tbsp salt that’s cooled. I add this brine to just cover the cabbage completely. (Any that sticks out will spoil.)
For more information check out my book GROWING AND CANNING YOUR OWN FOOD, available through the magazine or this blog.
I made a huge batch of fermented slaw that turned out too salty. You mentioned egg rolls, which I think would be a great way to use up the too-salty slaw. Would you post your egg roll recipe? It isn’t in your cookbook.
Hope you’re both feeling better soon! I know it is rough continuing with all the chores when you’re sick.
I made the Amish Cole Slaw a couple of years ago, but now, I find that it has darkened somewhat in the jar. Is this normal?
I don’t have Jackie’s book handy to look it up, but the reason why you use a bag of brine is so that if it leaks it won’t dilute the juice on the kraut. The instructions I’ve used say to add brine if you don’t get enough juices from the cabbage to cover it, but after salting and pounding I’ve never run into that problem.
Absolutely has nothing to do with your current blog, but after reading so many installments over the years, I feel confident that this quote I ran across defines how you, Will, and David look at life. This is a quote attributed to Thomas Edison, ” Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
You wait for spring, you wait for harvest, but oh how busy you keep with animals, seed catalogs, wood, building, canning, etc etc etc, in between times.
You give us hope and encouragement, which are great things in these times. For that I thank you.
Hi Jackie, sorry to hear about those nasty colds you and Will picked up on your travels, rest, chicken soup and tea with honey should get you back in working order in no time. My Question is, you said you put a bag of brine on top of your bucket of cabbage. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be brine would it? I mean you could use just plain water couldn’t you? Do you add any brine to the cabbage itself? I would like to try and make some myself. Thanks and take care, Stephanie
Hi Jackie, hope you and Will recover soon from your colds. That’s rough when you have so much to do. You got my mouth watering with your description of your cabbage and the waiting period for yummy sauerkraut. Hope that turns out well for you.
Take care, Holly
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