We have complained about / celebrated our CSA many times on this blog. I hate / love it. I LOVE the actual farm. The produce is almost always top notch, the eggs are amazing, and it’s fun to support people living their dream. However, when our refrigerator overflows with turnips or zucchini, I want to bail and just get take out. Half of me gets irritated at the other half that wants to throw . . . → Read More: How to Make Sauerkraut]]>

We have complained about / celebrated our CSA many times on this blog. I hate / love it. I LOVE the actual farm. The produce is almost always top notch, the eggs are amazing, and it’s fun to support people living their dream. However, when our refrigerator overflows with turnips or zucchini, I want to bail and just get take out. Half of me gets irritated at the other half that wants to throw out the last radish; but that other half gets annoyed with the first half for being unreasonably anti-waste. Then Erik intervenes in my internal monologue and stops the crazy.

This time of year, we are overflowing with cabbage. (Lindsay #1) It keeps forever, so let’s go out to dinner. (Lindsay #2) Why waste money on a restaurant when we have all this food at home? (1) + (2) = (3) Sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut uses up a ton of cabbage, while allowing us to eat something other than pale green leaves for a week. Homemade sauerkraut is different than the typical store-bought stuff – crunchier and more flavorful. We’ll post a couple sauerkraut-centric recipes in the upcoming weeks, but I’m not shy about eating it straight from the jar.

In addition to being tasty, sauerkraut is super fun to make. It makes me feel very “Laura Ingalls Wilder”, y’know – Little House on the Prairie? I don’t remember ever reading that she made sauerkraut, but smashing salt into sliced cabbage with your hands has a homestead-y, making-do-with-what-we-have feel to it. May I suggest making sauerkraut on a Friday night after a hard week at work? Cheap therapy.

Plus – look at that color! Red cabbage makes the prettiest sauerkraut. It starts out so vividly purple, but then fades to a beautiful magenta. Much better than the regular raw stuff!

Sometimes I water-bath process it, so that I can keep it in the basement and free up space in the refrigerator. But if I’m just doing a single head, I don’t bother. Apparently, this is the healthier way. According to Real Food Fermentation, fermentation, as opposed to canning, preserves and sometimes creates nutrients in food, such as B vitamins, and provides healthy bacteria that we need for digestion and immunity. The high heat required for canning can destroy these benefits. Plus, it’s easier!

The process is pretty simple, but make sure to work with clean hands, clean tools, and clean food.

Ingredients

• Cabbage – any kind
• Pickling salt – This doesn’t contain iodine, which can darken food.

Tools

• Sharp knife, mandolin, V-slicer, or food processor with slicing blade
• Food scale
• Calculator – nothing fancy; the one on your cell phone will do.
• Bowl for mixing
• Glass or ceramic container for fermenting

Technique

1. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage as well as any damaged internal leaves. Cut the head into quarters from the North to South Pole. Remove the core. Slice the cabbage thinly with a knife, mandolin, V-slicer, or slicing blade on a food processor.

   

2. Weigh the sliced cabbage and get out your calculator to figure out how much salt you need. Fermentation requires 2.5% of the cabbage’s weight in salt.

   For example, the last time I did this, I used one gigantic head of red cabbage – 1,600 grams after prepping – and 40 grams of salt. 1,600 grams x 0.025 = 40 grams. I think it’s easier to do this in grams, rather than pounds, because the amount of salt can be too small for an accurate reading in ounces. If you can’t measure in grams, you can use about 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt per pound of cabbage.

3. Using clean hands, layer the cabbage and salt in the mixing bowl. You can do this in batches, if necessary, just make sure to use even amounts of cabbage and salt each time. Now, for the fun part, massage/squeeze/press the salt into the cabbage until you release some cabbage juice. The cabbage will eventually stop feeling fresh and crispy and start feeling kind of rubbery. The amount of time will depend on the freshness of the cabbage and the strength of your hands, so be prepared to work it for up to 10 minutes – put on some music or enlist a kitchen buddy for entertainment.
4. Pack the mixture tightly into the container you’ve chosen for fermenting, so that the liquid you’ve massaged out covers or almost covers the cabbage. I like to use quart jars, if I’m doing 4 pounds or less (about 2 jars), or a crock like this for larger batches. Whichever you use, make sure to leave some room at the top for expansion – an inch or so.
5. You have a couple of options for lids. Essentially, you want to prevent air from getting to your food. One good option is to fill an appropriately-sized zip-top bag with water and nestle it into the container on top of the cabbage/liquid, so that it fills the entire opening. Another option is to just screw on the lid of the jar, if you’re using one.
6. Hide the sauerkraut away in a cool, dark location. I’ve had good luck in a corner of my kitchen when the weather isn’t to hot. Check on it every couple of days. After a while, you’ll notice more liquid is released, so make sure to push the sauerkraut under this liquid. This will help keep the spoilers out. If you’re using a crock, you might try weighing down the sauerkraut with a plate. If you’re using a jar, sometimes a smaller jar will fit right in and keep things under control. After a few days, it will start to get bubbly. This means it’s working! It’s done whenever you like it, so grab a (clean) fork and give it a taste. I usually let mine go for a couple of weeks, but it’s really up to you. When it’s done, pop it in the refrigerator to drastically slow the fermentation. It will keep almost indefinitely as long as the solids are kept under the liquid. During the whole process, watch out for mold, which means the bad microbes hijacked your food and ruined it. If you work clean, you should be able to avoid this.

If you’re interested in other fermented foods, such as yogurt, kimchi, or vinegar, consider picking up Real Food Fermentation

Cantaloupe is another CSA adventure for us. Both of us kind of like it, but not nearly as much as the other fruit that tempts us at the farmer’s market – peaches, blueberries, raspberries… Yum! When it showed up in our share last week, I ate two slices then cut up the rest and froze it. Granted, we just got an awesome chest freezer, so I’m a little freezer-happy at the moment, but still. . . . → Read More: Awesome Spicy-Sweet Cantaloupe Slaw]]>

Cantaloupe is another CSA adventure for us. Both of us kind of like it, but not nearly as much as the other fruit that tempts us at the farmer’s market – peaches, blueberries, raspberries… Yum! When it showed up in our share last week, I ate two slices then cut up the rest and froze it. Granted, we just got an awesome chest freezer, so I’m a little freezer-happy at the moment, but still. It’s kind of embarassing. I was determined not to do that again, so I hunted and hunted for a recipe to blow me away. There are a million (seriously, a million) recipes for the melon, cured meat, soft cheese, and viniagrette combo, but I’m on a very strict diet to help control my migraines and can’t have cured meat, cheese, or vinegar. Gah! Of course, all those recipes looked delicious and made me hungry. So then I took a lunch break.

After lunch, I gave up on the melon and started looking for fun slaw recipes to tackle the two heads of cabbage we also got from the CSA. Double success! With just a few modifications to a mango slaw recipe from Smitten Kitchen to accomodate my weirdo diet and what we had on hand, lunch was served.

This might be my new favorite salad. It’s crunchy, spicy, and sweet. Like any slaw, it takes quite a bit of chopping, but just take your time to cut things roughly the same size.

Spicy Sweet Cantaloupe Slaw
Serves 6 as a side or 3 as a main

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the nuts or seeds on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes. Smaller nuts/seeds will need less time, so keep an eye on them. Give the pan a shake once during cooking so that they brown more evenly. While they’re toasting, work on the veggies, but don’t forget about the nuts! Once they’re done, let them cool while you finish up.
2. Prep the cabbage: Remove the outer leaves. Quarter the cabbage from the North to the South Pole. Holding your knife at an angle, cut out the core and discard. Slice each cabbage quarter into short, thin ribbons. Put the ribbons into a big bowl.
3. Prep the pepper: Quarter the pepper from the North to the South Pole. Remove the stem, seeds, and membranes using your fingers and discard. Slice each pepper quarter into short, thin ribbons. Add these to the bowl with the cabbage.
4. Prep the onions: Remove the outer layer of each onion. Slice each onion from the North to the South Pole. Slice each onion into thin, half-moon slices. Add these to the bowl with the cabbage and peppers.
5. Prep the cantaloupe: Halve the cantaloupe from the North to the South Pole. Set aside one half to use for something else. Use a spoon to scoop the seeds out of the half you’re using. Slice that half into as many equally sized wedges as you’d like. We did eight, but it depends on the size of your melon. Smaller wedges are better. Lay a wedge on it’s side and cut the rind off. Cut the wedge into thin slices like you’re cutting a banana. Repeat with the other wedges and add to the bowl with the rest of the vegetables.

   

6. Add the cilantro and mint to the bowl.
7. Put the lemon juice and salt in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil.
8. Pour the dressing over the slaw. Add the cashews and mix well.

We will admit, this recipe is a bit of a chore (even for us, and we’re usually the “no, it’s easy!” people). However, it is a great way to use up all the random cabbage and potatoes that you may have gotten as part of a winter CSA. At the very least it is filling, reheats well, and makes a lot (leftovers!).

Although it is vegetarian, it is very rich, since it consists largely . . . → Read More: How to Make Dark Days Cabbage and Potato “Lasagna”]]>

We will admit, this recipe is a bit of a chore (even for us, and we’re usually the “no, it’s easy!” people). However, it is a great way to use up all the random cabbage and potatoes that you may have gotten as part of a winter CSA.  At the very least it is filling, reheats well, and makes a lot (leftovers!).

Although it is vegetarian, it is very rich, since it consists largely of a béchamel sauce (read: butter). Despite the effort, we will make it again when we find ourselves with these ingredients on hand. It is definitely the type of recipe that gets easier and easier the more times you make it, since it is all about timing the steps and coordinating what you do. If you do it correctly you can easily shave 30 minutes off your worst time. Definitely try this one on a Sunday, not a weekday!

Cabbage and Potato “Lasagna”

Makes 6-8 servings

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. The first step is to make a béchamel sauce. Put a saucepan over medium heat. Wait for it to come to temperature then add 6 TBsp of the butter and wait for it to melt. If it begins to spit or bubble, nudge the heat down. We want the butter to melt smoothly not brown or burn.
3. Add the flour, and stir continuously for 3 minutes. You don’t want it to sit still or it will brown.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 5 – 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.
6. Get out a large glass (Pyrex or similar) baking dish (9×9 is a good size). Remove enough of the outer leaves of the cabbage to cover the bottom of the dish with two layers of cabbage leaves. The larger leaves that you have to work with, the better. Leave these in the dish and take the remaining head of cabbage, cut it into quarters, cut the thick core out of each quarter, and then finely chop the quarters into a cole slaw consistency. Put this chopped cabbage into a bowl with the chopped mushrooms and sage.
7. Put a saute pan or skillet over medium heat and melt 2 TBsp of the butter, then add the onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent.
8. Add the mushrooms, the sage, and the chopped cabbage. Saute for about 10 minutes.
9. Add the wine and saute until the wine is almost entirely evaporated. Then, add the béchamel sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, until it thickens while still maintaining some fluidity. If it gets too thick. thin it out by mixing in a dash of milk or water. Salt and pepper it to taste.
10. While waiting for the simmer, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once at a boil, add the cabbage leaves that you removed and leave them for about 2 minutes to blanch. Then drain them, run cold water over them, and pat them dry. In the process, make sure your simmer is still under control!
11. Use the last TBsp of butter to grease the glass baking dish. Then, assemble the “lasagna” by putting a layer of cabbage leaves on the bottom, then a layer of potatoes (roughly half), then a lawyer of half of the mushroom / cabbage / béchamel sauce. Repeat the same process for a second layer. Top with the grated cheese.

    

12. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and back for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for ANOTHER 20 minutes so that it browns nicely on top.
13. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving, or else it wil be a runny mess. Allow it to set and solidify a bit (and cool down!)