Delicious Freezer Coleslaw – Keeps for up to a Year. So Tasty Too !

http://kalesijablog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/18-good-old-cabbage-greens.mp3CLICK ABOVE TO PLAY MUSICMusic – “Good Old Cabbage Greens” from Washboard Sam Vol. 6 1941-1942 by Washboard Sam. Released: 1993

When I saw a recipe entitled “Freezer Coleslaw” in a recently purchased cookbook, “Cider Beans, Wild Greens and Dandelion Jelly – Recipes from Southern Appalachia” by Joan Aller, I was skeptical. The notion of frozen, thawed raw cabbage, celery, green peppers, etc. didn’t exactly have me on the edge of my seat in breathless anticipation. Nonetheless, I decided to try the recipe.

“Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly – Recipes from Southern Appalachia” by Joan E. Aller, 2010

According to the author, the recipe comes from the owner of Clay Corner Inn, in downtown Blacksburg, Virginia and was her grandmother’s recipe. The recipe actually made more than 5 cups, as I had a fairly large green cabbage and I ended up with 8 one-pint containers of a delicious slaw. All you need do is defrost in the fridge for a few hours, drain, and serve. Delicious!

The food processor fitted with the shredding blade for the cabbage

1 medium green cabbage, shredded (about 5 cups) 1 teaspoon salt (I used a little more freshly ground rock sea salt) 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup vinegar ½ cup water 1 teaspoon celery seed (I used more) 4 medium stalks celery, chopped (or about 2 cups) 1 green bell pepper, chopped (about ½ a cup, but I like more) 1 medium carrot, chopped (about ½ a cup) 1 small onion, chopped (about ¼ cup)

I used more celery, green pepper and carrot until it pretty much matched the equivalent amount of shredded cabbage, but other than increasing the amount of salt and celery seed, I didn’t need to add more moisture. In addition, I also added a tablespoon of dill seed and some freshly ground black pepper.

I used the shredder blade in my food processor, which made easy work of the cabbage, and chopped the other vegetables to a small dice.

The shredded cabbage

Ingredients for the vinegar mix: vinegar, water, sugar, celery seed, dill seed

Add the vinegar, water, sugar, celery seed and dill seed to a saucepan

Stir and bring the vinegar mixture to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and cool to lukewarm

Chop the celery, carrot, green pepper and onion to a fairly small dice

After about an hour (maybe longer if the cabbage is larger), drain off the liquid and place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl

Add the veggies to the shredded cabbage and mix well.

Pour in the lukewarm vinegar mixture and stir well.

Ladle mixture into any size freezer container you like, leaving a little room.

After an overnight freeze, I took out one container and placed it in the fridge, then took it out a couple of hours before serving and drained the accumulated liquid (which I saved to use for some fresh cucumbers). After draining, serve and enjoy! You can enjoy coleslaw anytime you want, without the endless drudgery of making up a batch each time. Beauty!