Apparently, not all vegetables can be “stored” in the garden with equal ease. I try to grow what I’ll eat, with any extras happily doled out to the family and friends, but sometimes, I lose a few. Take this poor cabbage, for instance. Unlike my potatoes, which I can basically leave in the ground until I’m ready to eat them, cabbage must be picked when ripe. If not, you suffer the chance there might be rain — and lots of it — which seems to blow the stack wide open. Now, that’s what I call a splitting headache!
Of course, never one to waste (I cut the bad end of a tomato off if I think I can salvage the other half!) I dutifully cut the cabbage head from the plant, scored the base to encourage more growth – growth to which I’ll pay closer attention – and lugged the poor fella up to the house. The kids do love coleslaw, and they won’t mind a smaller harvest, just this once. I mean, it all ends up in a bowl, cut to smithereens anyway, right?
Right.
But word to the wise: when your cabbage is ready, don’t wait — cut it! Wind it tight with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. You’ll be glad you did. Especially when your next recipe calls for big beautiful cabbage parts!
When it looks like this -- secure the bounty!
I would have guessed that your beautiful cabbage had been eaten… this is all new to me. I love cold slaw too. I have one cabbage left. Not grown by me this year thanks to the rabbits but from a local farm.
I love white cabbage! I make a salad with it, plus tomatoes and onions, salt, pepper, oil. My boys call it Russian salad and they love it!
Putting splitting headache in pictorial form… in fact all veggies and fruits do have specific and right moment to pick or pluck.
~bangchik
Wow, if you have a recipe for coleslaw that kids will eat, I’d love to have it!
Christine in Alaska
Thanks for checking in on my blog, Christine. I posted the recipe for cole slaw in my recipe section but I warn you: it’s from my mother, which means she MAY have neglected one of the secret ingredients! Play with it and enjoy!
Wow! What a cool blog you have! I can’t wait to try out your recipe, too.
Cheers!
Pam