Freezing excess Cabbage the right way
By Joseph Parish

Occasionally good deals come along and it becomes desirable to grab up a lot of a certain vegetable. This was the case with cabbage. However, lets face it no matter how much you like cabbage enough is enough. Jus the same when you are afforded the opportunity to find cabbage for ten cents per pound you want to store up as much as you can. Unfortunately if left alone the cabbage would go bad in a short period of time.

In this article I would like to inform you of the way to successfully freeze your excess cabbage. Frozen cabbage can be used as only as a cooking vegetable only. It will work wonderfully in any type of cooked dish ranging from stews to cabbage casseroles. It is exceptionally virtuous when fried. It tends to taste like it just came out of your garden. It usually tastes good when you cook it and it doesn't really take that long to cook. You would not want to use frozen cabbage for slaw, however for use in soups or stews it is a perfect compliment.

When selecting your heads of cabbage choose the most solid heads you can which appear to be the freshly. Check for fresh leaves and ensure that the cabbage has a vivid color. The heads should be firmly attached at the stem and not in any way beginning to separate. Only in this manner will you be assured of a fresh head of cabbage. Trim off the outer leaves of the cabbage head and then cut it into medium shreds or into thin wedges. You could separate the head into leaves if you so desire. It is all according to your intended use and personal desires.

At this point there are two chains of thought. The first chain suggests that you water blanch the heads or cabbage leaves for a period of 2 minutes. Cool them promptly afterwards and then drain them well. Finally package them up for the freezer. Be certain to leave ½ inches of headroom when packaging them. Seal your containers properly and freeze them immediately.

The second method mentioned is to boil a pot of water and place shredded cabbage into it for 2 seconds only till it goes to a bright green color. Take it out at this time and strain it immediately through cold water. Let it dry on a towel and then place it on trays so that the cabbage strips are not touching then place it in the freezer. Alternatively, in place of shredding the cabbage you may desire to freeze the whole leaves. Process them the same amount of time, promptly cool it and quickly freeze the cabbage. When it is completely frozen you may be able to break up the leaves into much smaller sections or shred them and freeze it in portion sizes. If this is the case it really doesn’t matter if the strips tend to stick together.

Some people have made claims that they have successfully frozen cabbage for many years and never once have they blanched it. They simply trim the outer leaves off of the head and cut it in half removing the core. They then cut the cabbage into medium shreds; next they pack it into freezer zip-loc bags and freeze it. The methods and procedures you decide to use should be your personal choice.

Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish