# canning cabbage?



## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

Does anyone here ever can cabbage? my BIL brings cabbage to a boil, puts it in sterilized jars and when the hot capas are on he lets it seal itself. Is this okay or is it dangerous? I love cooked cabbage and would love a way to keep cabbage longer....Thanks suz


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

suzfromWi said:


> Does anyone here ever can cabbage? my BIL brings cabbage to a boil, puts it in sterilized jars and when the hot capas are on he lets it seal itself. Is this okay or is it dangerous? I love cooked cabbage and would love a way to keep cabbage longer....Thanks suz


Remind me not to eat at BILs house. Cabbage really needs to be pressure canned. USDA has some great info on the canning process for various foods, with the proper "safe" processing pressures and times. Botulism is quite real, and quite deadly.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

You need to get the Ball Blue Book that is a cookbook for safe canning.


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

I do have the bluebook and know thats theres no recipe for the way he does it. I told him it was unsafe, but hes adamant. I just thought Id ask here to be sure before I tell him again hes putting himself and others at risk. He says hes done it before. I think freezing would be the way to go huh?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Frozen cabbage? Hmmmm. Wonder what would happen to the texture?


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

Yah, I wonder too. Anyone try this?


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

suzfromWi said:


> Yah, I wonder too. Anyone try this?


We make all sorts of cabbage products and freeze them, but of course they are cooked before freezing. I see no problem at all with cooking the cabbage, then freezing.


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

I found a recipe at Backwoods. Shred, heat to good simmer in water and cook until limp. Stuff into quart jars after straining (I just use a large slotted spoon) and pack well. Add fresh boiling water and work out air bubbles with spatula, etc. Wipe rims, put on lids, screw down bands snug. Process 60 minutes in a pressure canner at ten pounds. 

Salt is optional but I do add it, one teaspoon per quart. Thank you, Jackie Clay!


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

Don't think the safety guidelines for canning cabbage have been established. IMHO, due to the quality of the product, research money to establish those guidelines hasn't been used for that purpose. Without those guidelines, I wouldn't can plain non pickled/fermented cabbage.

Since Jackie may have more current info, I'd email her and ask where she got the current recommendations for safe canning. That would be good info to share with others. 

Lee

http://missourifamilies.org/quick/foodsafetyqa/qafs201.htm

How do I can cabbage? I don't want to make sauerkraut.

Canned cabbage is a very poor quality product. For this reason, we do not have any scientifically researched times for canning cabbage. There are several other alternatives such as freezing cabbage, including Chinese cabbage, using directions in GH 1503, "Freezing Vegetables."


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

I beg to differ....I don't think it is a "very poor quality product". 60 minute processing is actually longer than many vegetables, yet less than you do for meats.

It comes out just fine, but it is, after all-just cabbage  Very boring, not too strong on flavor, but great as a base for links and dogs and whatnot.


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## Speckledpup (Dec 3, 2004)

I blanch and then *freeze* my cabbage and it turns out great.

The question came up about the texture and it is no different then boiled cabbage.


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## LadyJane (Nov 23, 2005)

I plan on canning our cabbage and using it in cabbage chowder this winter.
Add canned cream soup, or make your own cream soup base, shedded carrots that have been sauteed in olive oil, caraway seed that has been sauteed in olive oil too and sliced, smoked sausage. Just heat all together until the flavors blend. Mmmmm.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

I found a recipe for canned slaw online and did 6 pints. We have tried it yet as we're still eating fresh cabbage from the garden. It looks nice in the jars so hopefully it will taste good too. It has vinegar so the processing time was less. I'm at work so can't share the recipe.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

If canning cabbage were a good way to preserve it, the Ball Blue Book and every other similar canning book would have instructions for doing so. None that I have seen have such instructions. Until they do, I'll be more than content to enjoy it during the winter as sauerkraut.

Martin


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

My ball book has recipes for pickled cabbage that is water bathed(which I was going to make). Tho it is from the 80's.

I agree tho that the way your bro does it is dancing with danger


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

Okay, my 1987 ball blue book has instructions for canning sauerkraut after fermentation, SPiced Red Cabbage(pickled), and pickled stuff that includes cabbage, Picallilly and CHow Chow, all of which are water bathed. so?


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

Speckledpup said:


> I blanch and then *freeze* my cabbage and it turns out great.
> 
> The question came up about the texture and it is no different then boiled cabbage.


This may be the way to go after all is said and done. thanks everyone...


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## mamakatinmd (Aug 21, 2005)

My revised and updated "Stocking Up" third edition canning book says: Fresh cabbage is better kept in cold storage. But, gives pressure canning directions. 

Hot Pack: Clean, cut up into small wedges. Cover cut vegetables with boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Pack tightly and cover with boiling liquid, leaving 1 inch at top. Process at 10 lbs pressure Pints for 25 min. Qts for 30 min.

I have not tried this so cannot attest to the quality/texture of the cabbage. I do put lots of cabbage in my vegetable soup and pressure can this. I have no problem with the texture in the soup. Instinct tells me plain canned cabbage like this would be fine.
If you try it post how it turns out. I might give it a try myself when more cabbages come in. I love cooked cabbage!
Kat


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

wyld thang, all those products are pickled/fermented, so they have adequate acidity to water bath. Plain cabbage is a low acid food and is not safe the simply boiling water bath. It has to be pressure canned to kill the botulism spores. 

Suz, your BIL has been lucky so far, and he might go the rest of his life being lucky...but it only takes ONE bad jar to make that life short and UNlucky. Tell him for all of us to can it in a pressure canner or freeze it, root cellar it, anything BUT what he's doing now. We'd like him to live long and prosper.


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

Stocking Up III, copyright 1986. Reprint 1990, page 112 Quote:

Cabbage - Not recommended for canning, except for sauerkraut, which is described in the boiling-water-bath processing timetable, page 109. Fresh cabbage is much better kept in cold storage. 

The statement above preceeds the pressure canning instructions for pressure canning cabbage. 

Lee


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I freeze my cabbage without blanching, cut it in wedges and use it for soups and stirfries. It can be sliced pretty easily once it sits out for a few minutes.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The key ingredient in what's the difference is vinegar. That allows one to preserve a lot of stuff that can't otherwise be canned. In fact, storing in vinegar came to be a long time before home canning was even dreamed of.

Martin


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

we blanch and freeze cabbage, but I have canned a little in soup mixes from time to time.


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## caroline00 (Nov 10, 2002)

I understand that canned cabbage, not pickled, is bitter

I plan to use cabbage as chow chow


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

you can both can and freeze sauerkraut..check the internet for freezer slaw recipes..i'd try www.cooks.com


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