Canning Cabbage is a fun way to preserve your cabbage haul and add variety to your meals. Canning is an excellent way of preserving your produce by processing it at a high temperature, thus killing any microorganisms and bacteria and sealing the canning jars shut so that they can last in your pantry for a long time.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation has canning guidelines for many fruits, vegetables, and meats. However, there are none present for canning cabbage. The reason is, the cabbage discolors and grows stronger in flavor when canned. Because of this, almost all the cabbage canning recipes out there pickle the cabbages before canning.
The canning process is straightforward. All you need to do is shred your cabbage, pickle it with some form of brine, add the pickled cabbage to the canning jars and then process them in the canner!
You will need about four medium-sized heads of lettuce for canning, yielding 5 quarts of canned cabbage. When you buy cabbage, look for a cabbage head that seems heavy for its size with bright, fresh leaves that are crisp. Make sure the cabbage heads are free of any bruises and cuts. To prepare the cabbage for canning, cut it into quarters and run each cabbage under some running water to get rid of any dirt that may have lodged into it. Using a paring knife, cut out the core from each quarter. The next step is to shred the cabbage. For this, you can use a mandoline, a grater, or even a sharp chef’s knife according to your preference.
This canning recipe yields about 5 quarts or 10 pints of canned cabbage. Make sure the canning jars you use are heavy-duty to withstand the canning process. Wash and prepare your jars for canning using some hot soapy water, and once cleaned, leave them in the oven or dishwasher to keep warm until you are ready to use them. You can also wash the canning jar rings the same way. To sterilize the canning lids, add them to a bowl of hot water and let them sit until you are ready to use them.
You can use a simple canning liquid made using salt, sugar, and vinegar to can your cabbages, similar to sauerkraut. Or you can add a little more spices to add flavor to the canned cabbages. Here are the two recipes you can use:
You will need to place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. This boiling water will act as our canning liquid. You can add the other ingredients (salt, vinegar, sugar) required for canning cabbage this way directly to the jars.
Ingredients
Method
In a large saucepan, add the vinegar and sugar. Once the sugar has started to dissolve, add the mustard and mace. In a muslin cloth, tie the other spices and drop them into the saucepan. Heat the canning liquid for 5 minutes until it comes to a boil, then turn off the heat. Your canning liquid is ready!
You can prep your cabbage using with canning liquid of choice. Both canned cabbages yield very different but delicious results. Below you will find separate steps that you need to follow for preparing your jars using either the simple or spiced canning liquid, followed by the common canning process.
Properly sealed jars can be labeled with the canning date and stored in your pantry for 12- 18 months.
So there you have it! A simple way to introduce some new variety into your diet that is delicious and healthy! This canning recipe is very simple and will surely come in handy when looking for new ways to preserve your fresh produce for longer.
If you have liked this canning guide, we have a plethora of canning guides that you will love as well. Check them out here!
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