Pickled Cabbage

If you’re ever stuck on a desert island and are only allowed to bring one thing with you, bring anything pickled.  It will last virtually forever! Cucumbers, meat, fish. You name it…it can be pickled.
Pickling is done by mixing salt with water to produce lactic acid, or through vinegar.  The sour and salty taste sounds gross but as we all know (or don’t, for those people who have strangely never tried a pickle) it is actually Delicious!  The world has quite a variety of pickled flavors.  I love the Korean kimchi.  It’s pickled cabbage with a dash of spicy (or really spicy if you like).  By making it yourself, you can choose how long you want to ferment it and how spicy you would like it to be.
Their are always exceptions.  I personally do not like pickled lemons.  It’s basically eating a salty and even sourer form of a lemon…yes it’s possible!  Yet, I know someone who can eat them like candy.
So right after you read this start experimenting and get pickling! If all else fails, it’s a good conversation starter…
Picture this: You are on a date, awkward silence.  She reaches for her tea and eyes wander.  You start to sweat.  Then you remember and say….
You: “I once pickled cabbage”
You just reeled her back in…just like that…Bam! Date saved and convo restored.
You can thank me later. 😉

This was our mass quantity of pickled cabbage we made in class yesterday.  It’s ready to start fermenting.

Pickled Cabbage

1 Head of Cabbage (red, green, Chinese), cut in chunks or Julienned

3 Cups Water

2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Sugar

1 TBS. Salt

1 TBS. Pickling Spice, wrapped in cheese cloth (refer to Sachet d’epice)

Bring all the ingredients to a boil except the cabbage. Put cabbage in a plastic or glass container and pour boiled liquid (after it cools) over the top. Make sure all cabbage is completely immersed in the liquid. Seal and wait a few days. Store in fridge. It will last forever (but you will probably eat it first).