Red Cabbage

We grew four heads of red cabbage this year. With this recipe I ended up with 4 quarts of Spiced Red Cabbage. The perfect addition to this years canning bounty.

Spiced Red Cabbage 

12 pounds of red cabbage (about 3 large heads)
1/2 cup canning salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mustard seed
1/4 cup mace
1 quarts red wine vinegar
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/4 cup whole allspice
1/4 cup peppercorns
1/4 cup celery seed
2 whole cinnamon sticks

Clean the cabbage by removing the outer leaves and then give it a good wash. Core and thick slice. Layer cabbage in a large bowl with the 1/2 cup canning salt. Cover: let stand for 24 hours.
Rinse, drain on paper towels for 6 hours.

Combine sugar, vinegar, mace and mustard seed in a large saucepot. Tie the remaining whole spices in a spice bag and add to the saucepot. Boil 5 minutes. Remove the spice bag. Pack cabbage into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Ladle hot liquid over cabbage, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two piece caps. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.

I found the basic idea for this in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. The changes, I made were:

• I didn't shred my cabbage, my overall quart yield may have been lower as a result but then again maybe not because I had exactly enough vinegar liquid.

• I also reduced the amount of mustard seed used. Canning recipes calling for mustard seed are too generous with the spice, in my opinion. It's a matter of taste, I suppose.