Pickled Coleslaw

Yet another favourite at our party and something that I tried in the summer when I received cabbage and carrots in my CSA basket! This recipe comes from Jennifer MacKenzie's book "The Complete Book of Pickling" (AKA my canning bible!!!) Even though it is a two-day process, it really isn't taxing and well worth the effort! I got 3L jars and 1 500mL jar out of this recipe.

Pickled Coleslaw

Ingredients:

DAY 1:

4 lbs green cabbage (approx. 1 head)

4 cups shredded carrots (approx. 8)

1/4 cup pickling or canning salt

DAY 2:

3 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tbsp celery seeds

2 tbsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

5 cups cider vinegar

TO SERVE (per 500 mL of coleslaw):

1/4 cup sunflower oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

DAY 1:

• Cut cabbage lengthwise into 4 to 6 wedges. Cut out core. Cut each wedge crosswise into very thin slices. You should have about 22 cups.
• In a large non-reactive bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and salt. Place a plate on top to weigh down vegetables. Cover and let stand at a cool room temperature for at least 12 hours or for up to 24 hrs.

DAY 2:

• Prepare canner, jars and lids
• In a colander working in batches, drain vegetables and rinse well. Drain again, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Spread out on towel-lined baking sheets to drain any remaining water.
• In a pot combine sugar, celery seeds, mustard seeds, pepper and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 1 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep liquid hot.
• Working with one jar at a time, pack vegetables into hot jars, leaving room for liquid and 1" headspace. Pour in hot pickling liquid, leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary. Wipe rim and place hot lid disc on jar. Screw band down until fingertip-tight.
• Place jars in canner and return to a boil. Process 500mL jars for 15 mins and 1L jars for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid and let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours. Check lids and refrigerate any jars that are not sealed.
• When serving, open jar and drain coleslaw in a sieve. Transfer to serving dish. In a small bowl combine the sunflower oil and Dijon mustard and toss with coleslaw just prior to serving.