Versatile cabbage is one crazy veggie

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/06/2006 (7292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CABBAGE has a long history, cultivated in the West since at least 400 BC and is seen as a valuable medicine.

1. Say good-bye to cabbage odour during cooking by adding baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice to the water, placing the end slice of a bread loaf on top of the cabbage or by dropping a walnut, pieces of bread or chili pepper into the pot.

Tip: Lemon juice in the pot also helps prevents water colour from changing.

2. Clean carpet spots. Slice a raw cabbage in half, brush the carpet with the cabbage using the cut side.

3. A great way to polish pewter is by wiping the metal with a cabbage leaf and buffing with a cloth.

4. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends eating cabbage on a regular basis. Its high carotene content lessens the risk of cancer and other diseases.

5. Improve oily skin by drinking a daily cupful of cooking liquid of a cabbage.

6. Sprinkle baking soda in your garden to keep rabbits from eating the cabbage. The baking soda will not hurt the animals.

7. Put cabbage heads in the freezer for about two days. Place in a colander and defrost overnight, core the cabbage and the leaves will be limp and perfect for making cabbage rolls.

8. To get rid of cabbageworms, add one-cup salt to one-gallon water, spray onto plants. Two applications are needed and the cabbage will remain unharmed.

Tip: When setting out cabbage plants it is best to pull off the largest leaves so that only the centre remains, they will grow more successfully.

9. Wash stale cabbage with salt water and a few ice cubes. The cabbage will regain its freshness and the germs will be destroyed.

10. To add a different flavour to sandwiches, add shredded cabbage as a substitute to lettuce.

11. After steaming cabbage, cover with melted butter, toasted nuts, minced onions. Yum!

12. Store cabbage uncut to prevent vitamin C loss. Place the uncut head in a perforated plastic bag and store for up to two weeks in the crisper. If cut, wrap the remainder in plastic and use within a couple of days.

13. Cabbage is one of those crazy vegetables that can be prepared many different ways: cooked or raw it is perfect for dishes ranging from corned beef, cabbage soups and stews, to cold dishes such as coleslaw. Or allow the vegetable to ferment to produce sauerkraut. Also use as wraps for other foods.

14. Not only are there several ways to prepare cabbage, this vegetable is available in a variety of different forms, take your pick: Green Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Savoy, Brussels Sprouts, Napa, and Bok Choy. Do yourself a favour and pick up two cabbages today, one for yourself and one as a gift!

15. Recipe for “Oodly Noodly Cabbage Salad”. Combine four-cups shredded cabbage, one-quarter cup chopped onions, one pkg., flavoured instant dry noodles, one-half cup toasted slivered almonds and 1-cup shredded carrots. Dressing: seasoning pkg. of noodles, half-teaspoon salt, two-tbsp. sugar, half-teaspoon pepper, one-eighth cup oil (add more if desired) and three tbsp. vinegar. Pour dressing over salad and mix. This recipe is great for sharing at potlucks!

It’s Soooooo Healthy!

Mark your calendars, Feb. 17th is World Cabbage Day.

Solutions is compiled from various sources, including: dottysdiner.com, oldandsold.com, bakingsodabook.co.uk, hormel.com, williams.gi/cabbage_medicinal_properties.htm. Similar information may be found elsewhere.

Reena Nerbas is the author of “Household Solutions & Substitutions”. She can be heard biweekly on the CBC radio show-“Up To Speed”.