An easy homestead recipe for purple cabbage

If you love purple cabbage like I do, you’re going to love this easy German pickled purple cabbage recipe. Purple cabbage is a pretty easy cabbage to grow. Although I have only grown it once, it wasn’t much upkeep at all. Since they are smaller than your typical green cabbage you can grow about 25% more than green cabbage.

Great recipe for the homesteader that needs to use up their crops but also for those that just want to try something new in canning!

Ingredients for pickled purple cabbage

• 1 small – medium head of purple cabbage
• Tb pickling salt
• 2 Cups of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1 Cup organic brown sugar
• 1/2 Cup organic white sugar
• 2 tsp whole cloves or 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp whole peppercorns or 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp whole mustard seeds
• 1 garlic clove per pint size jar

Makes 2-3 pint sized jars of German pickled purple cabbage.

Sweating your purple cabbage

Get started by shredding your cabbage. I like to cut them in half a few times so that I don’t end up with really long string of cabbage in my jars.

As soon as you have it all shredded, put your cabbage in a large bowl, your bowl will need to be big enough for you to toss the cabbage with your hands and not leave your kitchen looking like there was a Mardi Gras parade but instead of beads those dangs millennials decided to throw laces of purple cabbage.

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh right, sweat your cabbage. Add your pickling salt to your shredded cabbage and give it a good toss. Leave it out for an hour or two, you can leave it over night in the fridge too.

Preparing your liquid

After the great sweat of 2019, you can begin making your pickling juice. This is one of my favorite pickling juices, it’s not my favorite, it’s a close second to bread and butter pickling juice. Check out my bread and butter chip pickle recipe HERE. Combine all remaining ingredients into a medium sauce pan, slowly bring the liquid combo to a soft boil. DO NOT HOVER OVER LIQUID, not unless you want some hot vinegar to singe your nose hairs and embed “the mother” deep into your psyche.

Continuing on, once you have brought your pickling juice to a boil turn off the heat and set aside. Drain any excess liquid off your cabbage. Sanitize any jars you will be using by boiling them for 10 minutes. Be certain they are fully submerged into the water. Now you are all ready, add your cabbage to your jars packing them tightly but leaving at least one inch of room at the top.

Packing your jars for pickled purple cabbage

Adding your pickling juice

Pour your pickling juice to the top of the jar, stop right at the beginning of the lid lip. That’s basically your one inch line.

And there you have it! German pickled purple cabbage. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. If you want to try your hand at canning I suggest using the water bathing method. See an example of that HERE.

Have left over liquid and don’t want to waste it? Do what I always do when pickling and slice up whatever veggies you have on hand and pickle them in the fridge as well! I did this with shredded carrot and red peppers.

Don’t know what to do with pickled purple cabbage? Try it on tacos, hot dogs, and burgers!