I was immediately intrigued by this recipe. My family all enjoys coleslaw, and it’s a refreshing, reasonably nutritious cold dish that also appeals to my thrifty side. But what it isn’t is super-quick or convenient except when you make it from a package mix, and even then it’s much tastier when you have time to let it sit. The idea of a shelf-stable, ready whenever option is certainly appealing.
I tried to cut down the sugar, but when Dave tasted the brine, his face practically turned inside out his lips puckered so hard. This recipe is where I ended up. You might want to add a little more sweetness or you might be okay with less. And with subjective sizing like medium and large, no doubt your proportions will end up a little different every time. Let me know what works for you.
You’ll need:
For the slaw
1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 bell pepper (I used red cause that’s what I had)
1 small onion
1 tsp. salt
4 pint size mason jars, lids, and rings
For the dressing
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
Directions:
Shred and combine vegetables. I used our food processor (first time for me), and it worked like magic. If you are doing it by hand, a larger shred would be fine.
Add the salt and toss well. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
Bring dressing ingredients to a boil and boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand to cool room temperature. (I’d suggest doubling the dressing recipe to make sure you have enough. You can save what you don’t use [see note], but it’s a pain if you find yourself needing more mid-way through the process!)
Drain liquid from vegetables. Rinse thoroughly and drain well again. If you like it salty, you could stop there. For me, I rinsed and drained three times.
Add vegetables to cooled dressing; mix well.
Spoon into pint jars, lightly packing.
"Bubble" each jar with a skewer or chopstick to release any trapped air, adding more dressing as needed to cover the slaw, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe each rim with a clean paper towel dipped in vinegar. Place the snap lid down and screw the ring on fingertip tight.
Put the jars into your water bath canner. Make sure there is at least an inch of water above the top of your jars. Put the canner lid on and return to the boil for 15 minutes. Don't start your timer until the water is boiling.
Remove jars from the canner or let them sit in the canner until everything calms down.
Make sure all the jars are sealed before you put them away. Any that still haven’t sealed within 24 hours go in the fridge.
Wait at least a week to let the flavours all mellow together before enjoying. Eat at room temperature or chilled, as is or drained with added mayonnaise.
You can double or triple this recipe to your heart’s content. When you make extra dressing and you’re not sure if you need all of it, keep some of it aside and just use if necessary, storing the remainder in the fridge. If you mix all the dressing in with the vegetables, you’ll have to put any extra in a mason jar and water bath process it to preserve it.
