Purple Cabbage
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| Head of purple cabbage |
I harvested a lot of purple cabbage
from our garden this year and it was just too much to eat it all so I decided
to preserve by dehydrating it. Yes, some
people call it red cabbage but since it is purple, I call it purple
cabbage.
Purple cabbage is so good
dehydrated. It not only preserves the
cabbage and its shelf life but dehydrated cabbage makes a great snack. Each little flake just explodes with flavor
and it smells incredible. It rehydrates
easily, cooks well and is so easy to store.
To me, dehydrated cabbage is a must for any kitchen!
Purple cabbage is low in calories. It also is a vitamin powerhouse being a great
source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Folate.
It also a great source of Potassium and is a good source of Calcium (80%
of your RDA), Phosphorous and the trace minerals Selenium, Zinc, and
Manganese. It also contains Omega 6
fatty acids. They have glucosinolates in
them also which are a natural anti-inflammatory substance that are key to good
health.
Be sure to not boil the cabbage when
you use it. When you boil it the water
will sap out the nutrients. Sautéing it
is the best way to use it and will be usable for most dishes this way.
How
to dehydrate Purple Cabbage
It is super easy to dehydrate. Just pull off the outer leaves and
discard.
 |
| Head of purple cabbage |
Stem and core the cabbage.
 |
| Cabbage after the stem was removed. Still need to core it. |
Rinse the cabbage and begin slicing it up as
you would if you were making coleslaw.
 |
| Sliced cabbage. |
Now, put the cabbage on your dehydrator tray. Turn on the dehydrator to
125 degrees. Let it dry for about 8-10
hours. I generally just turn on my
dehydrator when I go to bed and it is done in the morning. When done, the cabbage will be brittle to the
touch.
 |
| Dehydrated cabbage. |
Store your dehydrated cabbage in a mason jar.
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| Jar full of dehydrated cabbage. |
How
to use dehydrated cabbage
There are many uses for dehydrated
cabbage. It rehydrates very quickly and
if your recipe contains plenty of liquid, you don’t even have to rehydrate it
before adding it in. I toss mine into
casseroles, soups and stews. They add
some lovely color, nutrition, flavor and texture to soups and stews. If you plan on making a coleslaw, just soak
the dried cabbage in warm water for about 10 minutes and then strain and use it
as you would use fresh cabbage.
Animals love dehydrated cabbage
too. We feed some to our dogs and our
goats as a treat and they can’t seem to get enough of them. Dry some today and you will love it as much
as we do!
