German - Amish Cole Slaw

Coleslaw is a very interesting food. There are so many ways to make it depending on were you grew up, and what nationality your family is. I was not a fan of coleslaw, until I found this recipe. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it is shelf stable and can be placed in my pantry for when I have a craving or when company comes over. Even after it's been processed, the texture is still crisp and crunchy. If your not a fan of coleslaw, give this a try, you will be glad you did!

 German - Amish Coleslaw
1.5 Cabbage, large heads
2 Carrots pealed and shredded
1 Red bell pepper finely diced
1 Sweet onion finely diced
2 teaspoons Celery seed
2 teaspoons Mustard seed
3 cups Apple cider vinegar
6 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons of Pickling salt

Since this recipe requires a water bath method of canning, wash and sterilize your pint jars. I often wash my jars in the dishwasher on the sterilize setting. I also boil the jars for 10 minutes to make sure it's sterile. After 10 minutes let the jars sit in the hot water to keep the jars warm.



 While the jars are boiling, start chopping up the veggies. I hand chop the cabbage because I want the pieces to be a little larger than what you get with a grater, shredder or food processor.

Place all the chopped veggies in a large bowl and salt with 2 teaspoons of pickling salt, and stir. It's important  not to use iodized salt because it will affect the finished product. Let this stand for a minimum of 1 hour. While the cabbage is resting, get the syrup started.
Bring the sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil and let cool.

After rinsing and draining the cabbage, place in the warm syrup. Retrieve the  jars from the canning pot, and spoon the cabbage and syrup mixture in the warm pint jars. Use a small spatula to stuff for a fairly firm pack. Make sure the cabbage mixture and the syrup are at a 1/2 inch head space. If your liquid is a little lower than the veggies spoon some in until they are level.

Use vinegar and a fresh paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars. Make sure they are very clean and without any nicks. Take the warmed lids from the stove and place on jar making sure not to touch the underside. I use a magnetic wand made just for canning. Screw on the lids "finger tight". Do not over tighten the lids. The air that is inside the jar needs to escape while processing.

Place jars in the canning pot and make sure the water is at least an inch above the jars. Cover the pot and turn the stove top on high. Start timing after it's reached a good rolling boil. The processing time is 15 minutes. After the time is up, turn off the stove and take off the cover. Let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Prepare a towel on the counter top to receive the very hot jars. Make sure there are no drafts or ceiling fans on. These jars need to cool down gradually and they should not be disturbed for at least 12 hours. There might be a little boiling in the jars and perhaps a slight hissing noise from time to time. During this time you may hear a pinging noise, this indicates that the jar has sealed.

After the jars have cooled for a minimum of 12 hours check to make sure the jar is sealed. There is a button shaped bubble on the jar lids.When properly processed these buttons will sink in and create a vacuum seal. When there is no give on the surface of the lid, you have been successful! I usually wash my jars in cool water with soap and water. Sometimes while processing, or cooling on the counter, some of the liquid can bubble out a bit, especially under the ring. Make sure to remove the ring and wash the threaded area. I make sure my jars are clean before placing them in my pantry to make sure there will be no problems with ants, flies or rodents. After the jars are washed and dried place the date and the name on each jar.
Now they are ready for your pantry! Wait for a least two weeks before opening to get the fullest flavor. As you notice in my photo I have a jar that is full of carrot slices. I had some extra syrup that I wanted to use up so I did a jar of pickled carrot slices. I hope you enjoy this coleslaw as much as I do!