Red cabbage

Can cabbage be described as beautiful?

I think so.

Once the outer leaves have been stripped away from a red cabbage I think it looks a thing of beauty. What a fantastic colour!

And the structure is equally beautiful

once it has been cut open.

By the time I had cut away the hard stalk and thicker sections my large cabbage was considerably reduced. It shredded down to the couple of lbs that I wanted to braise with some finely chopped onion and apple.

Any recipe that uses apples at this time of year is good!

Braised cabbage.

2lbs grated cabbage

1lb finely chopped onion

1lb finely chopped apple

3tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons wine vinegar

chopped garlic grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a few juniper berries or some ground cloves

salt and pepper.

Layer the vegetables, sprinkling the spices and sugar as you go. Pour over the vinegar, put a lid on your container and cook very slowly for about 2 to 3 hours, stirring every now and then.

Last year my red cabbages were hopeless, many of them bolted. I've reached the conclusion that they perform best in a dull, wet summer - quite the opposite to me! I've also got a mass of parsley this year whereas other years there have been very lean pickings.

This gardening lark can be a bit of a mystery!