Now that spring has declared itself, there are hundreds of chores to do to continue keep our table set with good food. One task is cleaning up the roots.
Roots need to be kept at temperatures 38 degrees or colder. Once they hit above the 50 degree point, they break their dormancy and start to sprout. Potatoes have long white sprouts, carrots grow hairs, and the turnips, beets and rutabagas have small leaves. (which are delicious added to salads)
Yesterday I tackled the cabbages. Unfortunately, when they start to break down, they just plain rot. Smelly job! The red are the fasted to go. Just cut away the bad spots, with just enough leftover for a small salad.
The green cabbages were in better shape…9 of them. It’s like a treasure hunt, peeling away the leaves with bits of mold and rot until the only part the remains is firm and clean. Saved some for our supper salad and the rest went back into a small tub, residing in the extra refrigerator in the garage…
With any luck, we’ll be enjoying cabbage until the spring greens start to come.
Easy Root Cellar Slaw with Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the veggies
- 1 cup chopped red cabbage
- 2-3 cups chopped green cabbage
- 1 cup chopped turnip
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
Dressing for Two Servings
- 1 tablespoon Downeaster Maple Mustard Marinade
- 1 tablespoon Cranberry Ketchup
Instructions
Dressing
- Whisk together in a small bowl
To Prepare the salad
- Toss the veggies with the dressing and add some crumbled feta cheese.