Braised red cabbage loveliness x

Hello Friends,
I'm still trying to get on top of our apple glut....& not very successfully, I might add. So far this autumn, I've made apple, cider & chilli jelly, apple & mint jelly, apple chutney, apple & ginger chutney, iced apple & ginger buns, apple muffins, blackberry & apple crumble, apple sauce, Norwegian apple cake, apple & ginger loaf cake, blackberry & apple gin, loads of brown sauce and 2 batches of braised red cabbage with apples. That's a lot of apples used.....& doesn't even include the two apples I've been eating most days & the basket of individually wrapped fruits I've put to store.. Now, it's free food, grown entirely by ourselves without the use of chemical nasties, so I  don't want to sound as though I'm not grateful for nature's bounty, but it's the end of November, & I still can't see the end in sight. These are currently awaiting use in the kitchen........

.......there are already more windfalls on the ground ready to collect, & there are still more apples on the tree. 

I do love to make jams & jellies, etc, but the pantry already looks like this..............

.......and that's without the jars I've given away! Well, it's officially Braised Red Cabbage Season now, which is a Double Good Thing: 1) Each batch uses up a lb of apples 2) Braised red cabbage is very nice, if cooked as below, so is very useful for people who consider the mere presence of sprouts on their plate to be utterly ruinous to Christmas dinner. Red cabbages are in season right now - 50p each on the farm stall on our local market......and only 8 food miles!

I pretty much use Delia Smith's recipe for my braised red cabbage, but I usually kick in an extra apple or two, double up on the garlic & replace a third of the vinegar with my own home made blackberry vinegar. Also, not many of us generally have a whole nutmeg kicking around, so I just use 1/4 tsp of ground. Cider vinegar is also fine, if that's what you've got. Unlike Delia, I always make mine in my Slow Cooker, so it kind of takes care of itself. Leave yourself more time to do all the chopping than you think you'll need. If you're thinking you've just got time to get it all prepped & into the slow cooker before you go & get glammed up for a night out.......you really haven't, unless you socialise with people who will genuinely enjoy the vague aura of cabbage clinging about your person.

The easiest way to tackle the prep is to have a big bowl into which you put the finely sliced red cabbage, a 2nd bowl for the chopped onion & apples, then a small bowl for the brown sugar/spice/garlic mix. Then get the salt & pepper ready & you are ready to layer it all into the pot.

Just ram it all into your slow cooker, aim for around 5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low and remember to stir it a couple of times throughout. It will break down into a cauldron of gloopy purple gorgeousness & your house will smell of Autumn.

Braised red cabbage freezes brilliantly, so divvy it up & get any spare supplies into the freezer. Great addition to Christmas dinner for confirmed sprout-dodgers such as myself! Can also recommend it with sausages, leek mash & home made onion gravy. Never tried making it? Give it a go. Especially if you are also trying to use up a glut of apples.

Now, I'm not wishing to sound snipey here.....I am very much a cat lover as most people know, but I couldn't help noticing that whereas by 9.30 this morning, I had done the usual daily chores, plus a not insignificant basket of ironing, been down to the veggie garden to check for any problems, walked to the post box, made some bread dough & cleared my email inbox, THIS was Albert Whiskers impressive contribution to the daily smooth running of The People & Cat's Republic:

He's on a sulk this morning because I'm afraid the 'Love food, hate waste' policy in place here at 'Hagstones' also extends to cats, meaning that last night's wasted meat & biscuits have been served up again for breakfast. This has gone down like the proverbial lead brick & he's now staging a blanket related protest.

Well, my coffee's gone cold, which can only mean it's time to get the kettle on the hob again. Hope everyone's having a good week.
Till next time,
C x