(Please excuse the random order of the pictures. I can't figure out how to get them in the right place.)
Fall looks a little different here than where I came from. Sure, we did some preserving and canning to get us through the winter, but I knew I could always go to a grocery store and buy what I didn't have time to preserve or grow. Here, not all folks have that option.
Rows of cabbages are grown in most gardens, and Romanians know how to use this vegetable in ways that make my salivary glands get busy even as I'm writing.
Last year, at River of Life, I got a first hand tutorial of how to store A LOT of cabbage for future use. Their planning ahead made sense. These folks have many big and little mouths to feed.
Starting with about 60 cabbages, we lined them up on the table and took almost an inch of the thick core from each.
Next, this core-less spot was filled with non-iodized salt and pickling spices.
Like expert moving van loaders, the ladies moved these "filled" cabbages and packed them snugly into huge plastic barrels.
As the barrels were filled, more spices were added, and when the barrel was as full as my belly at Thanksgiving,
We let the barrels sit, loosely covered in the corner, until bubbles started rising to the top (Yep, it was fermenting.)
Finally, the barrel went into cold storage. In a few weeks the cabbage would be ready, and in a few months it would still be ready. Perfect for great recipes, and making my mouth water.
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