how do I prepare my cabbage to make rolls?

[blessed]

:p
I want to make cabbage rolls but do not know how to prepare the cabbage, I know I pull the leaf off but how do I get it to be less stiff so it can be rolled and tucked under?
I've seen pictures of them and they look so good but when I try them they come apart.
Can you all please help me.
Thanks so much.

Ann ;)

[rawpriestess]

You can do several things

Allow the cabbage to sit out and wilt just a tad,

run under warmish water to allow to wilt

I place mine in the dehydrator until wilted, just a couple of minutes
you can massage with oil, this will help it wilt

You can massage with oil and salt, which adds a good flavor,

marinate in salt water, warm

marinate in braggs or nama shoyu (I don't use these anymore, but they taste wonderful)

Try these ideas, also to hold together, place some of your filling, i.e. pate' up to the edge, and glue the leaves together,

use a tooth pick to hold together

Make a long thin string of carrot and tie it up, pretty too

[Raw_Medic]

You could probably use any root veggie put through the Saladacco to tie up the cabbage leaves...good luck!

Ursula

[SamuelWilson]

You can also take a nori sheet and cut thin strips off to use as string.

[RawTruth]

Instead of rolling with one leaf, you can put the filling in an open leaf, then fit another leaf on top (like hamburger buns) and either eat it like that or roll the edges under each other. It'll still be kinda loose and will have to be held to stay together, but that's almost entire meal that way.

[exurb]

the best raw ones I ever had was from someone who actually made sauerkraut out of the whole head of cabbage, then rinsed it.

Though you probably want to go with an easier method.

[ReneeSC]

Exurb, you mean that they fermented the cabbage leaves whole.. then used them as wraps.. or they shredded the cabbage, fermented, and then filled unfermented leaves with them?

Sorry to sound so dense, but I have the cabbage press contraption here.. I've yet used. It came with no instructions. I'm going to have to either search a thread for how to use this thing.. or start a new one.

Thanks for your help. I love cabbage.

[exurb]

Renee, he did a whole large crock with cabbage heads still in the heads all together. I think they were cored, but they were still as heads. I know he said he uses a lot of salt, and it has to be non commercial, non-iodized salt. There was a weight on them keeping them submerged. I don't know how your cabbage press works, if it would fit a whole head or not, but that's how these ones were done... or maybe you could do it with leaves instead of heads or shreds. Hopefully you can find instructions.

I did mean the wrapper was a whole intact cabbage leaf that was "sauerkrautized," no shredded cabbage involved.

[ReneeSC]

Ahh, thank you, Exurb. That helps me understand. I think its great what he did. I'm always looking for new ways to use cabbage.

The "pickler" thing I have is a round, plastic jar ( much larger and wider than a food jar). I has a screw down and hold in place lid with a plunger that you can screw down to hold the food tight against the bottom of the jar as it ferments.

I think I could get away with a tiny head of cabbage, but not a large one. Good idea, though. I can get a larger "pickler".

I now have to know how much of what ingredients to use in the ferment and for how long.

[blessed]

:o
I hate to waste. All of you have been a big help to us, my husband watches closely all the veggies and fruits that come into the house. He thinks I buy too much at one time and tells me how hard he has to work and does not want us to be wasteful when it comes to our food. ;) So thanks for all the help that's one cabbage that won't go stay around too long.

Ann ;)

[luckitri]

For SAD cabbage wraps I learned to freeze the cabbage leaves and then they wrap easily after thawing but now that I am RAW I have been wondering that freezing denatures it somehow and is probably almost as detrimental as cooking? Does anyone know?

[Rawkinlocs]

freezing does cause a small amount of nutrients to be lost, but nowhere near as much as cooking does. Many of us use frozen (or freeze our own fresh) fruit for smoothies, ice cream, etc...so I do not see a problem in doing that. Thanks for the tip!

[luckitri]

Well I didn't really care for the texture of the cabbage after it had been frozen and thawed so I will have to try it again before I recommend it.

[AICgem]

I always cut the leaf in half and cut out the stiff vein in the middle(what would have been the middle before cut in half), make smaller wraps but they roll easier