Our summer started weeks ago; usually we have a sunny month of May, followed by a very unsettled month of June, weather-wise. But so far this June, we’ve only had sunny skies, and not a drop of rain. As a farmer, I want some rain. The perfect pattern for me is sunny warm days, cool nights, and a good rain every 10 days or so. But I don’t control the weather; no matter how many dances I do, nature comes as nature does.
These last weeks, we’ve been gathering on the front porch for a late supper, overlooking a field with three very happy, pretty horses in it, waiting to see a doe with her twin fawns.
Dinners seem to be directly related to how hard we’ve been working each day. A quick, filling meal for long, tiring days, and more inventive, complex meals when we’ve had more time to consider what’s going to be on the table. Coleslaw is a quick, filling side dish, that’s easy to prepare, and goes well with hamburgers, grilled meats, pulled pork, and other summer favourites.
6 – 8 servings
Ingredients
Dressing:
⅓ c mayonnaise
⅓ c sour cream
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T sugar
½ t celery seed
1 t dry mustard
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
About 1# thinly sliced cabbage – about 6 cups
1 cup of thinly sliced purple cabbage (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ c unsalted sunflower seeds, raw or roasted
¼ c dried cranberries
1 tart red skinned apple such as Gala, Sunrise, or Cripp’s Pink (Pink Lady)
Directions
Start by making the dressing:
Whisk all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Cover & refrigerate until ready to use.
To slice the cabbage, cut the head into quarters, from the top through the stem end.
Cut out the heavy core.
Starting at the top end, with the cored quarter lying on its side, cross cut in slices no thicker than ¼”.
Toss the cabbage together with the grated carrot.
Add in the sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.
Cut the apple into quarters, core, and thinly slice, leaving the skin on for colour (the photos show peeled apple slices due to my brain muddling over other things apparently).
Toss with the other ingredients.
Pour half the dressing over and toss well. Add in more dressing until everything is lightly coated. Keep chilled until ready to serve, up to 5 hours.
Quick Prep: Use a 1# bag of prepared Coleslaw vegetables in place of the cabbage & carrots.
Large Group ~ 1 large head of cabbage (4-5 lbs) and 8 carrots will make enough coleslaw for 30 servings. Just use 1 c sunflower seeds, 1 c dried cranberries, 4 apples, and 4 x the dressing recipe.
farmhouse cook 