This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies & disclaimers if you're interested. I will only link products I use and personally recommend. Thank you for your support, friends!

If you’ve been wondering about canning cabbage, look no further. Canning cabbage in a simple brine and then processing in a water bath can renders the best end product with cabbage that still has some texture to it that is amazing for frying and in recipes!

Haluski is a staple in this household and as someone who refuses to buy cabbage from the grocery store when I can, in fact, easily grow a year’s worth of cabbage, I needed a good way to preserve and store my bounty.  I’ve seen some store them with the roots intact in root cellars which is absolutely amazing, but I have issues with the cabbage worms pretty frequently, so I was worried they wouldn’t store well that way.  Maybe I need to try now that I have my scary old sandstone cellar that I will be living in like a troll for the remainder of my life!  

You may be wondering what even is haluski.  It’s basically cabbage and egg noodles and onion all fried together and deliciousness.  I will occasionally chop up some hunks of bacon to crisp and mix in, ham, or even smoked sausage to add some protein and make it a good meal.  My husband and I absolutely love anything fried cabbage, so I needed a way to store this cabbage so it’s not complete mush and still fries up deliciously.  

Enter in the “brine method for canning cabbage.”  Or so I was told.  This is an Amish method I was let in on and it has been AMAZING in canning cabbage.  The cabbage is cooked but not completely and still has a slight crunch to it so it holds up beautifully to a quick fry.  My mind was BLOWN the first time I did it.

If you would like to ferment your cabbage for homemade sauerkraut, check out my method here!  It’s crazy easy and once you make it, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t been doing this longer.  Fermented food is crazy easy to do, stores for a good long time, and is amazing for your gut health.  The health benefits that a controlled rot of food provides us never ceases to blow my mind! 

1

How to Make Your Own Homemade Fermented Sauerkraut

Check out this recipe

Now.  This method of canning cabbage is now considered rebel canning.  Does it mean it’s dangerous and illegal?  Nope.  It simply means this method was not tested by the National Center for Home Food Preservation for safety and therefore they won’t recommend it.  I mean, how could a minimally funded agency possibly test every canning method each Amish community uses and Mamaw in the hills of Kentucky, and so forth.  They couldn’t.  

It’s such a common misconception that rebel canning is reckless and dangerous because it’s unapproved methods, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s just not tested by a government agency, but rather tested by generations who have been canning this way.  I call that a pretty good scientific method. 

I’m going to show you today how I can cabbage using the brine method.  This isn’t a brine in the sense of flavoring, but more of a lower acid pickling solution, probably.  Because I think a brine is water, salt, and sugar, but I didn’t name it… ok?!  And I’m not going to rename it.  The cabbage is raw packed into jars, the brining solution is mixed, heated, and then poured into the jars, and then since the acidity is low enough due to the vinegar in the brine, this recipe is safe for water bath canning.  

IF you are not comfortable processing a low acid food this way, then please don’t do it.  I am simply sharing this method as informational since it was fascinating to me to learn about and am absolutely in no way saying you HAVE to do this.  At the end of the day, if you are canning something you are afraid of, you won’t ever eat it, and you are wasting your time and money.  To everyone, use your brains and critically thing and make a decision for yourself.

Equipment You May Want:

• Large mixing bowl
• Tea kettle or stock pot (for heating water)
• Wide mouth quart or pint jars
• Lids and screw bands
• Jar funnel
• Jar lifter
• Water bath canner OR
• steam canner

Ingredients:

• Green Cabbage
• Salt
• White vinegar
• Sugar
• Water

Let’s get to canning cabbage the best way!

Step 1:  Prep Cabbage

Using freshly picked green cabbage if at all possible, cut off the root end.  Remove outer leaves of the cabbage and any damaged by bugs, rinse well.  Cut into quarters, remove cores, and chop up into bit sized pieces.  Shredded cabbage is nice, too.  Cut whatever shape you want with whatever tool you want.  You can scissor kick it for all I care.  

After chopping, I like to give the cabbage another rinse using the insert of a salad spinner and then spin the water out of it and set it aside in a large stock pot or large bowl to pack jars.  You don’t HAVE to do this, I just find it’s another layer of cleanliness when canning something that grows so closely to the dirt.  I’d rather not have dirt in my jars.

I don’t recommend canning purple or red cabbage.  It looks so unappetizing after canning.  It turns an odd purple/brown color that looks so bad.

Step 2:  Pack Jars

Wash quart jars or pint jars and lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside.  Keep clean.

Using clean hands, pack the sliced cabbage into jars, preferable wide mouth as they’re easier to pack, moderately tight.  Do not aggressively punch to cabbage down and pack the jars extremely tightly because you do need to allow some space for enough liquid to exist in the jar.  I normally just fill the jar, tap the bottom to settle it, and all a little more, pressing lightly on the top with 2-3 fingers.  Keep this below 1 inch of the top of the jar, also known as 1 inch headspace.

Step 3:  Make the Brine

To each QUART JAR, add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 TABLESPOON of white 5% vinegar.  Halve these measurements for pint jars.

Use whatever salt you have on hand.  It doesn’t have to be canning salt.  I use real salt by Redmond and really like that!

Ladle hot water into cabbage filled jars to 1″ headspace, remove air bubbles, and add more if needed to maintain headspace.  I like to have my tea kettle full and heating as I work and it’s quite easy to pour into and fill jars with hot water.

After draining and serving, you will NOT taste the vinegar in this cabbage.

Step 4:  Canning

Wipe jars rims with a clean cloth and add lids and secure with a screw band.

Process pints or quarts for 20 minutes in a steam canner or boiling water bath canner, adjusting time for altitude if needed.

After processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 5:  Storage

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a dark cool place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine; avoid extreme temperatures.

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years for maximum nutritional benefit and palatability, but they last much longer than that if needed.

To use:

Add to a preheated cast iron skillet with some melted butter or bacon grease and fry until warmed through and lightly browned.  Season to taste.

Add to your favorite haluski recipe after softening the onions and cook til warmed through.

Mix into any casserole, drained, that calls for plain cabbage.  It works perfectly!

And there ya have it, a great way to store a bounty of home grown cabbage (or discounted bulk purchased cabbage) long term!

Simple Recipe for Canning Cabbage in a Water Bath

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 quart

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• large mixing bowl
• Tea kettle or stock pot (for heating water)
• Wide mouth quart or pint jars
• lids and screw bands
• jar funnel
• jar lifter
• steam canner

Ingredients

• Green Cabbage
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbs White vinegar
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Water hot

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Using freshly picked green cabbage if at all possible, cut off the root end.  Remove outer leaves of the cabbage and any damaged by bugs, rinse well.  Cut into quarters, remove cores, and chop up into bit sized pieces.
• Wash quart jars or pint jars and lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside.  Keep clean.
• Using clean hands, pack the sliced cabbage into jars, preferable wide mouth as they're easier to pack, moderately tight.  Do not aggressively punch to cabbage down and pack the jars extremely tightly because you do need to allow some space for enough liquid to exist in the jar.
• To each QUART JAR, add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 TABLESPOON of white 5% vinegar.  Halve these measurements for pint jars.
• Ladle hot water into cabbage filled jars to 1" headspace, remove air bubbles, and add more if needed to maintain headspace. 
• Wipe jars rims with a clean cloth and add lids and secure with a screw band.
• Process pints or quarts for 20 minutes in a steam canner or boiling water bath canner, adjusting time for altitude if needed.
• After processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
• Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a dark cool place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine; avoid extreme temperatures.
• Shelf life is 'til you eat it.  Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years for maximum nutritional benefit and palatability, but they last much longer than that if needed.

To Use:

• Add to a preheated cast iron skillet with some melted butter or bacon grease and fry until warmed through and lightly browned.  Season to taste. Add to your favorite haluski recipe after softening the onions and cook til warmed through. Mix into any casserole, drained, that calls for plain cabbage.  It works perfectly!