caramelized cabbage with carrots & onions
aka the first (and BEST) thing I've cooked in a month
This week, our son’s wildest dreams came true.
Across the road from our farm, there’s a giant field planted in a sea of corn, and all fall we’ve been waiting to see when the corn would be harvested. We’ve had a stretch of super warm and dry weather this week (aka perfect for harvesting big row crops), and sure enough, we watched one day as a massive combine steamrolled down our sleepy farm road and got to work.
Sawyer (who, if you don’t already know, is obsessed with tractors) was in total AWE. We sat in the grass and watched as the giant combine roared through the fields, going up and down the rows and sucking up the dried corn stalks. Long story short, we made friends with the man driving the combine, and he very kindly invited Sawyer to go for a ride. And that’s how my 2-year old son found himself inside a combine (on his dad’s lap), harvesting corn and living his absolute best life this week.
In other news, this week my crew helped knock out a few big tasks on our to-do list – all the garlic got planted, summer crops were cleared out, and a general clean up of all the random bits and bobs that inevitably get scattered around the farm over the course of the growing season.
We also put a section of the farm “to bed” for the winter by first weed-whacking rows that were filled with a lush green cover crop, and then covering the freshly-cut rows with a silage tarp (see below).
As a farmer, it’s a great feeling knowing that over the next several months, all of that luscious cover crop will slowly decompose and build up our soil with nutritious organic matter – which will feed our plants, and come next season, those plants will feed us. Nature is awesome.
Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of hyper-seasonal fall recipes from around the internet to help you eat like a farmer:
Full disclosure: if your goal is to cook a photogenic dish that will kill it on your instagram feed, well, I’m very sorry, but this is probably not the recipe for you.
BUT. If your goal is to cook something super simple that will warm your bones and have you licking your plate clean (not exaggerating, the caramelized juices at the bottom of this dish are the best part) then this IS the recipe for you.
Caramelized (aka braised) cabbage is the least sexy dish imaginable, but it’s also the one thing I crave on dark, dreary winter days. To braise means to cook something low and slow, usually tightly covered in a dish with some liquid. And in this recipe, the end result is a head of cabbage that’s been transformed into a caramelized, luxurious heap. My friends, this is cabbage like you’ve never tasted before, this is the cabbage of your wildest cruciferous dreams.
This recipe is legitimately the first thing I’ve cooked since having a baby a month ago, and (even in my sleep deprived state) I was genuinely excited to make it for our family this week. Just trust me on this one!
IMPORTANT KITCHEN NOTE: This recipe is a breeze to whip up (it took me a total of *5 minutes* to prep + get in the oven) but a heads up that it needs 3-4 hours in the oven, so just plan ahead. It’s worth the wait, I promise.
Keep reading for the full recipe, including a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing.
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Caramelized Cabbage with Carrots & Onions
Serves 4
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