Coleslaw is a classic side dish that is loved for its crunchy texture and tangy flavor. While coleslaw is commonly enjoyed fresh, canning or freezing coleslaw allows you to preserve this delicious dish for later use.
Prep Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Water Bath or Steam Canning Time15 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cabbage, Canning, Coleslaw, Freezing, Steam Canning, Water Bath Canning
Clean jars and lids with warm soapy water. Ensure the jars do not have any chips or bubbles in the glass.
Wash and peel your carrot. Peel your onion. Wash cabbage under cold water, remove the outer large leaves, and cut cabbage into quarters and core.
Using a food processor in batches shred all your vegetables. Place them in a glass bowl and stir them to combine. Add the salt to the vegetables and toss well.
Let the vegetables stand for 1 hour (The salt will help remove some of the water from the vegetables.)
Using a colander drain the water from the vegetables.
Rinse vegetables thoroughly and drain well again to reduce the salt content.
Prepare your cannerUsing Water Bath Canner:Put your water bath canner on your stove. Add your canning rack to the water bath canner. Add your pint jars to the water bath canner. They will warm as you heat the water. Add enough water to cover jars with at least 2-3 inches of water. Start to bring your water to a boil.Using a Steam Canner:Put your steam canner on your stove. Add the steam canner rack to the bottom of the steam canner. Add the recommended amount of water to the steam canner according to the manufacturer. Add your pint jars to the steam canner. Put the lid on your steam canner and start your stove. The jars will warm as you heat your steam canner.
In a large stainless steel pot, combine vinegar, water, sugar, celery seeds, and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil for 1 minute.
Cool syrup to room temperature.
Add vegetables to cooked syrup and mix well.
Once you have hot jars and the coleslaw mixture. Water Bath Canner:Remove your jars from the water bath canner one at a time using your jar lifter. Dump the water out of the jar into your water bath canner to ensure there is still 2-3 inches of water above your jars.Steam Canner:Remove the steam canner lid and remove your jars one at a time using your jar lifter.
Pack coleslaw into a hot pint jar, leaving a generous 1/2 inch (1 cm) headspace.
Ladle hot syrup into the jar to cover the vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch (1 cm) headspace. Use your headspace measurer to verify space.
Remove any air bubbles with your de-bubbler and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot syrup.
Wipe the rim of the jar to ensure a good seal is made with the lid. Center the lid on the jar and add the band to fingertip tight. Put the jar back into the canner using your jar lifter.
Repeat until all jars are filled.
ProcessingWater Bath Canner:Lower the water bath canner rack into the boiling water. Ensure your jars are covered by at least 2 inches of water.If your water is not boiling start your processing time when the water is boiling. Process pint jars for 15 minutes. Make sure to adjust your time for altitude.Set a timer, it makes it much easier to make sure you process for the correct time. When your timer goes off turn off the heat and remove the canner lid.Leave the jars in the water for 5 minutes.Steam Canner:Put the lid on the steam canner. Turn your stove on high until your steam canner water comes to a vigorous boil. Continue heating so the indicator is in the correct "Zone" per your altitude. Start your processing time when the needle reaches the maximum point you have tested your steam canner to reach in your "Zone".Adjust the burner so that it maintains an even rolling boil throughout the entire processing time. Usually, this will be much lower than where it was set for the vigorous boil. If the top lid is lifting and/or spitting water from the edges this is an indication that you have the heat turned up too high. Slowly reduce the heat until this stops. Watch the indicator to ensure the temperature does not decrease.The processing times for steam canning are the same as for water bath canning. Process pint jars for 15 minutes.Make sure to adjust your time for altitude. Set a timer, it makes it much easier to make sure you process for the correct time.When your timer goes off turn off the heat and let the canner stand for 5 minutes with the lid on before removing the jars. The lid MUST remain ON the canner during this time. This cool-down period is necessary to ensure the jar contents are properly processed.Carefully remove the lid by tilting it away from you to avoid steam burns.Freezing:Put coleslaw into freezer containers and freeze. Leftovers may also be frozen.
Using your jar lifer carefully move the jars onto a wire rack or kitchen towel to allow them to cool. When moving the jars try not to tilt them to the side as this could affect the seal of the jars. Allow your jars to cool for 12-24 hours before handling.
Once cool, remove the canning rings from the jars. Wash your jars off to ensure no food residue is on the outside of the jar from processing. Label your jar with the name of the recipe and date. This will help you remember what recipe you used to can and the date will allow you to use the oldest canned goods first.
Notes
This slaw can be drained before use and mayonnaise added or we love to use it just as it is.