Canned cabbage
Q. Can you cook red cabbage and can it after it's cooked? I don't like the recipes I've seen and would like to have my own.
Hilde J, e-mail
A. I'm not aware of a recipe for canning cooked cabbage unless it's pickled or sauerkraut. I checked my home-canning books and called Ball and didn't come up with anything. I'm sure plenty of people have pressure canned it based on older recipes, but without a reputable reference source that shares an updated, safe and specific method or recipe, I wouldn't recommend it. It can be frozen (shred or chop small wedges, water blanch then freeze) or dehydrated. If you're interested in a pickled red cabbage recipe, visit thekitchn.com/thekitchn/how-to/how-to-make-easy-pickled-red-cabbage-109916, or get your hands on a recent Ball Blue Book for a spiced red cabbage recipe.
Q. I need easy cheap ideas for cleaning grass stains. My son comes home from school with grass stains a lot of days. I use OxiClean spray, but it is expensive. We are trying to be frugal now, and I want him to get by on three to four pairs of pants, so I want something that will be gentle on fabric and not something too hard to prepare. A pre-mixed stain spray would be good. Ammonia is pretty strong to me, and I don't like it. I have read about vinegar for grass stains. What about the cheap Dollar General stain sprays?
Amanda W., Wisconsin
A. Vinegar works. Soak the jeans overnight in vinegar and water (1 part vinegar to two parts water) after rubbing the solution into the jeans, and launder as usual. You can use dish liquid rubbed into the jeans. Rinse and launder as usual. Or pre-treat with an enzyme laundry detergent such as Biz, Wisk or Era. Lisa from Indiana shared the following stain spray recipe and two other stain-fighting options: Pour ½ cup rubbing alcohol, ½ cup hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup clear Dawn and ¼ cup water into spray bottle and shake.
It really works. If it doesn't work, rub the stain with a bar of Fels Naptha soap or soak in ½ cup powdered Cascade and ½ cup Clorox 2 in a big bucket of hot water and let soak overnight, and then launder as usual.
Fortunately for me, my wife is on the Atkins diet. I bought 5 pounds of bananas last week (she can't eat them), and they are getting ripe. The following is how I made banana pudding from scratch: In a blender combine 2½ cups milk, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt and 3 eggs until smooth. Pour mixture into a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir like the dickens until it starts boiling. Turn heat off and stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon butter. Slice 1 banana and stir in. Slice the other banana and float the slices. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on if you want.
Lee, New York
Sara Noel founded Frugal Village (frugalvillage.com), a website that offers practical, money-saving strategies for everyday living. Send tips, comments or questions to Sara Noel, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or sara@frugalvillage.com.