Get your daily dose of vegetables with cabbage wine from Yamanashi

Never had cabbage wine, somehow doesn't appeal, probably because of my upbringing. What British cooks do to cabbage is nothing short of evil.

But mum's beetroot wine!

That was wonderful!

The cabbage wine sounds interesting, and I'm all in favour of surplus crops being put to good use instead of dumped to rot in the fields to keep the price up. Good on Narusawa Town!

Totally agree with Bertie regarding what old school British cooks used to do to cabbage - also spinach and virtually every leafy green bar lettuce!

Beetroot is a great veg. Its ability to stain everything a lurid pink opens up endless possibilities for getting finnicky kids to eat, especially little girls. For the grown-ups, apart from the usual salads and stuff it's great in a tart with onions, goats cheese and nuts. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

http://www.lovefood.com/guide/recipes/13898/diana-henrys-beetroot-goats-cheese-and-hazelnut-tart

Cleo,

Totally agree with you about beetroot. For some reason it's easily available and cheap in Okinawa. Lovely pickled! The leaves are good too!

Here's a thought. I might put some beetroot juice in a cheese. It would look great!

Couldn't do that with cabbage!

bass4funk,

Here's a beetroot recipe for you:

Smother it with cheese. Grill it to within an inch of its life. Dump ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, thousand island and barbecue sauce all over it, slap it in a MacDonalds bun and I bet you would pronounce it delicious.

It would go beautifully with your Collard Green wine!

Sure, why not? I'd try it. However, I imagine that gassy emissions from either end would be indistinguishable...

Cleo,

I thought about beetroot in cheese, too - mix it in before pressing the curds, to get a pinky marbled effect?

Nice idea!

I cook the leaves like chard. Very nice!

Now that might be an interesting idea. Instead of cabbage wine, maybe we could suggest that they make a beetroot leaf wine!

That would be unusual!

What do you do with the leaves? The young ones (from thinnings) work as baby leaves in salad, but by the time the root is big enough to pull the leaves are a bit tough-looking and I've been just composting them, thinking it was a waste as I was doing it.

Not sure if you're talking about sugar beet or kabu beet, Cleo, but for kabu, you can use the leaves as greens for nimono, pickles, stir-fries, sauteed veg or purees. They add depth to a tapenade. Easiest of all: one more veg for your vegetable soup.

lucabrasi,

It was meant to be sarcastic.

"And some fell on stony ground . . ."

(Mark 4:5)

Tried it, hated it, the taste for me and my family was just NOT our thing

You tried the recipe I posted a link to? That was quick! Good on you for giving it a try and not being influenced by your preconceived conceptions.

now Collard greens that sounds quite good, although in Japan it is a bit more difficult to get "Greens" love them, love them, in Japan almost can never find them.

If no one will sell it to you, try growing your own. Most leafy stuff can be grown in a planter.

Bertie, no beetroot in the shops here (that I've seen, at least) but it's doing fine in the allotment, had two beety meals out of it so far this year with more still to come.

I thought about beetroot in cheese, too - mix it in before pressing the curds, to get a pinky marbled effect?

What do you do with the leaves? The young ones (from thinnings) work as baby leaves in salad, but by the time the root is big enough to pull the leaves are a bit tough-looking and I've been just composting them, thinking it was a waste as I was doing it.

I am no wine connoisseur, just a regular imbiber, but I gag at the thought and hope JT will drop this item soon so we don't have to see this awful headline anymore.

JeffLee,

Reading your post brought up an image of a scene in a restaurant:

"Permit me to check monsieur's order. Monsieur will be having double large baked beans on toast and chili con carne, with a salad of artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, peas, radishes, and raw potatoes, followed by banana and sweet potato fritters."

"And to go with this, monsieur would like a magnum of cabbage wine."

"Perhaps, in deference to the sensitivities of other diners, monsieur would not object to enjoying his repast on the verandah."

Nessie, it's red beetroot leaves. They seem a lot tougher than kabu leaves. Tried them in a stir-fry once, didn't go down well.

cleo, pardon for interjecting - what about stewed? like with collard greens or kale?

Beetroot is a great veg. Its ability to stain everything a lurid pink opens up endless possibilities for getting finnicky kids to eat, especially little girls.

My kids hated it.

For the grown-ups, apart from the usual salads and stuff it's great in a tart with onions, goats cheese and nuts. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

Tried it, hated it, the taste for me and my family was just NOT our thing, but then again, it's NOT that popular in the states either, but hey, knock yourself out and enjoy. I'll happily stick to my spinach. Wonder if they will ever make a spinach wine? @Tokiyo, now Collard greens that sounds quite good, although in Japan it is a bit more difficult to get "Greens" love them, love them, in Japan almost can never find them. That might make for a good wine making perhaps.

@Bertie

Once you've smothered it with cheese, grilled it, and added ketchup, mustard, thousand island and barbecue sauces, you might as well be eating a sock! There'd be no beetroot taste at all....

@Bertie

Oops! The generally earnest tone of your posts thus far had me fooled....

Looks interesting, I'd try it, beet root, what vile vegetable. How anyone can stomach that one is beside me.

Cabbage wine, eh? Would go well with egg curry. I could then sell my emissions for a profit as a renewable energy.

I was thinking of the Viz comic character, Johnny Fartpants. His favorite dinner was egg curry and cabbage water. Why not make it cabbage wine, eh?