RECIPE: Hearty Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage)
Now that we've covered growing cabbage in the EarthBox® container gardening system, we're here with a hearty recipe to savor the last little bit of March.
This is How We (Cabbage) Roll
We know, we know–some of you are thinking "but this has MEAT in it!"
After careful consideration, we decided on this recipe because it's so diverse and naturally gluten-free, and the vast majority of our customers are omnivores. And a lot of our customers know that EarthBox was previously based in Scranton, PA–where there is a large Polish population; so maybe we were channeling the food from our roots in NEPA (Northeastern PA) with this Halupki dish, too. If you are vegetarian or vegan, we're sorry to offend, but we welcome you to post your own stuffed cabbage recipes in the comments below, and give us something new to try.
Many countries have their own versions of stuffed cabbage (or peppers) with their own unique ingredients; and we like to think of someone's little grandma making this in her kitchen, passing down her recipe to the next generation. This is our twist on traditional Halupki, adding some kale for extra texture and veggies in this meat-driven dish.
While it takes more time than one might have during the week, enjoy it on the weekend or on a rainy/chilly day, and consider serving it alongside some Haluski.
RECIPE: Hearty Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage)
For all of our recipes, we will try to list suitable substitutions for vegetarian/ vegan, and/or gluten-free diets if applicable.
Serves 10-12 (1 roll per serving)
What You'll Need:
- 1 large head of green cabbage
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground turkey (or pork)
- 1lb. ground chicken (or sweet chicken sausage, casings removed)
- 3/4 cup chopped kale (or a 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley)
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 2 eggs
- 2 small yellow onions (or 1 large onion)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Sweet paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- 30 oz. plain tomato sauce/ purée
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Let's Get Cooking:
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Wash cabbage and place in a pot with water. Cover and steam until leaves begin to separate and cabbage is tender. While cabbage steams, mix meats, eggs, rice, onion, garlic, kale, 2 dashes of paprika, dash of salt, and 3 dashes of pepper together in a bowl. Do not over-mix the meat, just incorporate ingredients well.
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When cabbage is done, reserve cabbage water and transfer head to a colander. Run under cool water as you carefully peel the leaves off.
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When you have 12 large leaves, pat each dry with a paper towel and cut the vein out from each leaf in a "V" shape. Reserve remaining cabbage for the sauce.
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Take a cabbage leaf and place it on a flat surface with the cut vein side to the right. Scoop a generous portion of meat mixture into the bottom of the leaf, fold the sides in, and roll from the bottom up. Place roll in a greased deep baking dish. Repeat until all 12 rolls are done and packed into the baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°.
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While oven preheats, combine tomato purée, sugar, and vinegar in a saucepan. Add 2 cups of the cabbage water, a couple dashes of paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Dice leftover cabbage and add to sauce. Bring sauce to a light boil, stirring frequently. Pour sauce over top of cabbage rolls, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 1 hour or until meat is no longer pink inside.
Enjoy!
Tell us: what do you put in your cabbage rolls?
If I plant a blueberry bush in the Root and Veg Earthbox, what is the method and schedule to replenish fertilizer? What about replacing the plastic cap as it inevitably wears out? How would one do this without disturbing the plant too much or making a huge hole in the next plastic cap to fit down over the bush?
I’d love to also know the same for planting blackberry bushes in the EarthBox Original?
You'd follow our instructions for the initial set up, except do not add dolomite to the blueberry bush. When you have to replace the cover, the only way for these plants is to create a big hole in the cover and then tape it back up after you have it in place. We'd recommend adding another pound of our 7-7-7 fertilizer (or another equivalent, slow-release fertilizer) every 3-4 months. That generally lasts 1 growing season, which for the majority of crops grown in the EarthBox is no more than 120 days. Blueberries and blackberries are one of the few perennials that can be successfully grown in the EarthBox.
Which size is best for blueberries the orginal size? Or the deep root n veggie size?
Can nursery recommended acidic soil/ Azelia soil be used in earthboxes for blueberries?
You can grow blueberries in either of those EarthBox sizes, though we recommend the Root & Veg since its depth is more conducive to the plant. You can forgo using dolomite with blueberries, but ensure the pH is somewhere between 4.5-5.5. We still recommend following our growing media recommendations listed here: https://earthbox.com/learning-center/recommended-growing-media
I have my SEASCAPE Day-neutral strawberry seeds in hand. These will be planted indoors, in a grow tent, under LED quantum panels in the EarthBox. I have never planted strawberries of any kind, so Im eager to get this party started. Will provide updates. Too bad we can't attach pics.
~Kbore
NEWS FLASH from Kbore about Seascape seeds: Hybrid strawberry seeds are NOT true to the variety, if they sprout at all. I may have seascape seeds in hand (rip-off) but they will not produce the same plant as the seed donor. To grow the true variety, you must have live/ dormant plant starts from that variety.
On the subject of plant starts, it's too hot to ship live plants in the middle of July (in Zone 6A where I live), so don't expect to buy strawberry seedlings mail-order: It's not going to happen.
Looks like mid-September-ish for me. As the late Tom Petty wrote: " Waiting is the hardest part".
~Kbore