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It's recipe using one of the cruciferous vegetables today -- cabbage. This high in fiber and vitamin C, strong-scented veggie has been a food staple since ancient times. It was one of the Romans favorite vegetables, however, the Greeks also ate it but was definitely not one of their favorites. They believed that eating cabbage could prevent drunkenness. True, of course, but only if the cabbage was consumed rather than the alcohol. Oh, brother.

Anyway, cabbage is a good "keeper" when stored properly. When I'm going to keep it longer than a week or two, I peel off the outside leaves and wrap it completely in paper towel, put it in a plastic bag, squeezing all the air out of the bag, and seal it. When I had a big garden I kept heads of cabbage in the fridge for a month or more. Didn't have room for anything else, but I had cabbage. Needless to say, I made a lot of sauerkraut but that's for another column.

In my extremely small garden that I have now, I planted three late Dutch flat-head cabbage plants and a couple of weeks ago I harvested one that weighed 7 pounds. We enjoyed about seven different meals out of that head.

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Obviously, it's about cabbage today. One recipe after another. Let's start with . . .

FRUITED CABBAGE SALAD

1-8 oz. can crushed pineapple

1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 T. sugar

1-1/2 t. cider vinegar (can use white vinegar, but cider gives a better flavor)

1/8 t. salt

4 c. shredded cabbage (about 1 lb.)

1 c. thinly sliced celery

1/2 c. seedless red grapes (if small, leave whole; if large, cut in half)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

1 medium banana, sliced

Drain pineapple; save 2 T. juice (drink the rest). Set pineapple aside.

In large bowl, using a wire whisk, beat together the 2 T. juice, mayo, sugar, vinegar and salt. Add pineapple, cabbage, celery and grapes; toss gently until well-coated.

Cover and refrigerate at least two hours to blend flavors, stirring gently occasionally.

When ready to serve, fold in bananas and sprinkle nuts over top. Makes 6-8 servings.

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CHEDDAR CABBAGE WEDGES

1 medium head cabbage (about 3 lbs.)

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1/4 c. diced onion

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/4 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

2 c. milk

3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. mayor or salad dressing

3 T. bottled chili sauce

Cut cabbage into eight wedges, leaving a part of the core on each wedge.

Steam or cook wedges in water in a large kettle or Dutch oven for 10-15 minutes or until just tender when poked with a pointy knife.

Drain; let cool a bit and slice off core, being careful so the wedges don't fall apart. Put wedges in a 3-qt. baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, saute pepper and onion in butter till tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook till bubbly and smooth, stirring constantly. Slowly add milk,* cook and stir till thickened. Pour over cabbage.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine cheese and chili sauce; spoon over wedges. Return to oven for 5-7 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

*I heat the milk till hot to speed up thickening time.

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HALUSHKI

(Cabbage with Noodles)

1 large onion, diced

5 T. butter or margarine, divided

2 strips bacon, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 medium head cabbage (about 3 lbs.) cored, chopped, cooked in small amount of water under just tender with a little bit of crunch, and drained

half of a 16 oz. pkg. wide egg noodles or bow-tie pasta, cooked until just tender and drained

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, over medium heat, saute onion, 2 T. butter, bacon and garlic, stirring until golden brown. Add cabbage and 3 T. butter, stirring until butter is melted. Stir in noodles or bow-ties; heat through, stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: I make this dish often, especially when it's a "bring something to pass" kinda deal. But, I make small egg noodle dumplings and oh-my, is that good!

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CREAMED CABBAGE SOUP

2 cans chicken broth (14-1/2 oz. each)

2 celery ribs, diced

1 medium head cabbage (about 3 lbs.) shredded (not real fine)

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium carrot, sliced about 1/4-inch thick

1/4 c. butter or margarine

3 T. flour

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 c. lite cream (half and half)

1 c. milk

2 c. cooked, diced ham

1/2 t. dried thyme

fresh parsley, snipped (about 1 T.)

In a large kettle or Dutch oven, combine first five ingredients; bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or till veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour, salt and pepper; stirring until smooth. Combine cream and milk; gradually add to flour mixture (here again I heat the milk/cream mixture first), stirring constantly. Cook and stir till thickened; continue cooking one minute longer. Gradually stir in veggie mixture. Add ham and thyme and heat through. Garnish with parsley. Makes 8-10 servings.

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Thought for today: Those who say "work well done" never needs redoing, never weeded a garden.

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