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With cabbage harvests taking place, now’s a good time to make Cole slaw or to learn how to if you’ve never made it before. Many find Cole slaw an inexpensive and nice side dish to a meal.

For homemade Cole slaw, though, you’ll find numerous recipes on the Internet and among the thousands of cook books printed. But the one recipe I like using, actually, the only one I use, is my grandmother’s recipe.

As I mentioned several months ago, my grandmother added sugar to just about every recipe, and her Cole slaw recipe called for more sugar than other recipes I’ve tried.

To start, you’ll need the following ingredients:

1/2 head of cabbage
1/4 cup of sugar
½ cup of shredded or chopped carrots
4 tablespoons of vinegar
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ tsp. of pepper (optional)

Take your washed cabbage and remove any loose leaves or medium-to-dark green leaves. Slice it in half, and using a food processor or a mini chopper, chop the cabbage. Place the

cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Chop or shred your carrots. Add those in the bowl with the cabbage and mix well.

Pour your vinegar in a sauce pan and add the sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Then, add the vinegar and sugar mixture to the cabbage and carrots, mixing until all of the cabbage and carrots are moist.

Now you’re ready to add your mayonnaise. Stir in the mayonnaise, covering all of the cabbage and carrot mixture. Add your pepper – this ingredient is optional. Then, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to an hour, or you can leave the slaw in the refrigerator until dinner or lunch.

You can also prepare this recipe without using the vinegar, adding sugar to the cabbage and carrot mixture. The sugar takes a little longer to dissolve, meaning the granules may be obvious if served right away.

This Southern-style slaw tastes delicious on barbeque sandwiches as well as hamburgers and hot dogs.

 – Bobbie Whitehead