My mother was an elementary school teacher – back in the days when the ABC’s were more important than teaching political correctness. Her mother was also a teacher – before college degrees were required for educators.
Grandma (Rosa Ragnhild) was born in 1905, the 7th of the 12 Mathre children living on a farm near Helmar, Illinois. Education was so important to her parents, that every one of their kids was sent to Pleasant View Lutheran Academy in Ottowa.
Grandma and her best friend actually “tag-teamed” their junior and senior years so that they could graduate a year early. After a summer school session for teacher training, she earned her certificate. Rosa taught in a little country school for several years before getting married and starting a family of her own.
This is one of the books she taught from:
In this age of sensory over-stimulation, I doubt many 3rd graders would get into that book!
Mom also taught 3rd grade at John Ericsson Elementary School in Minneapolis, having received her Bachelor of Arts and teaching certificate from Illinois State Normal. I had her as substitute teacher several times, which was pretty cool. Let me tell you, one of the biggest challenges in the classroom was remembering to call her Mrs. Gustafson, instead of “Mom”.
I think of this salad as the ABC’s – Apple, Blueberry, Cabbage. While trying to include more fermented foods and vinegar – when I’m not a fan of either – this has been a great transitional food for me. Cabbage and/or cole slaw is WAY down on my list of preferred foods, but with this simple dressing it becomes much more than tolerable. I actually like this!
If your apple cider vinegar bottle has all sorts of stuff floating in it, don’t be alarmed! That stuff, called the “mother”, is what makes vinegar good for you. Just shake the bottle and know that you’re doing something your body will appreciate.
I’ve been using local raw honey infused with sage for many recipes recently. It adds another layer of flavour to the dressing, and health benefits on top of that. Check back in another week for that post.
I purchased a sampler pack of Falksalt online, and found this was the perfect time to toss in some citron salt. It adds a little bit of zip and zing, and a little crunch to the salad.
Apple Blueberry Cabbage Salad
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 large tart/sweet apple, diced
- 1/4 cup dried wild blueberries (Trader Joe’s)
- For dressing:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (remember to shake the bottle first – the flecks in there are desirable)
- 3 Tbsp raw sage-infused honey
- 2 Tbsp honey dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients, and pour over cabbage and apple chunks, coating well. Toss in dried blueberries.
- Allow to stand in the refrigerator for a couple hours for the flavours to mingle.
