Cabbage

Dorothea Sibley of Manchester, Wash., was looking for a recipe for a corned-beef-and-cabbage casserole similar to the one that she had from the 1940s, taken from a label on a can of corned beef. Renee Fajgier Kucowski of Lawrenceville, N.J., sent in a recipe that her father shared with her for the casserole. She says that even though she is not a big fan of corned beef and cabbage, she loves this casserole. I must admit I had never made anything with canned corned beef before. Its appearance is a bit off-putting, but if you can get beyond that, this casserole could be a nice alternative to the traditional corned-beef-and-cabbage meal.

Can I give blood orange, tangerine or other citrus trees as gifts, as long as they will be kept indoors? Marylanders can successfully grow citrus trees as indoor plants, usually summering them outside. Each clay or wood container must be at least 20 inches by 30 inches with plenty of drainage holes in the bottom. Soil moisture is crucial, but citrus roots also need lots of oxygen. Water well when leaves begin to droop. Provide ample light. They do well in a southern-facing window or sunroom.

During winter, people might eye cabbages and kales for eating, but their relatives, ornamental cabbages and kales, can fill a different kind of hunger -- visual cravings on cold, gray days. "They're grown strictly for the foliage and the different texture they add for the winter months," says Leonard Ichimoto, retail manager at Belmont Nursery in Fresno, Calif. So make sure your landscape isn't devoid of color by planting ornamental cabbages and kales. Not only will they thrive in the cold, their showy leaves will become more vivid as the temperatures become cooler.

I have never used bagged, precut cabbage for coleslaw but would like to do so because of the convenience. Is it as good as doing my own from a head of cabbage, in flavor as well as in texture? I have used the bagged cabbage, and have shredded my own as well. Frankly, if it's fresh, the difference in either texture or taste is imperceptible - once all the other stuff goes into the mix. Make sure, though, that the sale date on the bag is still well within the limit and the shredded cabbage does not look wilted or discolored.

When it comes to cabbage, think pink. Cabbage contains indoles, a chemical that can rid the body of excess estrogen, lowering a woman's risk for breast cancer. In ancient cultures, cabbage was considered a medicine. More recently, the National Cancer Institute has found that consuming cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, may prevent a variety of cancers. This chopped salad offers several twists to the typical summer coleslaw. For instance, chopped celery is a common ingredient, but fennel adds a sweet crunchiness while providing a vitamin A and a fair amount of calcium, phosphorous and potassium.

The sweet flavor of oranges in this dish is balanced by a fairly assertive mustard flavor. If you prefer mustard to be less prominent, cut back to 2 teaspoons. Six cups of cabbage may seem like a lot, but bear in mind that it "shrinks" once dressed, and you'll end up with about 4 cups of salad. When you want orange segments, first peel an orange. Use a small paring knife to cut on each side of the membranes; wedge-shaped segments will pop right out. ORANGE COLESLAW Serves 6 1/2 cup light mayonnaise 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 cups shredded cabbage segments from 2 medium oranges, coarsely chopped Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar, orange zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Thursday, most of the glory will go to the cooks of Thanksgiving dinner. But it is also a day that we gardeners can strut our stuff. If we can claim that any Thanksgiving fare -- squash, greens, even the hated Brussels sprouts -- has come from our garden, then we can brag about this accomplishment for months. The opportunity, for example, to boast that you had garden tomatoes on Thanksgiving is part of what motivates us to start rolling in the dirt in April. Having Thanksgiving tomatoes ranks right up there with having ripe tomatoes on the Fourth of July as a milestone of gardening prowess, even if the tomatoes that appear on both those occasions taste like cardboard.

If you go ... The Korean-American Festival is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the War Memorial Plaza, Fayette and Gay streets. In addition to food, there will be traditional dances, tae kwon do demonstrations and games. Free. Call 410-625-2442. Serves 8 to 10 WHOLE CABBAGE KIMCHI 5 pounds napa cabbage 1 1/4 cups sea or kosher salt (divided use); more if needed STUFFING: 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour or all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons salted shrimp or salted anchovy 1 cup hot red pepper powder 1 pound Korean radishes, peeled and cut into matchsticks 1 hot red Korean pepper, seeded, deribbed and cut diagonally into 1/4 -inch strips 1 hot green Korean pepper or jalapeno, seeded, deribbed and cut diagonally into 1/4 -inch strips 6 green onions, white and pale-green part only, cut diagonally into 1/2 -inch pieces 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped 4 walnut halves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon grated ginger 1/2 cup sugar; more if needed 1 tablespoon lemon juice Wash and drain the cabbage.

A few years ago, Sung Sook Choi of Columbia tried storing her kimchi the old-fashioned way, by burying it in an earthenware jar in the ground. But the Maryland winter wasn't cold enough, and the kimchi spoiled. Now she relies on a special refrigerator, called a dimchae, to preserve her kimchi (also spelled kimchee). She prepares this quintessential Korean food about once a month and eats it every day. The refrigerator keeps her kimchi at 40 degrees. Kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish, has a long history in Korea.

You don't have to be a Gen Y-er to feel as if you're up on (or is that down with?) the current crazes, technologies and celebrities. But when it comes to actually explaining how plasma TV is better or who Star Jones Reynolds is -- well, that's another thing altogether. Admit it. You're not sure whether South Beach is a fad diet or a new MTV reality show. Or both. And what does DSL stand for, anyway? The following quiz should give you a better idea of just how au courant you really are. We started with a much longer list and winnowed it down to 21 must-know words, terms or names for the 21st century (or at least for 2006)