No. 4035 — Trenches for Storing Cabbage
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 4035 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
In clear dry weather dig trenches on dry sandy land, shallower and narrower than those for root crops. Leave to dry for several hours.
Remove spare leaves from cabbage heads and lay the heads upside down, keeping them from touching.
Cover with sand from the trench, forming a mound half an arshin high and wider than the trench.
When the soil begins to freeze, cover the mound with manure.
The printed note proposes adding makhorka tobacco between sand layers to deter mice.
A second method, described in the same entry, washes potatoes, dips them in vigorously boiling water for four seconds, then dries them in a single row in open air.
The author claims this brief treatment suppresses sprouting and lets potatoes keep in a dark place until the following summer, citing Paris hotels and restaurants.