By Labor Day weekend. The last holiday of summer, the unofficial pivot to fall, and this year it carries additional weight because it is the last Labor Day before Mama moves to Charleston. Every "last" from now until February will be heavy. The last Thanksgiving in Beaufort. The last Christmas in the parsonage. The last time Mama makes cornbread dressing in the kitchen where she learned to make cornbread dressing. I am keeping a mental catalog of lasts, which is a librarian's way of grieving: we classify things, even the things that break our hearts.
Robert has begun preparing the house for Mama and Joy. He spent Saturday measuring the guest room for new furniture and Sunday in his workshop building a bookshelf for Joy's room. The bookshelf is small and simple — Joy doesn't read, but she likes to display things: photographs, drawings from her art class, the stuffed animals she has collected over forty years. Robert is building a shelf for Joy's treasures, and the building is an act of welcome that speaks louder than any words he could offer.
We had a quiet cookout — just the family. I made deviled eggs and coleslaw and Robert grilled chicken, and we ate on the piazza and the evening was soft and gold and the harbor reflected the last light of summer. James talked about his college essay. Carrie talked about the books she's reading. Robert talked about the bookshelf. I listened and thought: this is the family that will absorb Mama and Joy. This house, already full of books and love and the residue of twenty years of dinners, will now hold two more people and their histories and their needs, and it will expand to fit them, because that is what houses do when they are built on love rather than architecture.
I made Mama's coleslaw for the cookout — the vinegar-based kind, not the creamy kind, because Mama considers creamy coleslaw a Northern affectation. Her coleslaw is sharp, bright, tangy — cabbage and carrots dressed in apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seed. It is the coleslaw of the Lowcountry, the kind that cuts through the richness of grilled meat and fried fish and reminds you that vegetables are not a supporting cast. They are the backbone.
So here it is—Mama’s coleslaw, the one I made for our last-summer cookout on the piazza, the one that sat beside Robert’s grilled chicken while the harbor turned gold. It is the simplest recipe I know how to make, and maybe that is why it carries so much weight: there is nothing to hide behind, no cream or mayonnaise to soften the edges. It is just cabbage and vinegar and the memory of every cookout Mama ever hosted in Beaufort, and I am writing it down now because the lasts are coming, and a librarian preserves what she loves.
Mama’s Vinegar Coleslaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Toss the sliced cabbage and grated carrots together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the dressing. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the apple cider vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, celery seed, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture just begins to simmer, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Dress the slaw. Pour the warm dressing over the cabbage and carrots. Toss well to coat every strand. The cabbage will seem underdressed at first but will soften and release liquid as it sits.
- Chill. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the best flavor. Toss again before serving.
- Serve. Use a slotted spoon to serve alongside grilled chicken, pulled pork, fried fish, or anything that needs a bright, sharp counterpoint.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 130 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg