• 1 head green cabbage
• salt (up to 3/4 teaspoon)
• pepper (up to 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 strips fried bacon (optional)

Remove any tough, withered, or discolored outer leaves from the head of cabbage.  Slice the head into quarters.   The cabbage grows from the blossom end of the vine and where the blossom was, that is where the core is.  The core is a cone-shaped, tough center that you need to remove before cooking, even though leaving it on will help your quarters retain their shape.  Remove the thick center triangle from the core end: it is about 1-2 inches wide at the base and tapers to a point about 3 inches up from base.

Leave the cabbage head quarters on the cutting board for a moment and place 2 inches of water in a 3-quart pot.  Remember 1 finger knuckle is about 1 inch from the tip of your finger or the next knuckle.  Put your finger on the bottom of the cold pot and add water until it reaches the second knuckle from your finger tip for 2 inches of water.  Put the pot of water on a stovetop burner and turn the heat on to high.  If you like the taste of  bacon, add the two strips of fried bacon now.  Bring the water to a boil.  Add the four cabbage head quarters to the boiling water.  Liberally sprinkle the cabbage with salt and pepper.  With the heat still on high, cook the cabbage as the water returns to a boil.  When the water reaches its second boil, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to medium (5 on a scale of 0-10) and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, lift the quarters out with a meat fork or serving fork, and serve warm.  Each person gets 1/4 of the cabbage head.  You can cut the quarters into smaller portions to serve more people.  Some people like spice up their cabbage with Trappey’s pepper vinegar or Tabasco sauce.