using things that are not quite right

One came from the garden and one used to be considered a discard, but is now very pricey.

This year my red cabbage did not form heads, but there were a lot of leaves.
Those leaves are considered to be discards normally because they are too tough.
I love my garden red cabbage because it simply has more flavor and color.
So i trimmed all the leaves the other warmish day and proceeded to prepare them.
The first is preparation after washing with warm to hot water.
The leaves are cut extremely thin.  You ask with the problems i have, how do i do this?
I do not know, but they are less than a millimeter in thickness, mostly.
They are then blanched in boiling water with my store bought pickling spice, some butter, an apple, 1 teaspoon of raw sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, a cored and sliced thin also and apple cider vinegar.
The heat is reduced to a simmer and the pot covered.  I let it go for an hour and when i am done - deliciousness!

The other item is sold in the stores as ox tails.  My mother did a preparation, which i do not have the recipe for, but brings back many memories.
Most cultures seem to have some form of use and because they are very flavorful, they are now a pricey product.
I used a single package of Ox tails, more than a pound, a pound of fresh carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths, 2 cups chopped celery, 1/4 cup minced parsley, 5 cloves of garlic, a cup of sliced mushrooms, 1 onion cut into eighths, 2 potatoes cut into eighths, 3 cups burgundy wine, 1 cup of beef broth, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of thyme and black pepper to taste .
I always brown any meat first, with the onions, with a bit of olive oil .  I add the garlic after the onion is translucent and the "deglaze" with one cup wine.
The thyme and black pepper are added and then the rest of the wine.
When this comes to a boil i add the remainder of the ingredients and reduce the heat to a simmer.
This is then covered and let cook for hours.
The meat falls off the bone, so i remove the bones before serving.
After removing the bones add the salt to taste, i use kosher salt because it dissolves better.
If i add i tablespoon of raw sugar in the last 30 minutes, It thicken up a little bit.
I serve with biscuits or bread.