I know that things are going to “get wild” around here pretty soon, so I’m getting a head start on “vegucation” about the vegetables grown on the farm. This article is about cabbage.
The cabbage grown at Wild Things is a mix of mini-cabbages including a purple cabbage, savoy cabbage, and green cabbage. The heads are about the size of a softball, and are a great size for a meal, without tons of leftovers to deal with. Cabbage is a cool-weather crop, so it’s planted in the spring and the fall.
Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin K, which both benefit the liver. Cabbage contains indoles, naturally occurring nitrogenous compounds known to lower the risk of a variety of cancers, including lung, colon, breast, and ovarian. Cabbage also contains manganese, calcium, potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, folate, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and tryptophan.
The potent sulfur-containing compound sinigrin in cabbage helps detoxify carcinogens in the body, but this is also partly responsible for the strong odor when cooking cabbage. To get the maximum health benefits from cabbage (as well as other vegetables), thinly slice the raw leaves and eat them raw in recipes, or saute or steam them quickly with other veggies and herbs to retain their freshness and flavor.
Cabbage can be stored in the crisper for several weeks. I like to wrap it in a plastic grocery bag so it can breathe, but still maintain moisture. If some of the outer leaves get a little wimpy, just peel them off and toss in the compost pile.
One of my favorite ways to prepare cabbage is to pour 1 or 2 tbs evoo in a pan, heat it on medium heat, add a sliced onion, sliced cabbage and stir it around a little to get the veggies coated with oil and they start to cook a little. Add a dash of water and put a lid on the pan. Steam the cabbage until tender, add salt and pepper, dash of hot sauce if you like, and serve.
The statistics on cabbage were gleaned from The Herb Companion, March 2009.
Wild Things Farm 