Growing and Using Red Cabbage

Growing and Using Red Cabbage - brassica oleracea

I haven’t thought much about red cabbage for the last year as I had stopped growing it. However, my daughter has weekly deliveries from a well-known fresh vegetable/fruit supplier [she lives in London but, this company and several others providing a similar service operate throughout the country]. At this time of year she is receiving  a large, succulent and appetising red cabbage as part of her weekly vegetable provision.

I do like red cabbage - occasionally, and I particularly like it pickled. However, a head every week to deal with when you come home from work quite late each evening does really require some love and dedication. I have brought a couple of the heads home with me from her plentiful supply but, living on my own, I am finding them hard to get through.

I am pretty addicted to pickles and relishes and I do like pickled red cabbage but, I have found that while it requires a week or so to pickle properly, it doesn’t ‘sit’ too long.  Three months or so is about its limit so, unless you have a large family who will gallop through the supplies 1 or 2 heads of red cabbage are enough pickled.

It is an easy plant to grow and when it ‘heads up’ the vegetables are spectacular on your plot. They will sit there looking beautiful for a couple of weeks, maybe three but, will then split and will gradually become unusable.

While, in the past, I have used a few of these wonderful vegetables, I have been able to give only a few of them away and it has distressed me that I must compost those which are unused. Of course, the same can happen with all other types of cabbage but, possible imbibers are put off by the difficulties of cooking this vegetable.

I have now been stirred to revive a few of my past recipes and to plant them again this year!

 Growing Cabbage

Cabbage – one of the group of vegetables known as Brassicas which includes – Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, broccoli, calabrese, kale, mustard and even radishes. Brassicas are, not only my my favourite group of vegetables they are also one of the most healthy. Brassicas are also one of the vegetables which suits my heavy clay soil brilliantly. Gardeners on light, sandy or alluvial soils may find brassicas more difficult though, not impossible

o   Sowing and Growing

Cabbage suitable for harvesting from summer into autumn can be sown from February until early May although, early sowings should be done under cover – I start mine in my poly-tunnel – a cold but,  not outdoor environment. If you don’t have poly-tunnel, green house or cloche, start your sowings from late March into April although outdoor sowings can still be good when the ground has warmed up a bit.

Sowing cabbages is easy – provide a fine tilth or if that is not possible on your soil, add good quality compost and sow the seeds directly into the compost. Cover with more compost and water well. Don’t allow the seedbed to dry out and continue to water, if necessary until the young plants have grown on well.  Plant out when the young plants are sturdy and at the 6-7 true leaf stage. Water in well and keep watering [if necessary] until the young plants are established. Don’t leave the seedlings in the seedbed or pots too long as this can result in the plants bolting –[running to seed too early].  As with all brassicas, there is an optimum distance apart for the plants to achieve their full potential. This is the recommended distance for the biggest and best harvest. Usually the recommendation is for plants to be 45cm [18 inches] apart. However, for growers with small families or living alone who would prefer a smaller vegetable, try planting closer together – 30cm [12inches] is fine for all brassicas where the need is for smaller, more compact vegetables which can be harvested as needed.

o   Storing and Cooking

Cabbage should be cut as soon as it has reached a good sized, firm head. Most varieties won’t ‘sit’ too long in the ground. The heads will split and allow diseases and bugs to enter to the heart of the vegetable. It can be difficult to plant to ensure you have crops coming to maturity every few weeks so, if you can organise this with a neighbour [not always a successful manoeuvre].

Cabbages will stored usefully in the fridge [preferable in a plastic bag] for a week or more, red cabbages perhaps somewhat longer. They are the basic ingredient of coleslaw and, although white cabbage is normally used for this dish, any cabbage with a firm dense head will work well. They should be cooked – steamed or simmered for the minimum time, 3 – 5 minutes, seasoned, buttered and served quickly. Of course there are traditional recipes for Champ and Colcannon which are well worth trying. Red cabbage, which is very different, can be sliced finely and used in salads but make a wonderful vegetable dish when sliced finely and simmered with cider or wine vinegar, a little sugar, a spoonful of caraway seeds, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. This dish will take somewhat longer to cook than the normal 4-5 minutes used as a guide for cooking cabbage with a good dollop of butter and seasoning. For the red cabbage dish allow 30 – 40 minutes on very gentle heat. Of course, this is a simplified version of a more delightful dish.

o   Red Cabbages – this cabbage is a late summer into autumn variety and is often overlooked or left until the heads split, as there are so many other vegetables around. The most common variety offered by the main seed houses is Red Jewel F1 which is an excellent variety forming good solid heads though it doesn’t ‘sit’ too long once mature. Try also Redruth and from the Real Seed Catalogue Rouge Tete Noir.

o   Nutritional Value

Excellent Source of	Useful Amounts	Traces
Vitamins C and K	Vitamins A and folate	Vitamins –thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 pantothenic acid, E Minerals – calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese selenium
Cabbage is low in sodium [salt] and very low in fat and cholestrol

o   Pests and Diseases – although I know I’m exaggerating I sometimes think that every pest and bug homes in on brassicas!

Ø  Birds – pigeons love brassicas of all sorts, at any stage and at all times of the year. I have observed them sitting close bu while I’ve planted out young brassicas and have been down on the crop while I’ve gone to my shed to collect the netting to go over it. It is important also, to  make sure the netting is supported robustly well above the growing plants as they will sit on top of the netting, thus pushing it down to crop the young leaves through the netting.

Ø  Flea Beetles – tiny, shiny black beetles which, in an infestation, devastate your young transplants or seedlings. Usually the plants will grow through the damage from these pests in a normal year. If you feel they are causing too much damage try spraying with Py solution. I have tried walking slowly over the crop holding a large sheet of sticky plastic close to the plants. AS the bugs are aware of your presence they will jump and stick to the glue. I have tried this but, while it does work- somewhat, I think I prefer to leave the plants to deal with it. For many pests a regular spraying of SB plant Invigorator is excellent – this is an organic plant food [based on urea] which strengthens the plants to fight off predators. The only downsides are the time spent in spraying and the cost of the product – so far, only available on-line.

Ø  Caterpillars – of course we love to see the wonderful variety of butterflies around but, most of them will be homing-in on your barssicas. If you plan to use netting as a deterrent – I have watched butterflies sit on the netting and crawl through the small gaps to lay their eggs on my precious plants – they can’t get through environmesh [I think!]. My best recommendation is to assume the net is doing its job but, check the plants regularly for caterpillars and remove them.

Ø  Whitefly – hates wet years, loves dry years. They can be difficult to eradicate and they weaken the plants allowing in other pests and diseases. In a really good year for white fly, I have found that I was even breathing them in! As I approached the plants, clouds of them [thousands] would fly up and enter my eyes and lungs. Fortunately this is not an annual event but has been disturbing, none-the-less. Regular spraying with SB plant Invigorator and Py solution, though time consuming, seriously reduced the numbers and the damage they were provoking.

Ø  Aphids – of course aphids. In particularly wet years they are a major pest as the plants struggle to grow beyond them and in very dry years, for many crops, aphids [and their ant controllers] take advantage of the plants’ vulnerability. Keep the plants well watered in dry years and treat as above.

Pickled Red Cabbage

1 good sized head of red cabbage – [remove outer leaves and core and cut the cabbage into quarters]

Approx. 1 litre [2 pints] spiced vinegar

Salt

For Spiced Vinegar

1 litre [2 pints] malt vinegar or white vinegar

1 piece cinnamon bark, 2 – 3 dried red chillies, 5 – 6 whole cloves, few black peppercorns, few allspice berries, 2 – 3 fresh bay leaves

·        Put the spices with the vinegar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes then cool. Leave for a couple of hours for the spices and vinegar to blend.

·        It is often recommended that the spices should then be removed but, I prefer to add the whole spices to the jars of pickled cabbage

Method

·        Finely shred the cabbage quarters using a stainless steel knife.

·        Place the shredded cabbage in a bowl with layers of salt – this helps to remove the excess water.

·        Leave for 12 hours or so then drain the liquid off. Wash the cabbage well to remove the excess salt.

·        Pack the cabbage into suitable airtight jars.

·        Fill each jar with the cooled spiced vinegar – using a skewer [or similar tool] make sure all air bubbles have been removed. Cover and seal.

Sautéd Red Cabbage

1 medium sized red cabbage – outer leaves and core removed

1 cooking apple – peeled, cored and diced

1 onion – peeled and finely chopped

½ bottle light/fruity red wine                   50 gm [ 2 oz light brown sugar]

2 Tblsp – wine vinegar                             Seasoning to taste

A little rapeseed oil

Method

·        Heat the oil in a large saucepan and ‘sweat’ the onions – cook without browning.

·        Add all the remaining ingredients and stir gently until the mixture is simmering.

·        Cover the pan and simmer gently – stirring occasionally – until all the ingredients are softened. Add a little more liquid [water, wine] if necessary to prevent the mixture from sticking. This process may take 30 – 40 minutes.

·        Serve hot as an accompaniment to roast pork, ham or with vegetarian  dishes especially nut dishes.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

1 small head of red cabbage – outer leaves and central core removed

1 small to medium red onion or 2 -3 shallots – peeled and finely chopped

2 medium carrots – topped and tailed, peeled and finely shredded

1 good-sized handful of parsley – trimmed, washed and finely chopped

A handful of raisins or sultanas

Homemade Mayonnaise – a few good spoons full to bind the ingredients

Homemade Mayonnasise – recipe

1 egg yolk

½ tsp Dijon mustard [English is fine though I have a fondness for wholegrain mustard however inappropriate]

Cider or white wine vinegar – as appropriate

Salt and pepper – to taste

Oil – [ you can use olive oil but it dies give a distinctive taste to the mayonnaise which is not to everyone’s taste – I prefer good quality yrapeseed oil] about ¼ - ½ pint

Method

·        Prepare the mayonnaise – using a food processor or liquidiser makes this process easy though I prefer a balloon whisk in a pyrex bowl

·        Put the egg yolk, seasoning and mustard in the bowl and blend.

·        Gradually add the oil – a very little at a time – whilst whisking or in the blender until the mixture becomes thick.

·        There is no need to add more oil once the mayonnaise has thickened.

·        Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

-  In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and enough mayonnaise to coat these ingredients.

-  Serve with salads, cold lunch dishes etc.

Stir Fry with Red Cabbage

Half a small red cabbage – outer leaves and core removed then sliced finely

100 gm [4 oz] mushrooms very fresh – wiped, peeled [if necessary] and sliced

1 large red pepper – top and core removed, then sliced

1 large green pepper – top and core removed, then sliced

2 – 3 Tblsp vegetable oil

2 skinless chicken breasts – finely sliced

OR

100 gm [4 oz] cashew nuts – lightly fried or toasted

Use a bought stir fry sauce of your choice or make your own

Stir fry sauce

3 Tblsp soy sauce

3 tblsp vinegar[red wine, white wine or cider]

2 cloves garlic – finely crushed

½ tsp fresh ginger – finely crushed

Zest of 1 orange – or lemon

2 good sized Tblsp tomato ketchup

3 Tblsp water

1 Tblsp vegetable oil

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Ø  If using chicken – fry quickly in the pan, tossing frequently.

Ø  Stir- fry all the vegetables in the pan

Ø  If using cashew nuts – stir in when the vegetables have been cooked.

Ø  Add the sauce of your choice mix in and serve immediately.