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When you see cabbage, you usually see the tightly clustered leaves in a compact "head", and maybe a few loose outer leaves around the base. This is the way cabbage grows until longer days and warmer weather signal it to bolt to flower. Then, the head splits open and gives birth to a stalk that uncurls itself as it forces the split head farther open. The stalk grows 2-4' (0.6-1.2 m) tall, then branches and develops numerous small, 4-petaled, cross-shaped yellow flowers that eventually develop into elongate seed pods. There are hundreds of cultivars of cabbage (Cornucopia - a Source Book of Edible Plants lists 73 available in the US). They can be grouped into three main kinds: smooth green, red and Savoy. The smooth green cabbages may have round, flattened or conical heads, and can be green, blue-green or yellow-green. Head size can range from one pound in some dwarf varieties to more than 60 lbs (27 kg)for some of the kraut cabbages. The red cabbages are reddish-purple and have very tight heads. The Savoy cabbages have crinkled, puckery bluish-green leaves and looser heads. (Chinese cabbage belongs to a different species: Brassica rapa).
Location
Culture
Cabbage leaves are eaten raw in salads and cole slaw. They are steamed, boiled, stir-fried and pickled. Cabbage is fermented to make German sauerkraut and Korean kimshi. The larger, outer leaves are stuffed and used to wrap other foods before baking or braising. Cabbage contains high levels of antioxidants and vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. It should not be overcooked, as this destroys much of the flavor and most of the nutrients. One can hardly do better with fresh cabbage than to steam it briefly in the water that clings to it after rinsing, and serve it with butter, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. To keep red cabbage from losing its color during cooking, add a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar to the water. To prevent the odor of cooking cabbage from permeating the house, place several slices of stale bread on top of the cabbage while it is cooking. The bread will absorb the odors and can be discarded after the cabbage is finished. To maximize its many health benefits, eat cabbage raw in cole slaw or salad.
Gardeners have created an amazing diversity of vegetables from the original wild cabbage, Brassica oleracea. This was done merely by saving and planting seeds from the individual plants that had the characteristics that the gardener wanted to perpetuate. Every single plant that grows from a packet of seeds you buy at the garden center (even if all those seeds came from the same parent plant) is at least a little bit different. No two are alike. Merely by selecting which of those plants will be the source of the seeds you will plant next season, you can direct evolution any way you want. The process is called selection; not natural selection as happens in nature, but "horticultural selection." (I have never understood why they made such a big fuss over Darwin's discovery that selection happens in nature; gardeners had been practicing selection for more than 3000 years!) Horticultural selection within the species Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage) has led to the development of hundreds of cultivars that are now organized into eight major groups of vegetables:
Cabbage (and other members of the genus Brassica) contain very high levels of antioxidant and anticancer compounds. Dithioltiones and glucosinolates enhance antioxidant and detoxification effects in the body. Isothiocyanates inhibit tumor growth. Coumarins block cancer causing compounds. Various phenols in cabbage prevent the formation of carcinogens and enhance detoxification enzymes. (The Romans ate cabbage to cure hangovers.) The anti-cancer properties of cabbage are so well-established that the American Cancer Society recommends that Americans increase their intake of cabbage and other crucifer crops. Other research has suggested that the compounds in cabbage and other crucifers can protect the eyes against macular degeneration. Eat your greens! Steve Christman 1/9/00; updated 12/5/02, 9/5/03
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