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Though we have yet to find a baby in a Cabbage patch, it's easy to understand what inspired this tall tale. Walk down a row of Cabbages and you'll see them, like giant flowers, each gently swaddling its perfect interior orb. It's a fitting introduction to
Alcosa Baby Cabbage
, an adorable half-size savoy Cabbage with crinkly, dusky-blue outer leaves, a lime-green head and a buttery yellow interior. Cabbage perfection!
Alcosa's leaves are mild and tender with a texture similar to Radicchio. Thinly sliced, they are a perfect alternative to Lettuce in summer salads, make fantastic coleslaw and are scrumptious braised in butter with a little fresh Thyme. The 6" heads are ready to harvest in just 65 days~perfect for a midsummer planting. You'll then enjoy months of crunchy autumn salads with shredded apples and toasted walnuts.
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The Lowly Cabbage Gets Its Due
Cabbages have sustained many a family through hard times. They are nutritious, inexpensive and store for months.
What's more, Cabbage is a nutritional powerhouse of vitamin C and K, folic acid, fiber and cancer-fighting anthocyanins Thanks to Alcosa Baby Cabbage, our eyes are opened to an exciting new world of Cabbage love.
Alcosa Baby Savoy Cabbage stars in one of our favorite summer side dishes: Lemony Sautéed Cabbage. Core a small Savoy Cabbage and slice it thinly. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add half the Cabbage and ½ teaspoon salt, and sauté, stirring frequently, until very tender and browned in some places. Remove from the pan and repeat with the second half of the Cabbage. Return all of the Cabbage to the skillet, and mix in one can of drained, rinsed chickpeas, ¾ cup of bright green pitted Castelvetrano or Cerignola olives, ½ cup toasted pecans, 1 lemon (use its zest and juice), and 1/3 cup chopped fresh Dill leaves. Season to taste.
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Seven Delicious Cabbages for Fall Harvest
Cabbages come in myriad shapes and sizes, all with their own unique characteristics. Don't stop at just one. Experiment with a few this summer and fall, and let us know which one is your favorite!
***All seed counts are approximate.***
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62-65 days. Wrinkly, crinkly savoy is our pick for the prettiest of all Cabbages. Alcosa features dusky-blue outer leaves, a 6" lime-green head and a buttery yellow interior. The mild and tender leaves are a nutritious alternative to head Lettuce and are scrumptious braised in butter with a little fresh Thyme. An early spring planting yields heads in just 65 days, so you can be making coleslaw by July 4th. Plant again in midsummer for crunchy autumn salads with shredded apples and toasted walnuts. (F1.)
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85 days. This is a bright jade-green, loose-headed Cabbage with fleshy white mid-ribs and wide-spreading leaves. Sweeter and more tender than regular Cabbage, it may be harvested as a whole plant or leaf-harvested to promote center re-growth with paler, milder, frilly leaves. (F1.)
A pack of 100 seeds is $3.65.
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55 days. Gonzales yields attractive, uniform Cabbages that look like lustrous, blue-green softballs. Its dense, firm heads resist splitting and have a particularly sweet flavor and a crisp, crunchy texture. Perfect for small gardens, it can be planted 8" to 12" apart. (F1.)
A pack of 100 seeds is $3.55.
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72 days. The first of the red Cabbages to mature, it is compact, dense and dark red with an unsurpassed, sweet taste and tender texture. Harvest gorgeous Primero at two to four pounds, a perfect one-meal size for a small family. It's wonderful in a sweet sauerkraut. (OP.)
A pack of 100 seeds is $3.55.
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100-110 days. Long-season Late Flat Dutch matures into smooth, oval, rock-hard heads up to 12" across and up to 15 pounds. It keeps for months and is perfect for stuffed rollups and sauerkraut, kimchee, winter slaws, soups and stirfries. (OP.)
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61-65 days. This early-heading Cabbage has dense, solid, deliciously sweet, blushed purple and pale green heads that have artistic, intricately savoyed, crinkled leaves. It can weigh in at up to 5 pounds. It stores well, too! (OP.)
A pack of 150 seeds is $3.55.
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63 days. Easy to grow, this lovely little cone head weighs in at just 1 to 2 pounds. Caraflex holds well in the garden, has extra crunch and sweetness and stores up to 8 weeks after harvest. Caraflex is resistant to fungal Fusarium Yellows. (F1.)
A pack of 100 seeds is $3.95.
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How to Grow a Beautiful Cabbage
For best results, transplant Cabbage into the garden as 4 to 6 week old seedlings. Start the seeds indoors, planting 2 or 3 seeds per pot, and then thin to one plant per pot. Give the seedlings 12 to 15 hours of bright light each day. When the plants have two sets of true leaves, put them in a sheltered outdoor location for a few hours each day, a little more each day for 7 to 10 days.
Young Cabbage plants will tolerate chilly temperatures and can be planted outdoors up to 8 weeks before your first fall frost. (Find your first frost date HERE.)
Choose a sunny, well-draining spot, loosen the soil and add plenty of compost and organic fertilizer. Placing a lightweight floating row cover over young transplants will protect them from flying insects that could later become root maggots and Cabbage worms.
Water as needed and fertilize monthly until the heads start to develop. Cabbage tastes best when harvested while the heads are still small and tightly wrapped. They'll keep well until Christmas in a cold basement or the back of a refrigerator.
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Cabbage Goes Gourmet
Cabbage may not have the intrigue of wild ramps or the preciousness of Pea sprouts, but creative chefs are finding exciting new ways to use this humble vegetable. Try to imagine a fish taco without a zippy Cabbage slaw on top! We like Chef Allison Martin's Simple Cabbage Slaw that she serves at The Burning Tree in Otter Creek, Maine. It calls for one small head of savoy Cabbage shredded extra fine, tossed with two grated Carrots, a finely-sliced small Red Onion, one minced Hot Pepper, 1/3 cup chopped Cilantro and ¼ cup chopped Mint. Top with the juice of two squeezed limes, ¼ to ½ cup good extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Let it marinate at least 15 minutes before serving. Prefer your Cabbage Slaw creamy? Just use equal parts good mayonnaise and Greek yogurt with sugar and apple cider vinegar to taste.
Find more great recipes for your Cabbage harvest in our online cookbook HERE, and our Cabbage Recipes Pinterest board HERE.
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You can email us at
[email protected]
or call us at (860) 567-6086. Lance Frazon, our seed specialist, is happy to help you in any way possible. He loves to talk seeds.
23 Tulip Drive * PO Box 638 * Bantam, CT 06750
Phone: (860) 567-6086 * Fax: (860) 567-5323
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