VEG FACTS AND RECIPES
Vegetable: Cabbage
Recipes:
Our Jamie's Spring Green Curry
Bubble and Squeak Rösti
Stir-Fried Vegetables With Cashew Nuts & Brown Rice
Vegetable Tortilla
Red Cabbage Slaw
Classic Red Cabbage with Apple and Prunes
Red cabbage with sweet chestnuts Cavelonero
Cavelonero and chickpea balti
Cavelonero with Garlic and Fennel Seeds
Type: From the Brassica family. Derived from a leafy wild mustard plant, cabbages come in many shapes and sizes. The most commonly eaten in the UK include the conical hispi, red, savoy, spring greens and white cabbage.
Vitamin and mineral content: Rich in vitamins A, B, C, K and E, potassium, sulphur and copper.
Reputedly good for: Often sited as a 'superfood', cabbages have been used for their medicinal benefits for centuries. Said to be helpful for the prevention of a variety of digestive complaints including bowel cancer, and helpful in the treatment of stomach ulcers, colitis and gastritis. It helps boost the immune system, is helpful for treating respiratory conditions and can help sooth bones and joints.
Red cabbage juice is an excellent home-made PH indicator, turning blue in alkaline solutions, and red in acidic ones. See here for more information ...
Availability: You'll find some sort of cabbage available all year round, although the growing season is from autumn to mid spring.
Storage: The tight ball-type cabbages keep very well for several weeks (those that eventually make it to supermarket shelves may indeed be several months old) while the looser varieties, such as spring greens, will need eating after a few days.
Red cabbages are best harvested in late Autumn, and keep well in cool temperatures.
Preparation: Can be cooked to death like we all remember from school, but see recipes above for some better ideas. Red cabbage turns blue when it's cooked, although a splash of vinegar will help to retain the acidity and therefore it's colour.
Origins: Brassicas have grown in coastal regions around the Med for centuries. Over time they have been selected to resemble the many varieties we know today. Their therapeutic and medicinal properties have been appreciated for thousands of years. It is thought that they were cultivated by the Neolithic people - that's around 7000 years BC - and were no less popular with the Slavs, Celts and Romans, who's faith in their curative properties is touching.