Head cabbage is a member of the crucifer family, nutrient dense vegetables that also include radishes, turnips, mustard greens, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, and many Oriental greens. These vegetables are among the oldest cultivated vegetables in the world originating in Europe and Asia.
Winter head cabbage has the familiar dense, heavy head and may be green, red, or purple. Spring and summer cabbages like Savoy are smaller and more tender.
All cruciferous vegetables are a wealth of nutrients and phytonutrients, but because of the red and purple pigments in these cabbages, research has discovered many health benefits. Red and purple cabbages may help lower cancer risk, improve skin health, enhance digestive function, maintain healthy vision, boost the immune system, help prevent heart disease and diabetes, improve bone health and slow down Alzheimer’s onset. Brined cabbage provides probiotics for a healthy gut microbiome.
Peak Time: November to January
Average Price: $0.89 per pound
Tips for Selection and Storage: Choose head cabbages that are firm and heavy for their size. Avoid wilt, or cabbages that have rust or have been excessively trimmed. Winter head cabbage can be refrigerated loosely wrapped and stored for a week or so. Spring cabbages should be prepared within a day or two.
Tips for Preparation: In cooking cabbage, allow 1 pound of raw cabbage for 2 cups cooked. Cabbage can be halved and quartered or shredded. To cut, first remove any damaged, browned, or wilted outer leaves and rinse the head under cold water. Place the head on a cutting board or clean work surface with the stem side down. Locate the stem, or core, of the cabbage.
With a chef’s knife, cut in half lengthwise, all the way through the core. If you’re making shredded cabbage, you need to remove the triangular core. If you are roasting or braising cabbage wedges leave the stem intact to hold the leaves together.
Use raw in salads and slaw. Stir frying, sautéing braising, roasting, stuffing, and soup making also are all excellent methods of preparation. Head cabbages also make healthy homemade sauerkraut or kimchi by brining.
Nutritional Highlights: Red and purple cabbage is very low in calories – about 15 per ½ cup cooked and 15 to 19 per cup raw. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, if eaten raw, having almost twice the amount as green cabbage.
It is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate and a good source of other B vitamins and vitamin A from several carotenoids. Red and purple cabbage is also rich in other antioxidant phytonutrients in addition to carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin.
Other phytonutrients include flavonoids and sulforaphane. All of these phytonutrients plus vitamin C make red and purple cabbage one of the foods with the highest levels of antioxidants per unit cost.
Cabbage is also a good source of potassium, calcium and manganese. All cabbage is rich in dietary fiber, especially insoluble fiber that reduces risk of colon cancer and soluble fiber that is a prebiotic, feeding the probiotic good bacteria in the gut microbiome.
