Cabbage Caid F1 - Vilmorin seeds - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'Caïd F1' Cabbage is a beautiful variety that forms 2 to 3.5 kg round and white heads. It is a superbly adapted cabbage for winter harvests due to its excellent cold-weather resistance. It is sown from April to May for harvest in October to November.

The Savoy Cabbage or Head Cabbage is a very popular leaf vegetable, it is a must-have in the vegetable garden and if we love it so much, it may be as much for its flavor as for the generous size of the heads it forms.

Called interchangeably Head Cabbage or Savoy Cabbage (in Latin Brassica oleracea capitata, capitata meaning "head"), this beautiful vegetable plant belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). Originally from Europe, it is a biennial plant grown annually that produces a more or less compact head, which can be round, slightly flattened or conical in pointed varieties. Savoy Cabbage leaves are smooth, and their colour varies depending on the varieties: from very light green, almost white, to dark green, sometimes slightly bluish, to red tinged with violet to nearly black.

Cabbage, although emblematic of winter, can be sown and harvested almost all year round. Varieties are generally grouped into three main categories: spring cabbages that are harvested from late April to June, summer and autumn cabbages for the period from July, and winter cabbages which, along with leeks and parsnips, allow you to wait until the first spring harvests.

Savoy Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked, it can be prepared grated in salads, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed, or even used in soups and sauerkraut. There is no shortage of recipes, both in traditional and modern cuisine.

From a dietary point of view, it is remarkable: its energy value is low but very rich in vitamins C, B6, and B9; it also contains a lot of fibre and minerals like calcium.

In the vegetable garden, it is easy to grow as long as you meet its requirements: deep soil, excellent manure, and regular moisture. It thrives in sunny conditions and generally does well in cool and rainy climates.

NB: This variety is referred to as F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be exceptionally flavourful and early while resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are attractive for their uniformity and resistance. Still, unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to the next generations: it will, therefore, not be possible to collect the seeds for later sowing.

Harvest: it is done when the cabbage forms a beautiful head and before the leaves start to turn yellow. It is harvested with a knife by cutting just below the head.

Storage: Savoy Cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It can also be frozen well after being blanched in salted boiling water. Winter varieties can also be left in the ground. Finally, the preparation of sauerkraut (lacto-fermentation) allows the delicious preservation of white-headed autumn varieties.

Gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even if the vegetable garden is primarily for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers. Firstly, even if the beauty of certain vegetables, such as cabbage, is enough for their aesthetic pleasure, they also repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs like Dill right in the middle of the rows or at the edge of the bed. However, be cautious with certain plants, which are helpful but tend to reseed abundantly in dedicated crop spaces, such as Borage.