Cabbage Express - Brassica oleracea capitata

The Express Cabbage is a very early variety that quickly produces small conical heads (average weight of 750 g). This cabbage is composed of tender leaves of excellent quality. It should be sown from February to March under glass and from March to May in open ground for harvesting from August to October. Sowing is also possible from mid-August to mid-September for an early harvest the following spring.

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

Called White 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 cultivated as an annual that produces a more or less compact head, which can be round, slightly flattened or clearly conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of this cabbage 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 almost black.

The Cabbage, although emblematic of winter, can be sown and harvested almost all year round. Varieties are generally grouped into three main categories: Spring Cabbages, which 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 us to wait until the first spring harvests.

The White Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked, it can be prepared grated in salads, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed, or even 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 it is very rich in vitamins C, B6 and B9, and it also contains a lot of fibre and minerals such as calcium.

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

Harvest: it can be harvested when the cabbage forms a nice head and before the leaves start to turn yellow. It is harvested with a knife, simply by cutting just below the head.

Storage: the Savoy Cabbage can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. It can also be frozen very 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 for the delicious preservation of white-headed autumn varieties.

The gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily intended for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers. First and foremost, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, but also to repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardia, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful aromatic herbs like Dill in the middle of the rows or at the edge of the bed. However, be careful with some plants, even though they are useful, like Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in cultivated areas.