Cabbage Tête de Pierre F1 - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'Tête de Pierre F1' Cabbage is an early and productive variety intended for summer harvests. This cabbage produces beautiful round heads (approximately 1.5 kg) highly resistant to yellowing and bursting. It can be sown indoors from January to March or directly in the ground from March to June for a harvest from June to November.

The Savoy Cabbage or Head Cabbage is a popular leafy vegetable, a must-have in the vegetable garden. We love it for both its flavour and the generous size of its heads.

Commonly known as Head Cabbage or Savoy Cabbage (in Latin Brassica oleracea capitata, with "capitata" meaning "head"), this beautiful vegetable belongs to the large Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae). Native to Europe, it is a biennial plant cultivated annually that produces heads that can be more or less tight and round, slightly flattened, or sharply conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of the Savoy Cabbage are smooth, and their colour varies depending on the variety: from very light green, almost white, to dark green, sometimes with a slightly bluish tint, or even tinged with violet or almost black.

Although the cabbage is emblematic of winter, it can be sown and harvested almost all year round. Varieties are generally grouped into three main categories: spring cabbage, which is harvested from late April to June; summer and autumn cabbage, for the period from July; and winter cabbage, which, along with leeks and parsnips, allows us to wait until the first spring harvests.

Savoy Cabbage can be consumed raw or cooked. It can be shredded for salads, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed, or used in soups and sauerkraut. There are countless recipes, both traditional and modern.

From a dietary point of view, it is remarkable: it has low energy value but 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 easy to grow if its requirements are met: deep soil, excellent fertilisation, and regular moisture. It thrives in sunny conditions and generally does well in cool and rainy climates.

NB: This variety is labelled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it results from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be flavourful and/or early while also resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting for their uniformity and resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations, so it will not be possible to save the seeds for later sowing.

Harvest: It is carried out when the cabbage forms a beautiful head before the leaves turn yellow. It is done with a knife by simply cutting just below the head.

Storage: Savoy Cabbage can be kept 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, making sauerkraut (lacto-fermentation) is a delicious way to preserve white-headed autumn varieties.

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. Firstly, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, especially with beautiful vegetables like cabbage, but also to 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 along the edges of the beds. However, be cautious with some plants, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in areas dedicated to cultivation.