Cabbage

Though tracing its exact origins is difficult, cabbage has a long history. Theophrastus, an ancient Greek philosopher, mentioned cabbage, and the ancient Romans cultivated the then-expensive vegetable for corned beef and cabbage.

By the 15th century, it was widely cultivated throughout Europe and came to the New World with early settlers.

Cabbage leaves can either be light green or a purple-red. It thrives in the colder mothers, and is at it’s peak during autumn and winter. As such, you can find local cabbage pretty much year-round!

Varieties:

  • Polar Green
  • Green Express
  • Charmant
  • Sunup
  • Belbro
  • Ruby Ball
  • Red Acre
  • Red Perfection
  • Survivor
  • Sanabel
  • Green Express
  • Shamrock
  • Super Red
  • Prime Time
  • Bartolo
  • Hinova
  • Zerlina
  • Savoy King
  • Chieftain
  • Ice Prince
  • Ice Queen

Nutrition

Cabbage is a good source of Vitamin C and folacin, and contains good levels of fibre.

It has cholesterol-lowering properties, and is rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and glucosinolates.

Selecting

Look for cabbage that seems firm and heavy for its size with fresh, crisp-looking leaves that are tightly packed and aren’t wilting or blemished.

Storing

Store wrapped tightly in plastic for 2 weeks in the crisper. Once cut, use within 2-3 days.

Cover and refrigerate cooked cabbage (alone of part of mixed like cabbage rolls) within 2 hours of cooking and use within 3-5 days.

Freeze fresh or cooked cabbage for 10-12 months.

Cooking

Remove outer leaves and rinse cabbage well.

To keep fresh, don’t cut until just before use.

To shred, quarter the head and cut out the hard stalk, then cut each quarter into fine shreds.

Microwave, shred, pickle, bake steam, stir-fry or boil cabbage.

Recipes

Head of cabbage
Seasonal Availability
January to April, June to December

Nutrition per 125mL cabbage, green, shredded, raw (37 g):

Nutrient Value
Calories 9
Protein 1 g
Carbohydrates 2 g
Total Sugar 1 g
Total Dietary Fibre 0.7 g
Calcium 17 mg
Iron 0.2 mg
Sodium 7 mg
Potassium 91 mg
Magnesium 6 mg
Vitamin C 12 mg

Provided by Health Canada