08 Dec 2009 5 Comments
What’s cuter than a cabbage patch doll?
Why a cabbage patch, of course! (They do look a bit like the doll, don’t they?) I mean, from my limited recall, anyway. Never one for dolls, I do remember the cabbage patch doll craze. Passing them by in the store – after the holidays, as you couldn’t get NEAR one during shopping season – I wondered what all the fuss was about. They were unique, which I fully appreciate, and endearing, in a “vegetable” sort of way, but why on earth would you wait in line for one? And pay top dollar?
Oh, but that was before I became a gardener! The world looks entirely different from my crouch between the rows! I see the appeal now. Cabbages are indeed GORGEOUS. Round and full - plump, really, with a smooth complexion in the palest of green and framed by a full head of “waves.” Perfection in the making - that’s what I see in MY cabbage patch these days.
We cut our first one yesterday and it was exciting! I wasn’t real sure if it was time, but it seemed to resemble the heads of cabbage I buy at the store, so I figured, why not? The kids were enthused and that’s half the battle – I mean, appeal. (Did I say battle? No. There’s no battle going on around here. Ever.) So with the help of a large knife, we whacked the head off and toted our trophy home. Okay, up the hill and to the kitchen, but it sounds more theatrical the other way and my kids LOVE theater. Because it’s fun, and kids love fun.
So slice it, toss it into the pan with some butter, onions, salt and pepper, and you have for one delicious meal. Or side, depending on how heartily your group eats! My kids love it. Probably because they eat it on camping trips – ”dads only” trips – hence, the allure may be more associative than actual, but either way it’s a veggie in their belly, so you won’t hear me complain!
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Dec 08, 2009 @ 13:29:20
It’s marvelous as a coleslaw, too. Adding toasted ra mein noodles makes it cruchier.
What’s not to like about cabbage? The dolls were just a craze; great food endures.
Dec 08, 2009 @ 23:51:54
I love white cabbage, and my kids love it too. We add some tomatoes and onions, plus salt and olive oil. I like how cabbages look on the vegetable beds, very decorative!
Dec 09, 2009 @ 00:04:36
Thanks for the recipe tips! We have a few red cabbages blooming alongside the white, though they don’t “appear” to be ready yet.
As if I would know. I don’t. So I’ll wait – until a head forms, or I receive some divine message from Mother Nature.
Still waiting.
Dec 09, 2009 @ 00:24:13
I don’t use cabbage much, but your post has definitely interested me! I have made tossed salads from cabbage that my family loved. Perhaps I need to branch out my Brassicaceae and grow some cabbage! Yours are beautiful btw. I was wondering if you have tried to store them for the winter. I hear that cabbages are supposed to store well into the winter under the right conditions — but I don’t know what those are!
Dec 09, 2009 @ 10:37:43
Cabbage is easy to grow, though IT loves water and worms love IT – so be on the lookout! As to storage, I believe you can wrap the head of cabbage in plastic (ugh, did I really use THAT word) and place in your refrigerator to store. My understanding is it should keep this way for a few months. I intend to try it, unless my crew decides they can’t live without fresh cabbage on their dinner plates – a proposition I highly doubt!