Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
varieties can swell to more than 100 pounds. Among the hardy gardening subgenre that
competes to grow the most outsize specimens, cabbages have a place of honor, along
with pumpkins, watermelons and zucchini. The world record, held by a Welshman, is 124
pounds.
Red cabbages look almost exactly like round cabbages except they are tinged with an-
thocyanin, a pigment that lends a surface color somewhere between red and purple. This
color fades during cooking to a bruised blue. Cooking the cabbage with acidic ingredients
such as apples or vinegar can lessen this change.
The most widely known long-headed Asian cabbage is the napa (or nappa; the name
derives not from the wine country, but from the Japanese word for cabbage). These cab-
bages form pale yellow green heads that are elongated rather than round, much the same
as the difference between romaine and iceberg lettuces. Asian cabbages (Brassica rapa)
actually come from a different species than European cabbages (Brassica oleracea). They
are more closely related to bok choy, broccoli rabe and, most oddly, turnips. Asian cab-
bages also are more delicate in texture and flavor than European cabbages.
WHERE THEY'RE GROWN: Cabbages and brussels sprouts require long, cool
growing conditions. For that reason, they are usually at their best beginning in late fall and
running through early spring. Essentially all brussels sprouts grown in the United States
come from California, primarily the coastal region between Salinas and Santa Cruz. Cali-
fornia is also the leading grower of cabbages, with about 20 percent of the crop. Cabbage
is also an important crop in New York, as well as in Texas and Florida, where it is a winter
harvest.
