White cabbage: healthy herb with a long history

White cabbage provides many healthy nutrients and vital substances. Information on the origin, cultivation, harvest and storage can be found here.

White cabbage (Brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. alba) is deeply anchored in human history. Researchers argue about the first evidence of the healthy type of cabbage. What is certain is that the plant is already in the 7th It was processed into kimchi, a South Korean savory form of sauerkraut, in the 19th century. The first German evidence of white cabbage is an illustration by Leonhart Fuchs from the 16th century. Century. Shortly afterwards, seafarers recognized the value of the herb and took it with them as provisions on long voyages. In the form of sauerkraut, white cabbage is not only easy to preserve, but also largely retains its vitamin C content, which protected seafarers from the disease scurvy. During the two world wars, the term “Krauts” developed in English as ethnophaulism for the Germans.

Like most other types of cabbage, white cabbage is derived from wild cabbage, which in its original form still grows today on the coasts of France, Ireland and England. Those who like to use white cabbage in the kitchen and own a garden can easily grow the tasty and healthy cabbage themselves.

Synonyms: white cabbage, head cabbage, white cabbage (CH)

This is how it can be grown in your garden

White cabbage will be divided into several categories. There are early, medium and late ripening varieties. A distinction is also made between varieties for the fresh market and industrial processing.

White cabbage is quite adaptable in terms of location. It thrives best in a sunny to partially shaded place, likes loose to slightly loamy soil and, as a representative of the heavy eaters, prefers nutrient-rich soil. Lean garden soil can be topped up with compost before planting out. Here, compost not only increases the nutrient content, but also the ability of the soil to store water. A nutrient-rich organic fertilizer with long-term effects such as ours is recommended for fertilization Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, which provides white cabbage with all the nutrients it needs for three months.

It is important to choose the right variety. Early varieties are particularly suitable for fresh consumption, while later varieties can often be stored for weeks. Hobby gardeners with a cool cellar can count themselves lucky. Because the cabbage heads can be hung upside down with the stalk and roots. If the temperature and humidity are right, cabbage heads of good storage varieties can be stored until the beginning of February.

The early bird catches the worm, is the motto of successful white cabbage cultivation: If you want to harvest the white cabbage early (usually at the beginning of the July), you have to sow in February, either on your own bright window sill or directly outside under a glass dome (E.g. inverted mason jar). The plants grown on the windowsill can be planted in the prepared soil at the beginning of April. In severe frosts, however, the young plants should be protected. Medium and late varieties can be planted in May. Cabbage can also be sown at the end of July and August in climatically favorable areas.

It is best to overwinter under a protective film until spring, when the young vegetables can be harvested and used in salads or as a side dish. At this point, however, the plants have not yet formed a proper head. But a clever trick can help: a very dense sowing with 25-35cm distance between the Planting is the beginning, in spring every second plant should be harvested as leaf vegetables. The remaining plants then have enough space to develop a real head of herb.
With traditional mining, the spacing is selected accordingly, depending on the variety's growth ability. More compact varieties are satisfied with a distance between the plants of 40cm, later and very vigorous varieties can need up to 80cm. The row spacing is 60 to 100cm.

During the growth phase, the soil around the plant should be loosened with a hoe from time to time. White cabbage is one of the so-called hacking plants, for which regular loosening of the soil is very good. If it is dry, it should be watered regularly. Every three to four weeks, growth can be supported with a nitrogen- and potassium-rich fertilizer. However, over-fertilization quickly leads to reduced disease resistance and a sulphurous taste.

You can find even more information about the cultivation here: Growing white cabbage: sowing, care and harvest time.

White cabbage varieties

You can find an extensive overview of varieties here: White cabbage: choosing the right varieties to grow.

• Bacalan Gross: early variety from Spain with large and oval cabbage heads; wavy leaf margins, especially good in aroma.
• Domarna: popular variety for industrial cultivation; round heads with heavy weight. The variety is particularly robust against diseases and is mostly used for the production of sauerkraut.
• Equatoria (F1): medium early variety with semi-flat heads and a pleasantly mild aroma. Due to its size and texture, it is particularly suitable for cabbage wraps.
• Filderkraut: medium to late ripening variety with firm and pointed heads. Filderkraut is a traditional Swabian variety with fine and aromatic leaves, which is particularly suitable for salads and fine sauerkraut; can be stored well.
• Holsteiner Platter: very vigorous and large-headed variety with a flat, round head. Despite the late ripeness, the variety is difficult to store and should be processed immediately after harvest; very good taste.
• Krautkaiser: late-ripening variety with uniform, flat-round and very large cabbage heads; a good storage variety weighing up to 5kg.
• Lion (F1): late-ripening lager varieties with round and beautiful green heads; high disease resistance (esp. Thrip tolerance); Lion variety achieved the best result in a variety comparison by LVG ​​Erfurt in the category “late white cabbage varieties for the fresh market”.
• Marner Lagerweiß: late ripening and tightly packed camp cabbage; very big heads with good taste; This traditional variety was also nicknamed "permanent cabbage" due to its excellent storage properties.
• Matsumo: early variety with flat-round heads; Due to the tender and tasty leaves, it is particularly suitable for raw vegetables such as coleslaw; can only be stored for a short time.

The cabbage can be harvested from July

If sown in good time, early varieties can be harvested as early as July, and later varieties into winter. Only the temperature should not fall below -4 ° C. An important rule is: the later the cabbage is harvested, the longer it can be stored.
After the harvest, no more cabbage should be grown in the same location for at least four years. This is absolutely necessary to prevent illness.

Use and ingredients

White cabbage is rich in important substances. In addition to its high vitamin C content, this type of cabbage also offers a lot of minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium, etc.). White cabbage also contains antibiotic active ingredients that inhibit microorganisms, which explains, among other things, its good preservability.

Before processing, the stalk and the outer leaves should be removed. These usually have a high nitrate content. White cabbage can not only be eaten raw in salads, but can also be used as sauerkraut as a tasty accompaniment to hearty dishes such as roasts, sausages or smoked pork. Cabbage is also very suitable as an ingredient for oven vegetables.

Against the flatulence feared by many people, it helps to season the dishes with a little caraway seeds. This has a digestive effect. You should also use nitrogen as a cautious fertilizer, as this is absolutely not helpful for good digestion and also causes a slight sulfur odor when cooking.

Diseases and pests

The white cabbage also has to struggle with the pests and diseases typical of cabbage species. Which includes: Cabbage white butterfly, white fly, and the Carbonic hernia.