Butter cabbage: The tasty savoy cabbage variant from grandmother's garden. We show tips and tricks for growing & harvesting in your own vegetable patch.
Even if many people do not recognize the butter cabbage either by its name or its appearance, we will introduce this almost forgotten type of cabbage in more detail. Because its leaves are far too tender and aromatic to simply drop this type of cabbage under the table.
Opinions differ as to whether butter cabbage (Brassica oleracea spp. capitata convar. costata) is a loose-headed type of cabbage or a variety of savoy cabbage. We believe in the former.
In the GDR it was highly valued and cultivated for its delicate and aromatic leaves. In the meantime, this special type of cabbage is rarely found in stores. If you're lucky, you can find it at the farmer's market around the corner. In the Bergisches Land, butter cabbage is a little more common on the market. Most large farms deleted it from their culture many decades ago: too different growth and loose heads make mechanical harvesting and processing difficult. In addition, the leaves have to be harvested individually from the outside to the inside over a period of several weeks and the heads can only be stored for a short time. The elongated heads are very loosely packed and the light green foliage is slightly wavy to slightly curled.
Grow butter cabbage and take care of its preservation
If you search for something on the Internet, you will find specialized seed dealers who sell the seeds of the butter cabbage. Sowing takes place from mid-March on the windowsill or a cold frame. The young plants can be pricked out with 10cm and from May with a distance of 60cm between the plants and 80cm between the rows. Butter cabbage is considered to be one of the toughest types of cabbage. Initially must be on Nudibranchs be respected. The usual cabbage diseases afflict the butter cabbage less often.
You can find detailed step-by-step instructions on how to grow it here: Growing butter cabbage: sowing, care and harvest time.
Decide for yourself how and when to harvest
Either you harvest the head of cabbage completely in midsummer or you harvest individual leaves one by one. This is done from the outside in. If you know from the start that you will be harvesting leaf by leaf, the planting and row spacing can also be chosen a little smaller. The whole butter cabbage can also be stored in a cool place for a few weeks. However, it should be consumed much faster than white cabbage or winter savory, as it loses its taste and the outer binders quickly wither or become limp.
If you like savoy cabbage and white cabbage, you will love butter cabbage
Possible forms of processing range from cabbage rolls to Asian wok dishes. Butter cabbage has extremely tender leaves and a mild, excellent taste. The larger leaves can be made into cabbage rolls. The tender leaves inside the cabbage are also suitable as raw vegetables.
Take care of the butter cabbage in your garden and support it in its comeback. Your taste cells will surely thank you!
