Local Farms Grow Heirloom Cabbages
According to food writer Rebecca Wood, humans have been eating cabbage for more than 2 millennia. It's chock-full of anti-carcinogenic phytonutrients, and it was used as a hangover cure by the Romans. Still, for some reason, the vegetable is often tossed aside for more exciting flora.
It’s hard to toss a conch-shell-shaped cabbage aside, though.
The “Early Jersey Wakefield” is an heirloom cabbage variety grown by two local farms, Windmill Farm in Moss Landing and Dirty Girl Produce in Santa Cruz’s banana belt. It comes from a real heirloom seed that can be traced back to a New Jersey man named Peter Henderson, who perfected it in 1868. No, you won't find this conical wonder at the supermarket.
“I’ve had a really hard time finding the heirloom versus the hybridized variety. There is only one in the seed catalogue,” said Ronald Donkervoort, who has grown cabbage for at least 15 years at Windmill Farm.
“I grew up eating these in Holland, and it’s very well known in Europe," he said. "It’s a lot more tender and sweet than some cabbages.”
Donkervoort recommended eating the cabbage raw in a salad, as it’s especially refreshing in the summertime heat. I purchased a couple of these heads to experiment on, and sure enough, they were as delicious raw as they were lightly steamed. A friend and local cabbage enthusiast, Alex Burke, recommended shredding the cabbage—any kind your heart desires—and tossing it with green onion, rice vinegar and a little sesame oil. After trying this, I too, became a cabbage lover.
The heirloom cabbages are also delicious halved and steamed for a short amount of time, just until they appear translucent, as suggested by Dennis Schermer of Dirty Girl Produce. Lightly steamed cabbage leaves hold their shape and remain elastic, so they make good wrapping material, especially in vegan dishes. Try stuffing them with walnuts and vegetables and baking them as you would manicotti or lasagna.
Donkervoort brought to light another reason why this cabbage variety may taste better than the red or green cabbages you will find under the bright lights of Safeway’s produce section.
“Open pollinated and heirloom varieties have more flavor than the hybrids," he said. "As a farmer, I try to stay away from hybridized food as much as possible.”
Another reason Donkervoort and other small farms prefer heirloom seeds is that hybrid vegetables do not produce reliable seeds to save for the next season, meaning these crops are potentially useless beyond one growing season. This puts the fate of the world's food supply in the hands of seed companies, while many of our grandparents’ vegetable varieties go extinct.
Open Pollinated Seeds - News
Continuing with our Seeds of Life series, Willamette Valley organic seed breeder, Frank Morton, explains the benefits of open pollination in plant breeding, and the important role for farmers in the selection process to continually improve plant
“Open pollinated and heirloom varieties have more flavor than the hybrids," he said. "As a farmer, I try to stay away from hybridized food as much as possible.” Another reason Donkervoort and other small farms prefer heirloom seeds is that hybrid
Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated, which means the seeds can be saved year to year. While some older hybrids from the '40s and '50s have morphed into their own heirloom strains over the years, second-generation seeds saved from a hybrid variety
What makes heirloom seeds different from modern hybridized seeds? Basically, the term categorizes seeds that have been grown for a minimum of 50 years, have been open pollinated (by wind or insects) and have developed great character (flavor and looks)
Scour the local seed stores or visit agricultural fairs to pick up packets of seeds. "It's best to procure local varieties and open pollinated seed directly from the farmers," says Reena Chengappa of My Sunny Balcony, a gardening company in Bangalore.
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