Cabbage Minicole F1 - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'F1 Mini' Cabbage is a variety that produces miniature cabbages with tightly packed leaves, which keep remarkably well on the plant. It is ideal for small spaces like square vegetable gardens. It can be sown from March to June for a harvest from August to November.

The Savoy Cabbage or Drumhead Cabbage is a very popular leafy vegetable, it is one of the must-haves in the vegetable garden and if we love it so much, it may be as much for its flavour as for the generous appearance of the heads it forms.

Called interchangeably Drumhead Cabbage or Savoy Cabbage (in Latin Brassica oleracea capitata, capitata meaning "head"), this beautiful vegetable plant belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). Originally from Europe, it is a biennial plant cultivated as an annual that produces a more or less tightly packed head, which can be round, slightly flattened or sharply conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of the Savoy Cabbage are smooth, and their colour varies depending on the variety: from very light green, almost white, to dark green, sometimes slightly bluish to red, tinged with violet to nearly black.

Cabbage, although emblematic of winter, can be sown and harvested almost all year round. Varieties are generally grouped into three main categories: spring cabbages, which are harvested from late April to June, summer and autumn cabbages for the period from July, and winter cabbages which, along with leeks and parsnips, allow you to wait until the first spring harvests.

Savoy Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked; it can be grated in salads, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed or used in soups and sauerkraut. There are plenty of recipes, both in traditional and modern cuisine.

From a dietary point of view, it is remarkable: its energy value is low but very rich in vitamins C, B6 and B9; it also contains a lot of fibre and minerals such as calcium.

In the vegetable garden, it is easy to grow as long as you meet its requirements: deep soil, excellent manure and regular moisture. It thrives in the sun and generally does well in cool and rainy climates.

NB: This variety is labelled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it results from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be exceptionally flavourful and early while resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are attractive for their homogeneity and resistance. Still, unfortunately, their qualities are not passed on to subsequent generations: it will, therefore, not be possible to recover the seeds for future sowing.

Harvest is carried out when the cabbage forms a nice head before the leaves turn yellow. It is done with a knife by cutting just below the head.

Storage: Savoy cabbage can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. It also freezes very well after being blanched in salted boiling water. Winter varieties can also be left in the ground. Finally, the preparation of sauerkraut (lacto-fermentation) allows the delicious preservation of white-headed autumn varieties.

The gardener's little tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers there. First of all, even if the beauty of certain vegetables like cabbage is sufficient for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, they also repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant, in the middle of the rows or along the edges of the bed, Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums or even beautiful herbs like Dill. However, be careful with certain plants, although practical, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated growing spaces.