Cabbage Organic Copenhagen Market - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'Marché de Copenhague' Cabbage is an ancient and hardy variety of cabbage that quickly produces a large, compact, and firm head measuring 15-20 cm (6-8in) in diameter and weighing up to 2 kg. It has excellent taste and is surrounded by large light green leaves. This cabbage is easy to grow and not very prone to running to seed. It can be eaten raw, grated in salads, or cooked, braised, etc. Sow from February to May for a harvest from June to October.

The White Cabbage or Summer Cabbage is a very popular leafy vegetable, and we love it for its flavour as for the generous size of the heads it forms.

Commonly called Cabbage or Summer Cabbage (in Latin Brassica oleracea capitata, with "capitata" meaning "head"), this beautiful vegetable plant belongs to the large family of Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). Originally from Europe, it is a biennial plant grown as an annual that produces a more or less tight head, which can be round, slightly flattened, or sharply conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of the 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 or almost 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 us to wait until the first spring harvests.

Cabbage can be eaten both raw and cooked. It can be prepared 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: it has low energy value but is very rich in vitamins C, B6, and B9. It also contains a lot of dietary fibre and minerals such as calcium.

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

Harvest: It is ready when the cabbage forms a nice head and before the leaves start to turn yellow. It is harvested with a knife, by cutting just below the head.

Storage: Savoy cabbage can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. It can also be frozen 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 autumn varieties with white heads.

Gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily a garden for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers in it. First of all, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, but also to repel pests and attract precious pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs like Dill in the middle of the rows or on the edge of the bed. However, be cautious with certain plants, although useful, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated growing spaces.