Cabbage Primo - Brassica oleracea capitata

The 'Primo' Cabbage is harvested in mid-summer and produces compact, medium-sized heads composed of light green leaves. It is sown from March to July for a harvest from July to September.

The Savoy Cabbage or Drumhead Cabbage is a very popular leaf vegetable, it is an essential 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). Originating from Europe, it is a biennial plant cultivated as an annual that produces a more or less tight head, which can be round, slightly flattened or conical in pointed varieties. The leaves of the Savoy Cabbage are smooth, and their colour varies depending on the varieties: from very light green, almost white, to dark green, sometimes slightly bluish, to red-tinged with violet or 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 that are harvested from late April to June, summer and autumn Cabbages for the period from July to November, and winter Cabbages that, along with leeks and parsnips, allow you to wait until the first spring harvests.

Savoy Cabbage can be consumed raw or cooked, it can be prepared grated in salads, braised to accompany meat and fish dishes, stuffed, or used in soups and Sauerkraut. There is no shortage 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 like calcium.

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

Harvest: It is done 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 can also be frozen 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 you to preserve autumn varieties with white heads deliciously.

The gardener's little 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. First of all, even if the beauty of certain vegetables, such as Cabbage, is enough for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, they also repel pests and attract valuable pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant, right 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 cautious of certain plants, despite being very useful, such as Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in areas dedicated to cultivation.